Halloween Decorating "How To"

[zombiehorror]

Great props drzeus!!  As far as buying props again pretty much what mike c said!  As I mentioned earlier on in the thread you can also do searches for Halloween; props, clearance, etc. and there is no shortage of companies out there.  I have a seperate bookmark in my favs for Halloween and it is filled with links for haunt props.  I have bought from Fright Catalog (usually only on their clearance or special offers), the Skeleton store (just recieved 2 new Bucky Lids that I ordered back at Transworld) and Ghostride.

You can't forget to check out Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart or other such general merchandise stores you can usually pick up a few cool things on the cheap every year.  Although with mass market you never know how Halloween is going to be marketed each year, sometimes they have really cool props other years they go all cartoony and watered down with the Halloween stuff.  Someone at the Halloweenforum posted a link to Kmart's offerings for 2010 but now they've removed the products!?!?  There were a few items that looked like they'd be worth picking up.  A lot of home haunting boils down to imagination and creativity (a little patience doesn't hurt either) I may buy 3 or 4 masks or some costumes on clearance after Halloween and not use them until a couple years later when the right pieces match up in my lab.

Here are a few projects I've done~

My mom got me this little guy on clearance.....


I had a ton of cheap bugs and a few snakes so I used them to make a nice concoction for him to offer up....





These eyballs where way to big and fake looking orginally so I shaved them down (they're styrofoam) and repainted them...



These were a big talk at the Halloweenforum for awhile, the lanterns were around 4 bucks and orginally silver, green or red.  A little black, rust and orange spray paint later you have excellent aged-rustic lanterns!



The monster list is great so many projects, so much creativity....so little time!

[aura of foreboding]

I LOVE all of your Hallowe'en displays!  Thank you for sharing! 

When I was younger there was this house which used to have a Dracula dummy in the front window.  I remember being fascinated - and frightened - by that Dracula for several Hallowe'en seasons.  Eventually the people that did it must have moved away or passed on.  For years, I had been wanting to recreate that little scene which had been so meaningful to me, but I didn't have the right mask.  Eventually I got my hands on it.  So, last year, in addition to my regular (grave)yard decor, I recreated the famous Dracula in the window scene.  The Count will be returning this year as well.  

[charp13]

I love your name, aura of foreboding, it makes me want to go listen to HM Radio.      That's a cool memory you have from your childhood, I'm hoping we do the same for future Monster loving grownups. I think I also re create scenes I saw in windows at Halloween, because I remember growing up in Michigan and people went nuts with their decorations. I got an idea stuck in my head about 2 years ago, that I remembered. This one house used to always have normal scarecrow bodies with gruesome heads, so I bought 3 of those happy scarecrows from Walmart and ripped off their smiling heads and replaced them with ugly artificial pumpkin heads. And I was delighted! I'm really gonna step it up this year, I might get started this weekend. I bought pvc from Lowes and I'm going to build my first pvc body    Hahahahahhaaa!

[aura of foreboding]

Thanks, charp13!

Two Hallowe'en seasons ago, I made my own scarecrow and put a Frankenstein head on him.  It was as close to a lifesize figure as I've gotten for the exterior.  Most of the "characters" that appear in my display are a scale or two off from real life.  I am sure your projects will turn out wonderfully! 

[drzeus]

Thanks Guys,
You just inspired me...

[mike c]

Beautiful work, aura of foreboding!

I know you and I go back a ways with our Hallowe'en props/Haunted Mansion/generally all-things-spooky passions in common, haha! Good to see the homefire's still as bright for that stuff as it ever was.

Can't wait to start digging into this year's projects and talk Hallowe'en with you guys again.

Great thread, great work, everybody.

[lblambert]

Here are some pictures of our place from 2008 & 2009. Unfortunately our weather at the end of October is extremely unpredictable so we have to put everything out and then take it all down and bring it in on the 31st.

2008:

























2009:

[charp13]

Beautiful decorating job!  And the photography is amazing!  You really put this up and take it down on the same day!  Whew!!! I salute you and your skills!

[zombiehorror]

WOW!!  That is the most realistic dog I have ever seen...What's your secret?  J/k...Really great stuff!  Even if you could leave that out all of October I wouldn't suggest it, those are some high dollar busts/masks!

[aura of foreboding]

Yes, mike c, I'm still crazy over the best holiday of the year.  Can't wait for the stuff to start pouring into the stores, which should only be a few days now in some locales.

lblambert, what a great display!  Thanks for sharing!

[mike c]

LB, your zombies are inspiring. Great stuff, great photos... and I get the whole 'set-up/take-down' thing very well. It is often that way out here.

Great stuff everyone.

[aura of foreboding]

lblambert, I just noticed your tombstone for Perry Mason.  How creative is that!  And you even have the date of Raymond Burr's death correct.  What an awesome tribute!  

[Halloween Jeff]

Micheal's is just starting to get their Halloween stuff out in upstate NY.......


Bizarro Jeff

[charp13]

I can hardly wait for the Halloween 2K10 stuff to start showing up!!!  Last year we didn't see anything til' the end of August! I don't frequent Michael's except to buy our monthly supply of Crayola Model Magic, but I'm gonna check it out. I need a Halloween booster shot!  zombiehorror- I'm gonna use that paint technique of yours this year!  We usually put our stuff out before our annual party around the middle of the month, but we always get a lot of rain in Oct. so the paint on stuff to make it look old, should seal up some of our props. I'm soooo inspired!

[lblambert]

Thanks so much for the comments everyone!

Beautiful decorating job!  And the photography is amazing!  You really put this up and take it down on the same day!  Whew!!! I salute you and your skills!

Over the years we`ve gotten it down to a routine. We usually bring it all out of the basement and fill the garage the week before then it only takes about 3-4 hrs to set it all up then only about an hour to put it back in the garage. 

WOW!!  That is the most realistic dog I have ever seen...What's your secret?  J/k...Really great stuff!  Even if you could leave that out all of October I wouldn't suggest it, those are some high dollar busts/masks!

The dog is my official `helper`...he makes a 5 minute job take 1/2 hr 

You're exactly right about the busts/masks...they're the last things out and the first things brought in and they are never left unattended. We live in a pretty good neighborhood but why take the chance.

LB, your zombies are inspiring. Great stuff, great photos... and I get the whole 'set-up/take-down' thing very well. It is often that way out here.

As I'm sure you know, sometimes even the same day isn't enough. We've had a few years where bad weather popped up out of nowhere Halloween night. Once was freezing rain/snowstorm and the other was high winds out of nowhere tore down half our display.

lblambert, I just noticed your tombstone for Perry Mason.  How creative is that!  And you even have the date of Raymond Burr's death correct.  What an awesome tribute!  

Finally!! I did that stone 9 years ago and you're the first person to notice the dates!  I was practicing criminal defense law at the time and it seemed appropriate.