PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE W400 BLOCK ASSOCIATION; TEXT BY SCOTT STIFFLER | Horribly high production values give life to the eerie, eccentric, frighteningly photogenic flights of fancy on display at West Chelsea’s annual W400 BA Best Halloween Decorations Contest. This highly competitive yet hardly cutthroat October tradition has homes on West 21st and 22nd Streets between 9th and 10th Avenues in a suspended state of one-upsmanship until the winner is announced on Halloween night.

Regarding the results, we quote below text from a W400 BA email. Here’s what they had to say about “The Ship of Ghouls” at 429 West 22nd Street, winner of the 2025 W400 BA Best Halloween Decorations Contest:

“There was no missing the 10-foot Pirate. Ballasts on this tall ship were eye patch-wearing pumpkins that made sounds of the sea! The ship’s masthead went all the way up to the roof, and the masthead ropes blended seamlessly with the enormous spiderweb ropes strung high across the sidewalk.”

Judges also gave high marks to the “double-sided banner strung high across the yard -“Ship of Ghouls” and “Dead Men Tell No Tales.” This house had revelers blocking the sidewalk and the street all night long. Well done, mateys!”

Of sufficient merit to earn honorable mentions were the “strong showings on 22nd Street from Cafe Boo-lud (448 W22, always clever) and the colorful/scary Circus Clowns(431 W22). Equally strong showing by 21st Street’s Purple Rain (449 W 21, a beautiful production, as always), and the Shark (415 W 21).”

To see our coverage of the contest from years past, check out these clips from the crypt:

Dead Set on Decorating, West Chelsea’s 400 Blocks Made Halloween Something to be Seen

Rat, Roach Motel sees 449 Creep, Crawl to Top Halloween Decorations Honor

Haunting Images of Halloween 2021, in the Wild West 20s

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