REVIEW: GRIMWOOD HOLLOW

December 7, 2019

REVIEW: GrImwood hollow

Created by Nichol and Steve Cotroneo, Burbank’s Grimwood Hollow is one of the most breathtaking Halloween sights you will ever feast your eyes upon. Steve, a Disney imagineer, and his wife Nichol, owner of the horror and macabre themed Laughing Crow Candle Company, have brought to life a spectacular interactive haunt containing superbly original props and animatronics.

We heard about Grimwood late in the season. The rumor was that we were in for a real treat with this legendary yard display. We visited Grimwood on Halloween night, and were completely gobsmacked by what we experienced. The numerous props were all meticulously designed and built by hand: dead trees, coffins, cobwebs created by a DIY cobweb gun (a drill and hot glue), tombs, witches, ghouls, and more. The breathtaking details of these otherworldly visuals created a deeply immersive experience that imbued us with the true spirit of Halloween.

The crowning achievements of this visual feast were the animatronics. The Cotroneos created multiple, diminutive pumpkin-headed creatures whose mischievous antics included turning the water wheel of a well and jumping out of boxes to spook unsuspecting visitors. One little pumpkin creature even joined the absolutely stunning swamp witch (who could pass for the cousin of Legend’s Meg Mucklebones) as she stirred a smokey and bubbly cauldron filled with the oozing green liquid of her latest potions. As we admired her, we noticed kids screaming as they grabbed their trick or treat candy. We looked over to the driveway and saw a handmade mummified witch lurking in the coffin next to the candy. As the children went to get their treats, the witch’s animatronics would activate and her arm would playfully reach out, sending the kids screaming and running away with their loot.

Grimwood Hollow left us awestruck and filled with a sense of preternatural wonder. The spectacular creativity and technical sophistication of this yard display is in a league of its own. The combined talents of the Cotroneos have raised the veil between worlds, making Grimwood Hollow a truly exceptional experience for the most avid Halloween fan.

VC

December 07, 2019

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