Every fall, a stretch of Villagegreen Drive in Cold Spring, Kentucky turns into Dead Spring Cemetery, the elaborate Halloween display that Herman Reinecke and his family have been building since August. Reinecke, who goes by his middle name John the rest of the year, transforms into Halloween Herm each autumn to oversee a graveyard scene packed with skeletons, animatronics and a Grim Reaper deciding who gets let in.
Reinecke has been decorating his yard for 20 years, a tradition that predates his 2014 move to Villagegreen Drive, according to WKRC. The display may be the most elaborate in the Tri-State, per the station's reporting, and the numbers back that up: this year's setup includes nearly 300 props and 84 skeletons, WKRC reports. CityBeat, meanwhile, described the 2025 display as featuring more than a dozen giant animatronics and over 70 skeletons. Either way, it's a lot of plastic bones for one front yard.
A Grim Reaper Guards the Gate
Part of what makes the display stand out is its staging: some of the skeletons are arranged as though they're lined up waiting for the Grim Reaper to grant them entry to the cemetery, the station notes. CityBeat's 2025 account describes the overall scene as a graveyard filled with hundreds of props and other eerie details, complete with immersive and interactive soundscapes meant to pull visitors into the atmosphere rather than just have them look at it.
Reinecke says the roots of the tradition run deeper than two decades of yard work. According to UPI, the project began as a tribute to his mother, whose own Halloween displays were the talk of the town when he was a child. He's told the station that fall has felt special to him since he was a kid, and that the family sets up every August in her memory.
Chasing a Guinness World Record
Reinecke isn't just decorating for the neighborhood anymore. Per UPI, he's pursuing a Guinness World Record, pointing out that no existing category covers the sheer number of props in a Halloween display and noting his collection tops 300 pieces. A local radio interview on b105.com similarly described Halloween Herm's effort as a world-record attempt, a goal he's been building toward with each passing season.
CityBeat reports Reinecke has been assembling Halloween displays since the late 1980s, meaning this year's record push is the culmination of nearly four decades of practice. The world-record effort is a goal he's been building toward with each passing season. Neighborhood kids stop by and ask questions while he tweaks the display daily, the station notes, a routine that's become as much a part of the season as the props themselves.
A Different Cause Every Year
Dead Spring Cemetery doubles as a fundraiser, and the beneficiary changes annually. WKRC reports that last October's display raised $4,000 for the Children's Advocacy Center of Northern Kentucky, and that this year's proceeds are earmarked for Disabled American Veterans, headquartered in Erlanger. UPI's 2025 report describes that year's display as a fundraiser for the Northern Kentucky Children's Advocacy Center, and notes additions including a Taylor Swift skeleton and a tribute to the Cincinnati Reds' playoff run. Reinecke has framed the charitable angle simply: the goal, he says, is to give back to the community while offering what he calls a healthy distraction.
Admission to Dead Spring Cemetery is free, though a donation box is set up on-site, according to CityBeat. Visitors who'd rather give electronically can send money through the Venmo account @HalloweenHerm, the station reports.
Running Out of Room to Store It All
Success has created a logistical headache. Reinecke says the family is nearly at the point of needing dedicated storage space just to house the display during the off-season, and he's gone as far as inviting storage companies to consider partnering with Halloween Herm. Come Nov. 1, the whole collection gets packed back into boxes, only to be unpacked again the following August when the cycle starts over.
