The Art of Fear: Pinpoint Brings Halloween to Life with Nightmare on Block Street

BY LAUREN GANIM + KODY FORD

(This story is from the 2024 Holidays Issue.)

Fear is one of the most visceral emotions for humans. Whether it is the mysteries of the unknown or a fight-or-flight adrenaline rush, the effects of fear can be intoxicating. Besides love, few emotions get their own holiday, but October 31 is fear’s time to shine. Since childhood, Bo Counts, proprietor of the bar Pinpoint in Fayetteville, has held a special place in his heart for Halloween.

Inspired by the lack of epic Halloween parties during his college years, Counts took it upon himself to create an immersive Halloween experience, transforming his bar of vintage pinball machines into an extraordinary realm of spooky fun each October. From cocktails to costumes to decor, Nightmare on Block Street gets all the details right. Since its inception in 2020, the event has grown, covering the entire month and even going beyond the walls of Pinpoint. We chatted with Counts about how he creates the must-see immersive Halloween experience of Northwest Arkansas. 

What is it about horror movies and Halloween that appeal to the masses?

There’s an adrenaline rush people get from being scared. Horror movies can deliver that in a significantly safer environment. They also make for excellent group viewing. Horror movies tend to reflect our modern societal fears, and they constantly evolve in some way or another, making the genre approachable to a wide variety of people. Halloween takes a little of that and gives us a reason to get together, pretend to be something different from ourselves, or embrace sides of our personality that we may not put out in public the rest of the year. The dark side of things isn’t always a bad thing after all. 

You certainly embrace this during Nightmare on Block Street. Can you walk us through your typical creative process each year? 

It’s a year-long process, to be honest. By the time we pack up our holiday season in January, we start thinking of the next year. Thinking of things and always looking for things that can be props or made into set pieces requires constant attention. You can’t just go to the Halloween store and buy everything before we set up. I’m on marketplace every week, patrolling thrift stores, or building things at my shop all year round. 

   Creating an immersive experience is tough. It’s a slight pet peeve when people call it “decorations.” Decorations are going to a friend’s house that puts fake spider webs on their front porch. We approach this like installation art. It’s lighting, sound, and atmosphere all coming together to put that person in the mindset we want them to have, and making sure it’s sturdy enough to handle all the folks that can’t keep their hands off stuff! As for the design of the areas, it’s a small team. I’ve got a couple of folks that pitch in from year to year, and my mother still helps me with planning and setup. It’s a lot harder than people think, though. Finding people with the creative ability to turn piles of seemingly junk into immersive movie scenes is harder than you’d think!

   As for theming and design, I hate doing the same thing twice. Some things hit the cutting room floor and come back in a different form another year. Christmas is easy. It’s tradition, it’s familiar, it’s warm. Halloween is way more tricky. Trends change a lot from year to year. I remember doing a Candyman area the year the new movie came out, thinking it would surely be a hit. Most folks had no idea what it was despite it literally saying “CANDYMAN” over and over on the mirror we installed! Ha! So I have to choose wisely. I like to look for area themes that have broad appeal, maybe currently popular again, and can be translated into an installation piece and tell a story without having to plaster the name of the theme or movie all over the place with cheap props from the Halloween stores. 

   For example, last year, we did an Addams Family area with all the items you’d find in their living room: taxidermy, swords, family photos, dead roses, etc. Nowhere did it actually say Addams Family, but the moment you’re sitting there, you feel it. I’m working on a new Beetlejuice area this year since the new movie is coming out, so hopefully, it will have an even better impact.

Is there ever a point when decorating that you decide the work is finished? Do you ever move pieces around or add Easter eggs here and there throughout the month?

The event is constantly evolving throughout the month. Some things are for good, others for bad. I may not have a prop or effect figured out for the first week, but I will have it ready later in the month. Alternatively, something I worked hard on may have gotten stolen or broken by someone who failed to read all the “please do not touch” signs everywhere.  

   There are definitely Easter eggs folks can find if they pay attention to the details. I’ll often include references or minor information in certain areas you can only see if you’re sitting down and looking around. It’s those little details that make it so immersive, in my opinion. I want guests to want to come back multiple times so they can get a feel for all of it, not just come through on a packed Friday night and feel hurried or rushed to glance around and leave. Coming on the weekends is the worst time to go if you plan on really soaking in the experience. 

What have been some of your favorite moments over the years?

The first year we hosted the “Conjuring & Other Sins” show was definitely a highlight for me. It was such an interesting and fun experiment that we may never do it again because it was so intimate and small but also wasn’t very profitable. One part haunted house, one part stage show, one part cocktail tasting—what more could you ask for? 

   Another great one was the “Boo-tiki Nights” we did one year. It was our first tip-toe into going completely over the top with the drinks and glassware in a sit-down, reservation-style experience. It eventually morphed into our week-long “Lost Souls” event this past April, which we may bring back next year. 

Are there any distinct challenges you’ve faced during Nightmare, and how did you combat them?

We’ve had extremely difficult issues handling theft and destruction of props, and it’s never who you’d think. Everyone—and I do mean everyone—feels the pull of stealing a fancy glass from a bar, especially if they are in costume and a few drinks in. The thought, “Who’s gonna notice if this one goes missing?” crosses the mind without thinking about the other 50 people that night who had the same thought. Before you know it, we’ve lost over $3,000 in specialty glassware in a month. Honestly, I’ve caught more people over 30 stealing and breaking things than I ever have with some of our early 20’s guests. 

   We try to be constantly present and keep an eye on things as best we can. We hope guests respect the hard work and loads of investment that go into the production without us having to police everyone. As for the fancy glasses, we made a few of them even fancier, but if you want one, you have to buy one. 

How collaborative is designing the cocktail menu?

The cocktail menu is a team effort; it’s a monumental task to deliver the number of drinks we make during Nightmare while maintaining the quality and fun we want our guests to experience with our cocktails. The only one that’s made it to every Nightmare is the REDRUM cocktail served in an IV bag. We try not to do the same thing each year, but that one is so popular it always returns. Our butterbeer has also been a major hit and will return this year. People say it’s better than the butterbeer at Universal Studios, so I’ll take that as a compliment!

Are there any teasers you can give for this year’s Nightmare?

I can’t reveal too much currently, except we have a pretty solid plan for this year. The warehouse is already a disaster area from planning! We plan on bringing back some crowd-favorite areas that have been retired for a while (with updates, of course) and creating some new ones we are excited about. Our all-scary pinball lineup is better than ever, with a few new additions that have never been here before. We also plan on having a new limited spooky ceramic cocktail mug folks can buy with an exclusive cocktail for the season. The closer it gets to the season, we will have more special events and partnerships announced over on our website.

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