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The Thrill of the Haunt: The heart behind the Osser house’s bone-rattling decor inspired by Halloween classics

Since 2005, David Osser has been bringing holiday fear to Winter Garden with his elaborate Halloween decorations. Boarded up windows, light shows, cobwebs, life-sized horror icons—and sometimes larger-than-life—he’s known for bringing his A-game to spooky season.

But what inspired this tradition of terror is something you might not expect. Many years ago, David’s parents, Jerry and Beverly, decided to go all-out on Halloween each year as a way to celebrate their son’s birthday on December 29.

Observant readers may note that this is nowhere near Halloween. Unfortunately, it’s near something even scarier: Christmas and New Year’s. And as anyone born in mid-to-late December knows, that’s basically the worst possible time to have a birthday, since it is consistently overshadowed by two of the biggest internationally celebrated holidays on the calendar.

Rather than facing the challenge of differentiating their son’s birthday presents from his Christmas presents, the Osser family decided to circumvent the issue completely and celebrate his birthday on Halloween instead. Needless to say, the tradition stuck.

David’s Halloween obsession has seeped into his bones. During his time working as a Universal team member, his favorite job has been playing the role of Michael Myers during Halloween Horror Nights 26. He is a part of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights as well.

His spooky standout house, meanwhile, is an annual neighborhood highlight, drawing visitors from around the city—and this year’s is his biggest yet, with twice as many decorations as last year.

“My most popular Halloween item is my 12-foot skeleton, Skelly, which made its debut last year,” says David. “I decided this year to invest in two new items: a gigantic spider called Bear, and a 12-foot Inferno Pumpkin Skeleton to rival Skelly.

The outdoor and indoor displays are themed, with the names “Forgotten Traditions” and “The Age of Vintage Halloween,” respectively. Also new to the 2021 display is a main character, a witch named Vivienne who loves to keep the traditions of Old Halloween alive.

David’s personal favorite decorations, though, are his Telco Marionettes, the small-scale animatronics of the 80s that were popular Christmas decorations, but also sold a Halloween collection. “These quite frankly got me into Halloween,” he says. “I have about 60 of them. It’s amazing they still run to this day.”

As for potential trick-or-treaters? The house receives mixed reviews. Some of the children are too scared to come to the door for candy, but others are mesmerized and lean into the fun.

One of David’s favorite things about it, though, is seeing how the hallowed Halloween classics are still fresh in the minds of the next generation. Kids who come through the house easily recognize Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolf Man, to name a few.

“I was overwhelmed by how many visitors I had last year,” says David. “I had more trick-or-treaters than ever, and did tours throughout October for my friends and family.”

David has extended his tour opportunities to other groups, with 10 tour bookings scheduled.

The Osser house will haunt the night Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays throughout October, as well as select weekend dates— including, of course, the Hallowed Eve itself.