BY BRIAN ZANZONICO
Close to 1,000 people descended on Norbay Street in Franklin Square on Halloween to see his home transformed into a haunted house.
Gargoyles perched atop columns leering at trick or treaters . Thunder and lightning on the porch. Skeletons emerging from the ground.
And of course, Allocco in his Leatherface costume. For years, Allocco has dressed in a blood-specked apron as the maniac from the 1973 film "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and given unassuming children the fright of their lives. Every Halloween, his wife Linda and mother Judy sit on the porch of their Norbay Street home and invite children up the steps to dip into the candy-filled cauldron. Once the children descend the stairs, the ladies say "Happy Halloween," Allocco's cue to start his chainless (for safety) gas-powered chainsaw and chase the children down the block in his Leatherface mask. The front lawn was peppered with tombstones created by Allocco, an artist and owner of Joe Faux Designs, which specializes in murals and faux finishes. Thunder crackles from speakers and lightning flashes from a floodlight. Bats are suspended from the peak of the roof and a skeleton emerges from a grave. About 140 people came by on Halloween 2004 he said. This year, thanks to exposure in local press and on TV. This year reached almost 1,000.
"This one guy called me after midnight to see if he could come by," Allocco said. "I wanted him to come, but I was on the couch. I was exhausted.
Allocco also collected hundreds of dollars in donations to benefit autism and cerebral palsy, both of which afflict his 8-year-old son, Joey.
Allocco's love of horror cinema and disdain for shaving cream and egg fights inspire him each year to decorate the house and don the "Leatherface" mask.
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