New Orleans ‘Skeleton House’ celebrates 20 years of funny bones on St. Charles Avenue: See photos, video

NEW ORLEANS (NOLA WEEKEND) - The beloved New Orleans “Skeleton House” marks 20 years of satirical skeletons on St. Charles Avenue this Halloween season.

Over the years, the Uptown mansion has grown into a New Orleans Halloween tradition for its yard of funny bones poking fun at trending news topics and pop culture references.

Homeowner Louellen Berger, dubbed the “Queen of Halloween,” says she’s “thrilled to see a Halloween rebirth occurring” since it was such a special holiday for her growing up during the mid-20th century.

“It is thrilling to see the exuberance of today’s homeowners entertaining our community with their creative home decorations,” Berger said.

Each year, Berger resurrects her display with dozens of creative skeletons to celebrate the spooky season -- with handfuls of new parodies and returning old favorites.

New this year, a 12-foot skeleton dressed in a New Orleans Pelicans jersey marks the triumphant return of Zion Williamson after his one-year absence from the team. The fixture, which Berger calls one of her favorites, is paired with a description that says, “Arise, O Glorious ZION.”

In another display honoring New Orleans icons, or “Local EYE-cons” as Berger’s sign jokes, one skeleton honors late entertainer and entrepreneur Chris Owens who died earlier this year. Another skeleton features the Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste in his “swagger and wobble” pose.

Other displays ripped from recent headlines reference the record-breaking HBO’s Game of Thrones spin-off series, “House of the Dragon,” the current housing crisis, the Peloton bike craze and Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” biopic.

For the first time, Berger also adds a rooftop collection, including displays named “Fibula On the Roof” and “Widow’s Walk.”

Berger’s Skeleton House, located at 6000 St. Charles Avenue, typically goes up at the beginning of October and remains up for display through Halloween.

Other homes known for popular Halloween displays also return this year.

Ghost Manor, returns for the 10th season of haunting Magazine Street. Located at 2502 Magazine Street, the high-tech display draws crowds each year for its family-friendly, Halloween-inspired show. Ghost Manor utilizes sound, lighting, projections and animatronics to create a spectacle for neighbors each October.

Another home, known as the Kracken House in Lakeview, also brings back its Halloween display at 6574 Memphis Street. Passersby can’t miss the massive tentacles “crawling” out of the second-floor balcony, along with two larger-than-life skeletons flanking the stairs.

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