Halloween Decorating "How To"

[zombiehorror]

I'd go with Mike c's thoughts as far as building bodies though I have yet to do so!  Right now the only 2 full size bodies I have are a witch and reaper.

This reaper is nothing more than a "scarecrow" ("t" frame)but it's arms are thick wire with articulated hands.  The hands were originally a solid mold that I cut between fingers/joints then wired them together for posing.  I also gave the "t" a little more shape to make the figure look more natural.~


And this witch is just made of wood though I did make a few joints with wire and screws for posing.  I didn't get to finish her hands last year so it'll be a project for this year~


Here are two great posts (from HehauntForum) on articulated bodies using PVC and some hardware~
http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=15432&highlight=articulation
http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=17073&highlight=articulation

I really want to build some of these to populate my cemetery with!

Let's see other than that there is always the DIY tombstones using foam insulation board.  Here's mine before I aged them last year, I actually broke some of these in half or pieces off of them and then glued them together with Gorilla glue!



And one...oh what the hell here's two.....after faux finishing.  Notice how the Gorilla glue holds it together but also expands the crack.  The second one I actually took a claw hammer to to gouge out some character.~


Cemetery fences are relatively easy to slap together using wood or PVC (I use wood only because I work in construction and can get it out of dumpsters at any given time.).  My fence is made of 1X1s that I ripped from old 2x4s.

Here's the guts of my fence columns just simple 1x1 frames.  The bottoms/tops are made with 2x4 frames and plywood which I cut a faux brick pattern in~


And here are my fence panels made from 1/2" foam insulation board.  FYI my fence is not made for month/week long display, it goes up Halloween morning (sometimes Halloween Eve) and comes down that night!~


Another easy wood project is the ol' toe pincher coffin (you can see mine in the 2nd picture), whether you use plywood, fence slates or pallet boards.  Music/sound effects, gotta get some audio sensory going!  It's a must!  Lighting...don't forget lighting!!  Last year was my first lighted display and wow what a difference!!  On a budget, you can always shop year round using "Halloween clearance" searches though sometimes you have to wait until the next year to use your cheap swag!

My set up is a combo of homemade, clearance and relatively cheap props that I've accumulated over the years~


That's all I can think of for now.....nope one more thing....Fog machine or machines!!!!

[Opera Ghost]

Very Good Point ZH.

I do begin set up by first weekend in October, and invariably fight the elements all month, especially winds which have caused me a lot of grief and destruction

OG

[zombiehorror]

Very Good Point ZH.

I do begin set up by first weekend in October, and invariably fight the elements all month, especially winds which have caused me a lot of grief and destruction

OG

I know alot of home haunters build there columns as solid structures (liquid nails, nails, monster mud) that even a hurricane couldn't knock down but I wanted mine to store away easily and be relatively light weight!  If need be I can reduce my fence to a pile of 1x1s, foam sheets and 2'x2' tops/bases since most of it is just screwed together.  I suppose if one used the thicker insulation board that the tongue & groove method I use would hold up better to the elements but even just setting up the night before I've had to repair and replace a few foam pieces.  Currently my tombstones, boarded windows and gargoyle porch light are the only things that stay out the whole month.

[Minion]

The following photos are for inspiration

I took these pictures a few years back at Robert Welch's house (forgive me if I misspelled the last name).
























And some shots I took at Gracebuster's house

[charp13]

I've learned a lot about lighting from all these pictures! I really need to go get some colored spot lights,they look awesome. I love this topic and I'm so happy I have enough time to use some of these great ideas.     Keep em' coming, please!

[zombiehorror]

Cobwebs....How could I forget cobwebs?  For years I've been using the old bagged cobwebbing with mixed results.  Usually after going through half a bag or so I think, "Ok, that's good enough!", because that stuff is a pain in the arse!  Not to mention alot of times it just looks like you stretched cotton balls....hmmm wonder why it would look like that?  The upside is you can get it cheap and extremely cheap if you wait for clearance after Halloween and stock up for the next year.



Last year I finally purchased a web gun from http://www.minionsweb.com/ unfortunately I still haven't gotten an air compressor to run it though!  You can also modify your own hot glue gun, which is how Minion's Web got started, into a web gun and it may be cheaper.  The only reason I bought one was because they were running a Transworld special.  If you're really skilled you could just use a hot glue gun and an air nozzle to shoot your webs, though I would advise a lot of practice....and caution if you try it!

MinionsWeb Web Blaster Cobweb Guns - Cob Web Makers

[BaronLatos35]

Great pics people!

ZH, I love your cemetary fence. What a cool idea. I will use and modify (in the interest of space and storage issues) the wooden fence pieces. Thanks for the ideas!

[zombiehorror]

Great pics people!

ZH, I love your cemetary fence. What a cool idea. I will use and modify (in the interest of space and storage issues) the wooden fence pieces. Thanks for the ideas!

Storage...you're talking my language!  My fence pieces are 10' rails with 4' posts but wait there's more...these aren't glued nor are they nailed!  Each post has a notch cut out (about half the depth of the 1" board) with a piece of velcro stapled in the notch.  The rails have pieces of velcro stapled to them so they easily velcro together and even better they rip right apart for storage!  I still want to add some more posts (plus do some detailing with thin pieces of pvc) to fill in the fence but haven't gotten around to it.



The two piles of black sticks on top of those frames in the picture above is my fence when it comes time to store it away.  And as I mentioned earlier even those frames can be taken completely apart!  I labeled each part (A to A, B to B, AA to AA, etc. etc.) and used wood screws for easy assembly/unassembly!  Originally I was storing all of this in a closet underneath my basement steps but now I get to leave the frames together because I store alot of that kind of stuff above the garage.  The bases/tops in the left of the picture are the only things that can't be broken down any smaller but they still stack and store quite nicely.

[BaronLatos35]

The velcro is such a cool idea.

We don't have a basement or garage in our 2 bedroom townhouse, but the velcro fence would fit perfectly in a small closet under the stairs where I keep my tools.

Only in the UMA could I learn about velcro graveyard fences!

[BlackLagoon]

Great work on your cemetary stuff ZH!!

Ok, here's another question that may open up a whole other sub-discussion.

For various parts, hands, various accesories etc. In the off season, when there are no Halloween stores....where do you do your online shopping?

Any recomendations for good deals on props and goodies?

[mike c]

Nightmare Factory, Haunters Depot, Spirit Halloween, there are a LOT of costume and prop suppliers online... even a cursory search for props will bring up lots of them.

Some of them are more expensive than others, so compare and shop around.

[Wicked Lester]

I'd love to have a large graveyard set up with props like many of you. I just don't have anyplace to store the stuff during the rest of the year. Don't have room in the garage for my truck let alone tombstones fencing etc.
The other problem is vandalism/theft. I live in a very quiet suburb but for some reason every year there are a couple carloads of partying teens that seem to patrol the area casing the big displays waiting for the right time.    
So usually by 9pm Halloween night anyone that has such display is taking most of it down.
I put my possessed/evil kid/zombie/vampire props in my upstairs windows and bay window. Once the sun goes down I toss on the strobe lights.

[drzeus]

Just some vids from our Haunt last Trick or Treat. The weather was really crappy earlier in the day and only permitted a fraction of our projects to be displayed...
We have a blast doing this each year for the kids (most parents really dig it too).
We set up the same day (12+ hours x 4 people). Crazy I know, but lots of the stuff I wouldn't want to leave unattended!
We like to stay away from displaying graphic blood and guts. I believe that the power of suggestion is often more terrifying, it forces you to paint the whole scene in your minds eye (just as the classic horror flicks did/do).

Toxic Barrel
Mirror, Mirror Haunt 2009
Haunted Bookshelf 2009
Halloween Haunt 2009

[ChrisW]

Ah, what inspiration!!!

[Halloween Jeff]

Black -

here is a link to get you started:

http://www.halloweenmonsterlist.info/



Bizarro Jeff