Home of the Week: Silvia Campana and Bob Probeyahn

When but a sliver of the October moon is visible, when darkness permeates the evening sky, when the cool, crisp autumn air descends and the creatures of the night are poised to strike, this "Home of the Week" and its cast of spooky characters will rise ever so slowly from the deep, dark, creepy depths.

Walking up the red brick pathway of this colonial-style home in the Estates at Overlea in Millersville, things start to get a bit scary. The cornstalks adorning the mailbox and framing the front door are nice, but it's the other stuff that's concerning.

There are bats hanging from the trees, and this is in broad daylight. According to their gravestones, Jack the Ripper, the Boogie Man, Dracula and Mr. Rotten are buried here. As for Frankenstein, he's not only buried here, he's rising from his grave. Skeleton heads are everywhere.

Though a sign warns, "Go Back, Beware," this not-so-fearless reporter begins contemplating running fast and far. But with the thought of those wonderful readers looking at a big empty page in today's paper, bravery becomes paramount.

Ringing the bell and hoping for the best, I am greeted by Silvia Campana, her husband, Bob Probeyahn, and daughter Miranda, 11. Neo and Trinity, the family's American hairless terriers, come bounding up, too. So far, so good - nothing scary about this family; they seem very nice and welcoming.

Ah, but then I enter the five-bedroom, approximately 4,100-square-foot home, and suddenly I'm back in spookyville. In the foyer are Miranda's favorites: a husband and wife skeleton team dressed in full wedding attire.

"I found the dress at a yard sale; the tuxedo came from my brother-in-law," Ms. Campana said. "Every year we put a different costume on them."

On shelves above the happy couple there are more skeletons, rats, cats and lots of scary stuff. Black webs are everywhere - just about every room of the home has been decorated for Halloween. Each and every light now holds a flickering orange bulb.

How did all of this start?

"It's been definitely evolving," said Ms. Campana, who with her husband owns a hair salon in Severna Park. "When Bob and I got together I was doing it on a much smaller scale; he kind of got roped into doing better and (making it) more challenging every year."

Mr. Probeyahn, a retired Baltimore City police officer, doesn't seem to mind, though. He likes it and wouldn't have it any other way.

"As the kids get older we have to challenge them a bit more," he said. "Silvia always loved Halloween and really got me involved in it, too."

As for those kids, there's Miranda, Nicole, 19, and Adam, 23. There's also a plethora of nieces and nephews who enjoy the haunted house, which the family likes to stage with live characters popping out to spook visitors.

To the right of the foyer is the formal dining room. Strike that.

"It's the ghouls' feasting room," Ms. Campana said, dressed fittingly in all black.

Here, a black shaker-style dining table and chairs are accompanied by a matching china cabinet. Upon the shelves is a beautiful collection of iron stone, made even more striking by the contrast of white dinnerware against the black cabinetry.

"I've been collecting it for more than 20 years," Ms. Campana said. "My aunt gave me a piece, I guess 20 years (ago) or more - that's what started that. I go everywhere to find it."

Cobwebs are draped throughout the room, a ghoulish green monster stands in the corner, two ravens are perched upon the dining table and a black, leafy vine hangs from the cabinet.

"We go visit other places and get inspiration," Ms. Campana explained.

And where better but the home of the infamous witch trials?

"We went to Salem, Mass., and got some ideas there," she said. "New Hampshire had some great places - Keene, N.H., the pumpkin festival."

Through this room is the kitchen, opened to an informal dining area. An absolutely spectacular space, it features stainless steel appliances, a six-burner gas stove, custom cabinetry in a very light dove gray, the same heart pine flooring that runs throughout most of the first floor, greenish-gray granite countertops and a large oval-shaped center island. The counter near the sink is done in soapstone with a backsplash of green and beige tiles.

"We pretty much designed it to what she wanted," said Mr. Probeyahn, the non-chef in the home.

Just beyond this room, at the rear of the home and overlooking the pool and backyard, is the sunroom. With floors in red brick, lower walls in taupe bead board, upper walls in a light green with ferns painted a darker green, light wicker furniture with white cushions, and white trim around the door and windows, it truly is an inviting space.

On the other side of the kitchen, a hallway stretches down to a guest room, or more accurately, a puppy room. Off the middle of the hallway is the family room, which features more shaker-inspired furniture and Halloween decor galore, as well as another special collection.

"These are the old papier-mache lanterns," Ms. Campana said. "Some are from the 1920s, 1930s - some are from the late 1800s. I like the old Halloween stuff; it's the classic stuff. I don't like the gore."

A game of Boooo-opoly sits upon a table in the family room. In the corner is perhaps the coolest Halloween decoration of them all: A pot hanging from a wooden tripod appears to be smoking with witches' brew.

"I found it in Pennsylvania - it's from the late 1800s," Ms. Campana said. "It's a real working cauldron, cast iron."

A formal living room completes the first floor.

"We call it the room nobody goes in," Miranda offered.

There might be a reason for that: It is currently occupied by a couple of pirate skeletons, both of whom appear to have been stabbed - the swords are still stuck in them.

Upstairs can be found the kids' bedrooms and the master bedroom, which features a great sitting area.

A finished basement gives more space for both the family and their Halloween decor. A full Halloween village remains set up year-round and is awaiting the addition of the Halloween train.

An entertainment room and full gym are here, too. A newspaper article which features a photo of Mr. Probeyahn at Ground Zero following Sept. 11 hangs on a wall beside a shadow box filled with the equipment he wore while helping in the recovery effort at the World Trade Center.

There's no question this will be a "Home of the Week" to remember.

"It usually takes me about a week, working straight, to get it all out," Ms. Campana said of her home's Halloween decor. "For me, for some reason, it's just really in my heart. Maybe it's because I was born the day before Halloween, but it's the colors, too - the colors of fall."

Whatever the reason, the result is downright spooktacular.

Donna L. Cole is a freelance writer living in the Annapolis area. If you'd like your home considered for "Home of the Week," e-mail her at writerdle@aol.com.