How a man’s hearse obsession became a Denver Halloween tradition

DENVER — A hearse is typically associated with death and funerals but the ghostly vehicles have found a home in the Halloween holiday where they’re spotlighted as seasonal icons. 

The Halloween hearse tradition started as one man’s unusual passion. “You know, it’s… nobody wants to see a hearse in the, you know, in the Parade of Lights. So, when Halloween comes around, that’s really our time,” said Zachary Helm, founder of the Denver Hearse Association.

Emerging from the shadows, Halloween is when Helm’s passion comes to life. Each year, he and fellow members roll out their macabre fleet to multiple events leading up to Halloween, bringing what Helm describes as “soul and spectacle” to the season.

This tradition started as a hobby in 1996 when Helm started the association. It was just Helm, his friend, and two hearses back then. With fewer than 10 hearse clubs in the country and no internet to aid recruitment, he and his cofounder found members by leaving notes on hearses they’d stumble across. 

“We would leave notes on the car. I would write out a note that said, ‘Hey, we’ve got our car club. You should come join us,’” Helm said. “Either your hobby becomes just a thing that you do on the side, or, in some cases, your hobby becomes something that you almost do as a thing that you make money off of or is your profession.”

Nearly 20 years later, more than 100 members have cycled through the association. Helm’s collection now includes five active hearses, with three more under restoration. 

“I got into hearses for the shock value. I thought it was a pretty interesting but uncomfortable concept that your car would have somebody who was deceased in it,” Helm said. “But as time went on, I really fell in love with the aesthetics and the craftsmanship.”

Among his collection, one hearse stands out: a flame-shooting 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood Hearse that appears annually in the Halloween parade. Helm bought it in 2006 and has been modifying it ever since. In its current form, it sports a hood-mounted flamethrower that shoots 20-foot flames, wings on the sides, emergency lights, and a massive cyber-inspired bumper. Inside, Helm has added an array of buttons and switches, inspired by Star Wars, as well as a villainous lever to activate the flamethrower. 

“I built this car to repel people, and it didn’t work… it has the opposite effect,” he laughed.

Despite its ominous look, the hearse has been Helm’s daily driver, sparking small talk at the grocery store, gas station and other mundane tasks.

“A lot of people don’t realize that a hearse is something that you could just drive as a civilian vehicle,” Helm said, noting that the biggest challenge was finding parking. 

Halloween may be the high season for the hearse association, but the cars—and Helm himself—are icons year-round. Helm, with his double mohawk (currently red and black) and signature black suit, doesn’t feel the need to dress up for Halloween anymore. 

“Usually, I’m my own character wherever I go… I feel like that’s sufficient,” he said.

This lifestyle has created a tradition that Denver locals eagerly anticipate each Halloween. 

“I do in some ways very much live on the fringe, as well as quite a few of our members, and so when we do events it gives people an opportunity to come and glimpse in on that and interact with that, which is something they don’t normally do,” said Helm. “I think that’s kind of nice.”

For those who missed the Halloween events, the Denver Hearse Association will host “Some Sort of Spook Show” on Nov. 16 at the Stampede Club in Aurora. The event will include a hearse show, an RC demolition derby, paranormal seminars and plenty of spooky spectacles.