The Emerson family shows off their Halloween creation Werewolves

This half-buried man holding his own head is one of the ghouls on display in the Emersons' yard.

The front yard of the Emersons’ home at the corner of the 29th Court and Missouri Street probably is among the best-kept Halloween secrets in Lawrence.

Even the street sign agrees: “Dead end.”

The skeleton standing guard at the gate is just a teaser. Inside the cobweb-infested fence are dead branches, werewolves, victims of the guillotine, skeletons, a skull, giant rats, half-buried coffins and tombstones.

And many other thrills of horrors await.

Some advice: Plan your escape route before you enter.

The Emersons have conjured up multimedia treats of horror for visitors. If you think it’s spooky in daylight, just wait until tonight, when werewolves normally subdued by the Emersons break out from their cage, plunge into the crowd and chase after the innocent.

Watch out! Don’t trip over the ghoul who is trying desperately to put back his head before it rots completely.

Should you decide to take a look at the guillotine, do mind your step – try not to stumble over the man in the cangue and lock. The man might have possessed considerable wealth, but he who has lost his freedom is, by definition, poor and deserves some compassion. So, if you are not too scared, kindly give him a sip of water.

When the gremlins run after you, forget about hiding behind those trees. A bunch of rats are just finishing up their main course, ready to try some fresh dessert as their yearly treat on this fine night.

“It’s really spooky,” Tim Emerson, the Master of Horror, promised. He is, by his own admission, “a kid at heart” – a 40-year-old kid, to be precise.

Building a spooky Halloween garden has become a family tradition since 2001.

Emerson cannot quite explain why he is into this: “I just like it.”

That’s good enough a reason for his wife, Sherry, and their three children -Autumn, 15, and 8-year-old twins Spencer and Rhiannon – to help out. It took the family a few weekends to put up the scene. Sherry said the fence is actually the most time-consuming part; dead branches have to be collected and set up in just the right position.

As years go by, Tim’s collection of Halloween items continues to expand. The family’s Halloween party has grown into a “stage production.” For those who know about it, it is the attraction of the year – as the Emersons normally run out of steam after Halloween and are too tired to do Christmas decorating, they say.

“Werewolves in Cage” is the new production this year, and Tim is quite proud of it. There will be live performances on Halloween night, Sherry says. As trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood grow up, they come around to help out as volunteer actors or technicians.

A spooky yard during Halloween is just spooky fun the Emersons share with their neighbors and curious souls.

The Emersons expect many visitors for their party that starts at 6 p.m. today.