app from creator Mike Kane
Photo courtesy of Mike Kane
It wasn’t long after Marple native Mike Kane launched the ChristmasPrism app that he was flooded with messages asking to create a similar app for Halloween. His ChristmasPrism app helps find houses with the best Christmas holiday lights and it turns out people are just excited to find Halloween-themed houses. “Halloween is more than a holiday,” said Mike. “It’s a mindset.” Ever since he was a kid, Halloween has been Mike’s favorite holiday, so he didn’t need much convincing to get started coding a Halloween version of the app.
Mike is a Marple Newtown High School graduate and has been a professional coder since April 2015. His newest creation, FrightMaps, launched on September 29 and, like ChristmasPrism, the app is free and user-generated. Anyone with an elaborate holiday display can upload a photo of their house with a title, brief description and location. For people looking for Halloween displays, the app’s built-in map shows where these attractions are. Just tap an icon and the information pops right up. The app also allows visitors to “like” the display and even add comments. “FrightMaps is a round-up of every major Halloween display in America and features home haunts, the biggest attractions and a place to post and view some pumpkins!” explained Mike.
When ChristmasPrism launched back in 2020, the number of users was small at first, but the app really took off after Mike was featured in Philly Mag, 6ABC, NBC10 and Fox29. By mid-December that year they received well over 800 downloads. They now have 2500 houses and 90k+ users in all 50 states. Mike said the Fright Maps app may even exceed the number of users that they had for ChristmasPrism. “People loved the app,” Mike said. “But Halloween is a whole different ball game! All they wanted to know was: When Is the Halloween App coming out?”
Monster House Delco
Photo courtesy of John DiMeo
To celebrate the new FrightMaps app, Mike even invited hundreds of people to “A Festival of Fright” on launch day. Held at Thornbury Farms in West Chester, the family friendly event featured a screening of Hocus Pocus, food, music and Halloween vendors. “I love throwing Halloween parties. So this was the perfect way to meet subscribers and launch the new app,” Mike said. “I’m so excited for another community-driven place for people to show off their Halloween spirit!”
One house that definitely belongs on the FrightMaps app is right here in Marple. While some people put fake spiderwebs and carved pumpkins on their doorsteps to decorate their homes for Halloween, John DiMeo has taken things to the next level. This fall he’s turned his home into Monster House Delco, a series of Halloween projection shows that will run every weekend in October at his home on Sylvan Drive.
Photo courtesy of John DiMeo
John, his wife Jen and daughters Lily and Violet have lived here for the past 17 years, but John grew up in Newtown Square almost his entire life. As a family, they’ve always enjoyed decorating for the holidays, being easily recognizable from the hanging ghosts or Christmas balls in their front yard tree. At Christmastime last year, his home displayed an elaborate Frozen-themed projection light show, attracting visitors from all over Delaware County. “It started out as just being something fun for the neighborhood,” John explained. “Now we’ve got people coming from all over. It’s fun to see a crowd get out of their cars and enjoy the shows.”
This year’s Monster House Delco Halloween lineup includes six different shows all set to music. With themes like Haunted Mansion, Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, “This is Halloween,” Stranger Things and Clown House (Based on Stephen King’s book It), there is something for everyone.
With falling leaves, cooler temperatures and Halloween just around the corner, we thank these Marple natives for helping us get into the spirit of Halloween. Download the Fright Maps app for FREE on your Apple or Android phone. For Monster House Delco showtimes, visit their Facebook page.