A skeleton crew

BY THE SEA, BY THE SEA

Waltham resident Susan Wilson invariably gets this question every October: “What’s the theme going to be this year?!” 

Friends, neighbors and fans are always curious to see how Wilson will outfit and arrange the array of life-sized plastic skeletons prancing across her lawn at 92 Riverview Ave. each Halloween. 

Inspired by the calaveras of the Mexican Day of the Dead — where humorously outfitted skeletons often poke fun at the living — Wilson creates lively scenarios which are arguably more comical than frightening. 

Past themes have included Barbie, Sonny & Cher, the Golden Age of Hollywood, Parisian Café and Buckingham-on-the-Charles. 

This year, her skeleton crew is celebrating “By the Sea, By the Sea” as they relax, imbibe, clamber and celebrate the witching season.