Lakeville residents and visitors got a Halloween treat in the form of intricate animatronics — some so real they seemed straight out of a movie set.
Randy Noddings and his son Christopher have been building giant robot Halloween displays for 13 years, to the delight of numerous trick-or-treaters who stroll up his driveway on Lamar Court in Lakeville.
"It's kind of crazy, but I always had interest in Halloween as a little kid — I sort of fell in love with the holiday," Randy Noddings said outside the display set up at his son Christopher's house.
Each year the father-son duo have built new animatronics in a garage to add to their extensive collection. This year's was smirking jack-o'-lanterns that lunge out towards visitors with their elongated roots while chomping at watchers.
Next to the pumpkins, a towering skeleton man cackles with a pig head on a pitchfork. Around the front yard sit dozens of ghoulish creatures that move and scream, while smoke machines coat the displays in a haze. Some displays evoke references to horror classics such as Frankenstein. Others showcase the range of movements possible, like a pumpkin head on a witch's body that soars above.
Each machine is programmed to perform certain motions, and some have motion sensors so they come to life when approached. This year's abnormal cold and icy weather led to some animatronics freezing up by late-night Tuesday.
As Randy Noddings explained the displays, his son Christopher was talking with friends and neighbors in a bloody scarecrow costume.
The display is so well-known that the road is blocked off with cones for Halloween night each year. Randy Noddings, 69, said he was inspired to learn about making robotics displays as a kid by places like Disneyland. He's since been passing the skills down to his son.
"It's a bit of a learning curve," Christopher Noddings, 35, said.
