If you were born in the 80s, like I was, then unfortunately you’ve seen the decline in all things Halloween. Not as may hayrides, far fewer trick or treaters and certainly not as many shenanigans. Oh, how I miss the shenanigans. Luckily, there’s a haunted walkthrough in Barnegat, New Jersey that’s keeping the spirit of Halloween alive. It’s called Cryptid Manor and it’s quite honestly the best backyard (er, front yard) attraction I’ve seen. Various settings, Hollywood staples, golden oldies, mazes, fog machines, black lights, scary noises, creepy decorations and live actors stalking you at almost every corner. I’m still not sure if the scarecrow was an animatronic or a participant. Hell, I would return and pay for a private tour if that was a possibility.
And that money would go to Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton for domestic violence outreach. If the spooky walkthrough isn’t enough to draw you in, then maybe donating to a good cause will do the trick. Ricky Williams, the owner and operator of Cryptid Manor, spoke with me in person and told me why he picked a domestic violence charity as his fundraiser. He said, “A local bus driver was a victim of domestic violence, and she was my daughter’s bus driver for three years. Naturally, my daughter was asking a lot of questions and the only way to answer her questions is to help raise awareness. We’re not tied to her bus driver specifically, she has her own charity, but it’s for the general cause.”
Now in its third year of operation and seemingly becoming bigger and bigger, I asked Ricky Williams how the whole experience started. He said, “There was another house in the neighborhood who was doing it and my son would always go check it out. He kept asking year after year, ‘Can we do it?’ We started in 2024, so this is our third year. We start building facades in August and use old pallets from a local farm. While it’s the same layout from last year, we changed some things around to increase flow. Every year I want to add more and more. I was just looking at 32 acres of property. That would be my dream. Room to make it more on a professional level. We have the skill set and the vision and we believe in it. I could do so much more work if it wasn’t all modular.”
Hey, I don’t want to hear anyone speaking like Cryptid Manor won’t be a go to spot next year and hopefully many more years to come. It’s visually appealing, there’s over a dozen places to stop and take pictures if you’re brazen enough to wander off the path. It’s atmospheric, everything feels like a classic Halloween haunt. The smells of various wood and earth, the smell of fake plastic, fake blood and dry ice, the sound of screaming attendees and pitched voices of animatronics. It sets itself apart from the pack because it’s somehow colorful and bright yet macabre and mysterious. It may only take two minutes to explore (longer if you go slow), but for a generation that grew up on the magic of Halloween, it’s simply nostalgic.
Cryptid Manor is open tonight, October 24, from 6:30-9:00pm with actors and Sunday, October 25, from 6:30-8:00pm without actors. I’m sure there will be at least partial dates next week just in time for the big holiday. Cryptid Manor is located on 17 Fourth Street in Barnegat, New Jersey. It’s free to attend with donations being recommended, and if you’re unable to attend in person, then consider donating to their domestic violence charity here.
