Gilpin woman transforms home — inside and out — into haunted Halloween hotel

Terri Smith of Gilpin embraces the Halloween scene at her home in rural Gilpin.

Smith, 61, works as an X-ray technician, but Halloween is her favorite “job.”

Each September she dons her favorite Halloween costume, a mad maid, and begins decorating, transforming home into the fictitious, but festive, “Smith’s Dead & Buried Inn.”

“I feel like a little kid when I do this. This is my happy place,” Smith, 62, said of her love of decorating during Halloween.

Smith doesn’t receive a visit from a single trick-or-treater due to her home’s rural status, but she does host a large party for friends and family.

She encourages the public to drive by her home located at 138 Lessig Road, Gilpin.

Smith’s boyfriend, Robert Nulph, pitches in every year to assist with the numerous animatronic decorations.

“My favorite part is the horse and carriage decoration and the new addition of the giant werewolf,” Nulph said. “I’ll do whatever she wants because it makes her so happy.”

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review

The kitchen area in the home of Terri Smith of Gilpin. Smith decorates extensively every Halloween, transforming her home inside and out into the “Smith’s Dead & Buried Inn” Halloween display.

Smith likes to name some of her characters on display.

There’s Harold, a 13-foot skeleton towering over a giant spider web in the front yard, and Sister Jonathon, a nun overseeing a grisly burial scene outside.

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review

Gilpin resident Terri Smith transforms her home inside and out into a Halloween-themed display she calls "Smith’s Dead & Buried Inn." The decorations include numerous animatronic displays.

“I worked with a nun, so I chose that name,” Smith said.

The front porch is flanked on both sides with a haunted hotel theme — complete with bellhop. Guests visiting are invited to “check in” and check out all of her various Halloween-themed rooms inside.

“People are dying to stay here” reads a homemade wooden sign at the entrance.

Inside Smith’s home, several life-sized animatronic figures present a frightful scene.

A visit to her bathroom entails having a creepy, sinister man peering at any visitor as they use the facilities.

Always an avid Halloween enthusiast, Smith said she ramped up her Halloween decorating during the covid-19 pandemic.

“I wasn’t going anywhere or on vacation, so I went big,” Smith said.

Smith takes about a month to set up the hundreds of props.

She’s spent thousands over the years acquiring her spooky collection.

Friend Diana Blumeraitis said Smith’s dedication and desire to create an impressive Halloween scene each year is impressive.

“Her love for Halloween and her imagination are a perfect match for the holiday and she paints a beautiful picture,” Blumeraitis said.