Oct. 8—While navigating the wild world of business can be scary enough, this October it's gotten a bit scarier.

The Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce is a conglomerate of business professionals who provide resources to those in the community seeking to start a business or improve the business they're already running. For Halloween, the Chamber has decked out its front window with two spooky life-sized monsters.

Professor Insectoid and FrankenCreep are large statues that were created by 4th grade teacher at Hopkins Elementary School Jonathan Brinson.

"It started out as a hobby that kind of spiraled out of control," explained Brinson.

Brinson often joins forces with the Paranormal Museum that's housed in the basement of the Cooper Community Arts Center and puts on the "Spook Show" in Somerset.

For years, he has been making skeletons built out of PVC pipes and dressing them up in the scariest things he can think of.

"I just find a mask that speaks to me," he says. "I do some sketches, and try to find the character that way."

Brinson often uses the PVC pipes with his students as an illustration.

"With that I get to show how important the skeleton is," he says. "Every living vertebrate has a skeleton in them."

After being "pestered" by his daughter to do so, Brinson devised backstories for both of his creations.

"Professor Insectoid is a scientist dealing in ghoulish and nefarious experiments," he said. "He's built on world domination."

Professor Insectoid "breaks the mold" in Brinson's army of monsters in that he's a mannequin that Brinson's acquired in his years of building monsters.

Insectoid creates human-animal hybrids. These experiments are what lead him to have a gigantic fly's head.

Insectoid's partner in the window is FrankenCreep whose backstory coincides with Professor Insectoid's. Modeled after Boris Karloff's portrayal of Frankenstein's Monster, FrankenCreep has amnesia and can't remember who he is or how he was created, but he suspects he may be a product of Professor Insectoid's laboratory.

"He betrayed his mentor," said Brinson. "He's sort of an antihero."

The two statues are part of a team of 13 monsters that he has been "slowly building" over the past several years. Among his favorites are three witches who form a coven. He also is designing a lab assistant for Professor Insectoid.

"Still working on a name for him. We liked Dr. Acula, but that one was already taken."

All 13 ghastly creatures will be on display in the paranormal museum's five-year anniversary on October 15. Brinson encourages all of Pulaski County to be there — that is, if they have the stomach for it.

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