My Halloween graveyard!

[zombiehorror]

Son of a.....Just typed all this up and got a internal server error.....Grrrr...Argh!

So, I didn't get to finish even the few projects I had for this year and I barely had time to set anything up but somehow it all came together!!

These two ghouls haunt the 2nd floor windows!


This ghoul has a strobe flashing just above it and a blacklight that sits in the window just below its face.


This one is lit by a string of flicker bulbs and for that extra "pop" I put a blacklight at the bottom in the window ledge, the orange/purple combo looks really cool!  Unfortunately it doesn't really show up in the pic!


I really need to figure out the right night setting for this new camera!!








It really isn't this dark on the porch or in the yard at night as I have it all lit with lights and we have a street light in the cul-de-sac!


Ok, let's turn on the lights so you can see what's going on!









Here's some pics that will let you see some of the light effects a little better~

As always Boris was there and Bela but I didn't snap a pic of Bela this year!


The pentagram is lit by a strobe light, whenever it goes off the pentagram virtually disappears!



The mound of coals flickers orange and red while the cauldron has a mister in it that changes colors!


Here is another smaller mister that changes colors, the skull also illuminates and shines different shapes on the wall/ceiling!


Kids really don't like this little guy, add a fog machine and a strobe light and they really, really don't like him!








I really gotta dirty these coffins up, they still look like they are straight off the showroom floor!


This little guy offering his ghoulish treats is always a hit with the kids!!










As the kids turn to leave this is their view!

[Flower]

It's wonderful  .. you guys must be sad when/if you have to take it down.

[Opera Ghost]

Great Graveyard as always VH. I really like your lighting-- which many Halloween displays fail in, in having too much or too light. Love the long shadows reminiscent of Noir and our Uni classics.

[Haunted hearse]

The boarded up windows are an effective touch.  How did you attach them?

[Hepcat]

Wow! Fantastic! And that parting shot the kids get as they turn to leave the door is the crowning detail!

Do you keep count of how many parents you scare off your property?

[general gruesome]

awesome man! I really like the skeletons, zombies, boarded up windows, and the bowl with body parts cooking, you did really great on the work

[zombiehorror]

It's wonderful  .. you guys must be sad when/if you have to take it down.

I definitely get sad because it means I have to put it all away, I never look forward to that part!

The boarded up windows are an effective touch.  How did you attach them?

Pieces of wire hanger fashioned into an "s" or "z" hook, one end thru a hole in the board and the other end thru a slat in the shutters; The lower boards are all one piece that hang with two larger pieces of wire hanger.  One end goes under the top board the other hangs on a little ledge at the top of the window frame.

[vintagehalloweentoys]

Good Job! I'm sure all the little ghouls really appreciated such an effort!

[The Creeper]

wow!  It looks great!

[charp13]

ZH- ( A Butterfinger crumb just got stuck in my keyboard...where did THAT come from?)
I always look forward to pics of your yard haunt    Your coffins look great in their natural enviornment! Everything looks SO perfect! It's a yard haunt that yard haunters would enjoy!! One thing I really need to copy is your marked off path of lights. What a great idea! We have a sidewalk that leads to our front door, but my husband had too much fog going ,at one point in the evening, and you couldn't see the sidewalk! The lit path is a great idea because no one will trip over anything on the side of the path- LOVE IT!
Your lighting is exceptional! We haven't mastered that art...yet. The tombstones look so well lit and all the characters are so theatric and well made. I also LOVE those candles on your porch. They are beautiful!! You have so many zones and so many cool props....Ahhhh!! I wish I could walk through! Do you play music or sound effects? I need any tips you can provide...Halloween 2013 is right around the corner    

[BaronLatos35]

Looks great ZH! The kids will always remember your house.

[zombiehorror]

Do you play music or sound effects? I need any tips you can provide...Halloween 2013 is right around the corner   

Lately I've just been picking up Halloween sound effects cd when they go on clearance, they are usually a mixture of music and creepy sound; I have a 5 disc cd changer that I put under the table on the porch, load it up and put it on shuffle play.  The speakers are inside a column on each side of the graveyard about halfway thru the path.  In the past I've downloaded sounds off the web and made my own haunt soundtrack but that can be very time consuming.

Thanks all!

[neonnoodle]

Fantastic work!  This is one of my favorites, of the haunts I've seen pictures of.  I'm sure this was fun to see during the daytime, and totally crazy-looking at night, with the lights and sound effects working.  Really nice work.  The tremendous effort shows.

[zombiehorror]

My wife took all the girls pictures on her phone this year so I completely forgot to include a picture of the famous visitors to the graveyard this year!

Operetta (Monster High) and Daphne!!

[charp13]

Ok, OK...NOW I see your motivation, ZH! They are adorable little girls, and I bet they LOVE their Daddy's hard work on Halloween  They must be so proud to have the cool Halloween house in their neighborhood. I know that I really stepped up my decorating when my grandson was born. He only lives about 20 minutes away, so he is at my house a lot and is part of the Halloween prop building process. You really are creating memorable Halloweens for your beautiful daughters, and who knows what their houses will look like when they grow up?? They may have yard haunts that involve Disney-like animatronics! It's all worth it, even when your back hurts on Nov. 1st.  Great job, ZH.! You keep us motivated, too