Coventry resident Bob Forgiel has been setting up his Halloween haunted cemetery display for 20 years in his mother’s front yard on Flat River Road. Forgiel begins setting up the display in late August.

The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch

COVENTRY — Bob Forgiel knows how to bring a graveyard to life.

Amid fog and tombstones, twisting bloody corpses and breathing skeletons undulate on the cold ground. A freakish ghoul pops out from a coffin intoning a scary tale.

Flying ghosts and pumpkin heads riding on brooms dart to and fro. Thunder claps, lightning flashes. A failed 911 call and a nonstop dial tone blare from a phone held by a clammy hand cut at the wrist.

With about 300 feet of electrical wire, a few motorized parts, strobe lights and a control panel tucked in a caretaker’s shed, Forgiel, 44, is the man behind the curtain.

For two decades, he has created an electronic horror show and one of the most elaborate Halloween displays, transforming a front yard — which belongs to his mother, Shirlee Forgiel — into a haunted graveyard. The display at 3231 Flat River Rd. is in operation daily in October from 6 to 10 p.m., and draws spectators from all over New England, rain or shine. Friday is the last day to see it in action.

Forgiel, who lives two doors down, says his only desire is to share his love of Halloween and all things electronic.

“I did it for a kick. I do it every year because it’s pretty much what people expect. What else am I going to do,” said Forgiel, who is single. “It’s kind of fun to see the reaction from the all the kids, the reaction of them wondering if some of it is real.”

He started in 1988 with a simple tee-prop, using an old corn stalk with a metal rail on top, fastened with wire, to make the “T.” A small motor made the rail rotate. Hanging from the rail were two ghosts made of fabric and stuffing.

“The ghosts swirled around. There would be people stopping by to look, and I thought, ‘I can do something better than this,’ ” said Forgiel, who majored in electronics at New England Institute of Technology and now makes a living in electronics sales.

The most elaborate prop is still the most popular: the talking head popping out of the coffin, an idea conceived 12 years ago. On a timer, the ghoul head emerges from fog-filled coffin and tells an Edgar Allan Poe story, such as The Pit and the Pendulum, or The Tell-Tale Heart. Forgiel has the mouth rigged so it’s synchronized with the track from a books-on-tape audio CD playing in his shed.

Setting up the display begins in late August, when Forgiel pulls out all the gear, checking to make sure motors are still functional. He spends September creating props and building the coffins. Some things he buys in novelty stores.

“Actually, I’ve had people ask me if they are real coffins. If I come across something, I’ll use it,” he said.

Over the years, as the props became more elaborate, so did the price tag. Forgiel says he spends about $1,000 a season. Driving up the cost is maintenance and replacement. (Visitors are not charged.)

“As far as putting a dollar value, it’s almost impossible,” he said. “A lot of times the expenses are stupid, like buying fog fluid. It’s $20 a gallon. Spray paint is $5. I get dozens, to cover strings and anything you don’t want to stand out. I buy screws, relays, switches, it adds up.”

This week, a sizable crowd converged on the sidewalk in front of the 25-foot by 75-foot yard. He’s added a hologram area, a locator map for his props and a monitor presenting a slide show of how he puts everything together. New this year is an 8-foot-tall witch with a protruding chin adorned with warts. This week, a creepy ghoul lumbers out of a coffin to pass out treats for children.

“Anyone who puts this kind of time in for the public is wonderful,” said Patricia Phelps, of Coventry, who has been coming with her son for 10 years.

Forgiel generally doesn’t keep track of who is coming, or from where. Three years ago, however, he said someone from China, an older lady traveling with her family, happened to be in the area and stopped by briefly.

“She took off. In their culture, it’s all evil spirits — more the bad-luck type thing. This is all in fun,” he said.

lsparks@projo.com