New Witch, Same Broom

Just in Time for Spooky Season… Homes.tastrophes Returns!

Hi friends! My name is Sarah Scheper, your new host of Homes.tastrophes. As Jess takes care of her growing family, she has graciously passed the baton to me. (Take a look at this video for the story of how Jess and I first met!)

I’m a licensed California realtor, born and raised here, with a passion for uncovering the history and hidden quirks of every property I come across. Sharing fun facts and property mishaps is what I do best! But don’t worry! Each week, I’ll still be bringing you a new property catastrophe. Now on to this week’s listing…

Salem, Right at Home

From the outset, this New Jersey home is very unassuming. Built in 1979, it’s a 4 bedroom, 2,808 sq ft, split level property with room for the whole family.

Even when you enter, the first spaces don’t feel out of the ordinary… besides a few small unique details.

See: the floral window cover, gothic light fixture, and nautical bathroom. 

But then you enter the first bedroom:

You think to yourself: Maybe this used to be a child’s bedroom?

Then you take a quick peek at the other two bedrooms…

Maybe your suspicions were correct! Is the theming nautical mystic?

Finally, you arrive at the basement door, and everything starts to make sense. Kinda.

Folks, it turns out that this home is a sanctuary for the 1993 witch-comedy Hocus Pocus.

I don’t know where to start. Is it the fact that they took the gorgeous stone work (previously seen at the front door) and put a fake fireplace inside? Yes, the cauldron and plentiful candles provide some serious mood lighting. Unfortunately, I just feel like all these themed trinkets come off more tacky than immersive. 

Speaking of the densely packed-space, I’m lost with who this space is intended for. For example, children would love this Halloween vibe, but there’s a very prominent on-theme bar nearby. While basements are typically age-inclusive spaces, the lack of open playspace amongst the carefully chosen furniture doesn’t seem fit for little ones.

What intrigues -and creeps- me the most has to be the faux Sanderson Sisters. These decrepit Old Navy looking mannequins have seen better days. While their costumes have impressive detailing, Winifred and Mary’s mouths appear to be maimed -sorry, done-up to look “true to screen”. 

Here are the underlying questions I’m still left with:

• Does the projector only play spooky-esque movies? Like during the holidays, will it only screen The Nightmare Before Christmas?

• For the previous homeowner, was their basement a topic of conversation when not at home? Would they say “I’ve got a crazy basement!” to people in public?

• Does the basement theme change per season? Or is this a year-round thing?

To my last question, I do assume the previous homeowner did not make this a seasonal affair. And I have the nearby bathroom as my evidence:

I too adore thinking about fictional serial killers as I’m trying to do my business (No I don’t). But check out the framed Friday The 13th Freddy Mask on the bottom left in the photo above.

In my opinion, though, the scariest part of this house has to be the fake window within a room with a real window.

It makes it feel like these walls can talk. And whatever they’re saying has me running for the hills.

Watch the full video of me take on the spooky details that make this house feel like something right out of Salem.

If you want to learn more about Tabernacle, or any other neighborhood, check out the neighborhoods feature on Homes.com.

See you next week,

Sarah @Homes.tastrophes