All things crazy and creepy jump to life every October in Haunted Hometown.

And it seems the creatures are getting taller and scarier every year.

With Halloween coming up, you might want to mark your calendar for an evening in the Rush Township village.

The northeast quadrant, specifically, is the site of elaborate displays and oversize creatures tall enough to loom over the houses.

It’s an area bounded by routes 309 and 54, or to the rear of Rush Veterinary Center.

I live in that neighborhood, the ghost district, and enjoy watching the yearly transformation of tidy, suburban ranch houses into ghoulish spectacles of illusion.

Every fall motorists arrive in town to catch a glimpse of the sights and sounds of Halloween.

Joe and Daniel Habel at 24 Oxford St. have a knack for creating displays that are visually stunning.

Witches at the cauldron. Zombies. Skeletons. And a mummy-type ghoul that hovers at rooftop level.

The presentation is impeccably done. Great attention to detail and a finished product that’d surely make Walt Disney smile.

Just one block west is Oxford Manor, the invention of Michael Wink, maestro of the macabre.

His motion-activated ghouls at 8 Oxford St. will speak to you. Some produce mist or fog.

And like the Habels, Wink uses figures as tall as the house. His emphasis on clowns and circus-type themes adds rich color to the end result.

The project takes many weeks of planning and execution and receives support from Wink’s parents, Arthur and Christine.

He’s currently putting finishing touches on his presentation, located just across the busy Route 309 highway from Turkey Hill.

When it lights up for the season, it becomes an instant tourist destination.

Just north of there and behind Two Kings Pizzeria is Midnight Meadows.

There, at 19 Pine Ave., visitors can stop to take in the richly imaginative work of Kandy Kleppinger Kraemer and husband Mark.

Midnight Meadows might best be described as a graveyard that comes to life. It’s packed with frightening dolls and scenes best described as the dance of the skeletons.

The graveyard’s “residents” are a showcase of creativity. Like the other neighborhood displays, the Kraemers use some oversize figures that reach for the sky.

Kandy has extensive experience as a singer, dancer and entertainer. Her artsy background lends its influence to the unique characters in the display.

And like the other Hometown displays, the Kraemers use spotlights or gel filters to set the tone and elevate the ambience.

When the time is right, Kandy enjoys dressing in one of her many outfits to greet guests.

The Kraemers consider Halloween to be a time of inspiration, what Disney would call imagineering. An opportunity for freedom of expression.

The possibilities are limitless, they say.

“For one night of the year you can be whoever you want, with no judgment,” says Kandy.

And “no judgment” is exactly what the world needs right now.

So consider taking a judgment-free ride to happy Haunted Hometown in the coming weeks.

Check out the colors, the costumes, the creativity.

Treat yourself to a night of smiles.

Because Halloween is coming and ghouls just want to have fun.