Give high school students a paintbrush and a window, and they develop quite the imagination, especially in October.

About 175 students from the Freehold Regional High School District volunteered to give downtown Freehold a Halloween makeover, and they delivered.

The students, many of whom are enrolled in advanced art classes at their high school, put their skills to the test on 91 windows in the Main Street area — the largest number of windows since the tradition launched decades ago.

A werewolf version of Bruce Springsteen and a shopper-hunting zombie are among the original ideas that students turned into a reality during their hours-long painting session on Thursday. They also took on some classic go-to Halloween movies and characters.

"I did the Bride of Frankenstein putting on lipstick," said Colts Neck High School senior Dominique Masia.

This was her third year participating in the event, and she plans to pursue her love of art in college.

"It's nice to have the ability to have my art displayed here," said Aidan Moyer, a senior at Marlboro High School.

His display at an auto detail facility features a graveyard battle between Batman and Halloween-themed villains.

Students got permission slips signed to skip the school day. They were fed all day, at no charge, by Federici's Family Restaurant.

The window painting event has been handled the past 20 years by the Freehold Halloween Spooktacular Committee, which hosts a number of free holiday events leading up to a costume contest and parade on Oct. 30.

"These kids can't wait to do this every single year and that really excites us," Billy Anderson, committee chair, said of Thursday's event.

The art typically remains on the windows into the first week of November.

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Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.

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