It's official: The viral "Stranger Things" home will carry on for the Halloween season following an incident that nearly forced them to shut down.
The owners of the suburban home in Plainfield revealed their "final verdict" Wednesday after attending a meeting at City Hall, where they discussed the future of the famed Halloween set.
"We're freaking doing this," homeowner Dave said in a TikTok live that reeled in over 500 viewers. "The support from everybody has been ridiculous. Everyone did all the legwork."
The closures initially stemmed from an issue with a neighbor, who the homeowners said began "threatening families and patrons with a baseball bat."
The family wrote that their neighbor called police over safety concerns and, despite conversations, "a healthy middle ground safe for our community was unattainable." They ultimately closed their display early Sunday, one day after they officially opened, and remained closed so far this week.
But that all changed. The couple announced they will re-welcome guests with continued support from the community.
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The family said safety is top-of-mind for them, stressing that visitors will need to be respectful of their property, as well as that of their neighbors.
Updated hours for visitation will be released soon, the couple said.
In a previous message to NBC Chicago, the homeowners said they will "remain closed until further notice" at the recommendation of local police.
"[We] have to be sure that as the days grow closer to Halloween and the crowds grow larger, we can invite people out and not have to worry about one crazy neighbor. We've adjusted our new potential 'viewing hours' and will be at city hall Wednesday to ensure this doesn't happen again," they said. "We want to do something fun for the community while at the same time we do not want to also make it a living hell for everyone else."
Homeowners Dave and Aubrey have been putting together this year's décor for months, but it wasn't until their TikTok showing a floating Max Mayfield in the middle of their driveway that things really started to take off.
The show-inspired display shows "Stranger Things" character Max Mayfield floating above their driveway, surrounded by various elements from the Upside Down.
Beyond that, they also set up a part of their yard dedicated to "pop culture horror" films.
"We don't just have 'Stranger Things.' We have killer clowns, pennywise, pet cemeteries, we have Alien, we have Predator... references," Dave told NBC Chicago in a recent interview. "And the people can pick them out and call them out - that's amazing. So much fun... because we hide them. We love Easter eggs and horror movies and all that stuff. So our one side of our yard is all 'Stranger Things,' the other side is every pop culture horror film that we basically could fit in there that looks peaceful."
"We do this for no money," Dave said. "It's for free. It's just for kids. It's for adults who want to see something different, who want their walks to be, you know, more entertaining."
