You need to see this shipwrecked Halloween display, mate.

A Pirates of the Caribbean-themed ship that is 50 feet long with 20-foot tall masts sits on a lawn near Rochester, NY. "I built rum barrels, 9ft kraken tentacles, the sails, tiki torch skulls and more all from scratch," explains Tony DeMatteo.

It's not just another pirate ship, it's an experience and looks like something you'd see at Disney rather than a lawn in Upstate New York. The cannons light up and blow fog every time you hear cannon blasts. There are fire special effects and music DeMatteo created himself. "The music is a custom made soundtrack from all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies I pieced together. More than 30 lights are programmed to respond to every beat of the music, every cannon blast and ship battle, and even lightning flashes and thunder."


All the supplies to build the massive display DeMatteo gets for free or second hand, which he says took a year to gather. "I spend almost a full year of nights and weekends working on the set-up."

The ship is surrounded by hand-crafted pieces from the movies. There's Captain Jack Sparrow's Cannibal Chair, Captain Davy's treasure chest, octopus tentacles and a dock that leads right up to the pirate ship.

The coronavirus pandemic left DeMatteo debating whether or not to even set up the massive display for Halloween. He knows this year has been tough on everyone with things being canceled. "We decided this could be something that puts a smile on some faces and makes people happy."

Kids can meet Captain Jack Sparrow and parents are asked to bring canned goods that DeMatteo donates to local food pantries.

This year, DeMatteo will follow all COVID-19 safety practices. "Kids can still meet Captain Jack from a 10-ft distance and it's set up so parents can still get a great photo of their child with the captain and the ship in the background."

The pirate ship will come to life every Wednesday through Sunday from dusk to 8:30ish at 15 Ambush Lane in Churchville, New York.

Arr-mazing: Pirate-Themed Halloween Display Is Shipwrecked on Lawn

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