Halloween Forum - Blogs - Hamilton Manor by Push Eject http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/ Halloween Discussion Forum, Haunts and Home Haunt Community. en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:22:26 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.halloweenforum.com/fusion/misc/rss.jpg Halloween Forum - Blogs - Hamilton Manor by Push Eject http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/ Chopped Up and Packed Away - Where are the Band-Aids? http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/247-chopped-up-packed-away-where-band-aids.html Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:37:21 GMT

The torrential rain let up yesterday and while Dear Wife corralled The Twins I reved up the sawsall, cut the pier into 5-foot segments and stashed it on the side of the house. I'm sure as I type black widows are making it their vacation home.

It's a funny thing but the day after Halloween, inspite of the fun and excitement leading up to the big night, I am so totally ready for it to all be gone.

I feel a little like that picture above. The ghosts of this year's props have left their impressions on me and on the lawn, but I'm looking like my old self again. It will take a while for the paint and adhesives to wear off under my fingernails despite copious scrubbing. The raw and cracked knuckles are already looking better. My stiff back will certainly be better by Tuesday or Wednesday. The props are all tucked away.

I did something I haven't done before this year. While packing up I actually fixed everything that broke before putting it away instead of making a mental note to do it when I pulled it out next year. I'm not sure we'll have a haunt next year with Penn's wedding, but it will be nice to know all the finials are firmly glued down regardless.

It was our best year yet with great friends and family. On to Christmas. Then Brewing season. Then, sometime in late July, I'll glance up to the rafters in the garage and catch a glimpse of this guy looking down at me and before you know it those fingernails will be covered in paint again and that pretty little house won't be so pretty anymore. :)


Cheers,
Charlie ]]> Push Eject http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/247-chopped-up-packed-away-where-band-aids.html What a Great Halloween Night http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/244-what-great-halloween-night.html Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:19:07 GMT

Wow - can we do that again?! It is November first and the skys have opened up. It is POURING. Fat drops dumping down in waves, thunder, lightening... all real unlike last night. Thank goodness it waited until today!

Wireless Haunting

Good friend Glen called in sick to work Friday and came over to finish setting up the Haunt. I really needed it too as Thursday it threatened to pour all day and I lost precious time avoiding putting out the electronics in the drizzle that persisted.

On one of our many runs to the local big box hardware store we decided to give wireless AC switches a try. These are the devices sold to turn your Christmas lights on and off, I suppose, with a little hand-held garage-door-like remote. They worked great for our props this year. Even for fast props like the new air cannon!

We had about a hundred ToTs; similar to last year, and the response was great. Comment after comment about how fun it was; scary -- best house in the neighborhood. LOL It really is all worth it, isn't it?


Three of the friends who showed up are excellent photographers and cinematographers so I expect to have fun video to show in the near future. I've included some photos I hope you enjoy.

Lessons Learned

Every year there are countless little things learned and this year was no exception.
  • Replace every battery ( CD players and other devices are more predictable that way )
  • Actor scares are still the best
  • Props need to be louder than I think they need to be -- the encroaching crowd is loud and screaming
  • People will run right past everything if you let them. Build in obstacles to slow them down
  • Pre-teens make good helpers for quick startles, but should not run a complex prop like the Magic Mirror
  • Half the ToTs will ignore an "Exit Only" sign
See You in 2010?

Sadly, it looks like next year Hamilton Manor will be dark. Good friend and fellow Haunter, Penn, will be getting married and we are told that if we attend we will have lifetime helpers for the Haunts to come...

Contrast that with the Egging our house will take and I think it will be worth it, don't you?

Finally, more pictures here in my 2008 Halloween Gallery. Your questions, comments and critiques are always welcome.

Happy Halloween everyone... it's teardown time and I am ready to start programming songs for Christmas lights.

Cheers!

Push Eject

]]> Push Eject http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/244-what-great-halloween-night.html The Best Build-Day Yet! Structurally Complete and Playing With Props http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/240-best-build-day-yet-structurally-complete-playing-props.html Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:18:31 GMT What a great time the last couple of days working on the haunt. Today I completeled all structural construction and starting playing with pneumatics and even built a couple more props!

First up was weathering the boardwalk; it still had that new car smell, you know? A soaking of thinned grey paint, some flat black and a dry-brushing of white gave just the look I wanted:


It really stands out now in daylight and at night. Boy, do I wish I had a lighting designer, however, as the dock lamp post really needs some help in the dark. A blue led spot looks excellent on it, but blinds everyone in the vicinity... there must be a better way.

Gimme A Sign!

A new Exit sign was in order for the layout this year. I mimicked the Hamilton Manor sign and carved out the back for a string of led lights behind the letters.


I think it works even if the 20 light string from Home Depot is a bit too bright in total darkness.

Lastly the Magic Mirror facade went up along with my drop panel wall and the new skull pathway lights. The foremost skull has a 10" pneumatic cylinder and is the last scare before the TOTs reach the exit gate... but not the last before they're off the property! :)


Add to that I found a full-length mirror for $6 and topped it with a half-skull from Gravestalkers that makes it look wonderfully creepy and my optimism level is really high tonight!

It feels like I might actually make it...

~ Charlie ]]> Push Eject http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/240-best-build-day-yet-structurally-complete-playing-props.html <![CDATA[Four Days til Haunt and Feelin' Fine!]]> http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/239-four-days-til-haunt-feelin-fine.html Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:24:54 GMT I have literally done nothing for Halloween between my last post and yesterday. Life really got in the way this year. I'll spare you the gory details ( although if they truly were gory I know you'd love it ) and get to the good stuff...

The Boardwalk is Finished


What a great couple of days working on the Haunt! I am re-energized and stoked with our progress. I started by finishing the boardwalk. It took far more lumber than I had counted on, but thankfully I got most of it free or at a reduced price. Did you know your local home improvement store has a "cull lumber" bin? I picked up countless 2x4's for 50 cents each!

Good friend, Penn, showed up yesterday and together we drank some excellent craft beer and built the boardwalk pylons and pier post lantern. I mentioned in my last post how we needed something to help with the viewblock and within a few hours the post was done. I think it came out great. It pulls the eye up and adds so much dimension. I used a red bulb behind orange painted glass in its lamp with a flicker circuit and boy does it set the mood.

Here it is in daylight before I added more rope and dorp to dress it up ( down? ) a little.


Pylon Me This

Used bamboo encircles the boardwalk around its elevated section, but I needed something else for the lower areas through the cemetary and DeadTed's dock pylons were just the thing!


I started with 10" concrete forms and cut them to 2' lengths just like DeadTed. The tops are 2" foam, routed to fit and glued into place. I carved the foam up to look like a bashed-in pylon and several coats of latex paint were slapped on. Grey, brown, black and white. I used zip ties to hold the rope in place just like Ted, but am hoping our Southern California weather does me a sight better than his Florida rain... we'll see.


The Way Out

The last new thing I got to was an exit gate. If you remember my layout plan for 2008, TOTs needed to be diverted from the walkway to the boardwalk. I wanted a simple gate that felt like the rest of the fence and that is exactly what I built. It has a spring to keep it closed, but opens easily for those ready to move on to the next candy-trove.

Overall I am STILL optimistic about getting everything done in time for Friday night (!). We'll see. Keep your fingers crossed, friends. Check out my 2008 Album and don't be shy about posting your comments here!

Cheers,
Push E. ]]> Push Eject http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/239-four-days-til-haunt-feelin-fine.html Day Five and the Danger of Brainstorming http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/237-day-five-danger-brainstorming.html Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:24:17 GMT

Oh dear. On-Track and yet suddenly so far off...

What a great Tuesday. A low-key day at work where I got to whip up a YouTube video on how to use Audacity ( which I have never used before today ) and got home in time to work on the haunt.

I picked the Twins up from daycare and asked, "What should we work on today for Halloween, ladies?".

"Skully and Bonehead!" came the response and little could I do not to oblige.


The Boardwalk Railing Begins

This evening we played with the new skull-lights and I had an idea for the railing around the boardwalk. Years ago I built shelves in our prior house out of 4" bamboo. When we moved out Dear Wife insisted they come with us, but were never put to any use.

Tonight I gladly re-appropriated them into ballusters for the boardwalk's railing. I think they work and fit the look. They will get some decorative rope soon.

How strong does this railing need to be? I guess if the TOTs are never encouraged to "rush" it we don't need to know, right? Hmmm... I might have to secure the bamboo to the boardwalk with metal straps.

Blocking the View of Scares to Come


Today fellow haunter Sven and I were talking about how to obscure the street view beyond my graveyard and I had another idea ( read: more work ): Build a shipyard-like hanging lantern with trailing bits-and-bobs. It would fit right in with the theme and with some dorp, black shreds, beef netting and cobwebs provide interest and movement while blocking the pop-up behind it!

Still, it's another thing to build, but I think it would be a quick one.

Lastly, I rebuilt my air cannon with a 1 inch jar-top solenoid in place of the 3/4 inch one I used last year. The smaller valve was "honky" and annoying. My hope is the new one will provide more of a blast with less honk.

Wednesday afternoon it's off to the pumpkin patch with the Twins for some fun then we'll see how much of that pending to-do list I can get to!

Cheers,
Push E. ]]> Push Eject http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/237-day-five-danger-brainstorming.html <![CDATA[Shouldn't I be More Concerned?]]> http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/235-shouldn-t-i-more-concerned.html Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:56:06 GMT

Eleven days to Halloween and I am strangely calm about the state of our yard haunt. Is experience getting the better of my worry or has complacency won?

I'm not sure, but either way this season's setup is definitely not making me crazy. Here is the planned layout for this year.

We have been doing our haunt for four years and I guess I'm a little more secure in where things should go and where they shouldn't. I think I'm a little smarter about the gotchas and what isn't worth worrying about. Perhaps it's the lack of money this year. We are certainly feeling the pinch as are so many others and I am spending far less on new things.

This past weekend I worked on my new skull pathlights. They are cosmetically complete. Now I need to attach their cylinders ( they are going to simply pop-up ).

Most of the boardwalk is finished. I ran out of lumber Sunday afternoon and wasn't up for a trip to the hardware store ( read: I'd had a few beers ! ). It's coming along nicely and seems quite strong and stable. I do worry about kids falling off and may have to engineer real railings for it.

While painting the skulls I was inspired to dry brush the black fencing with some of the off-white skull paint and am really pleased with the results. Don't know why I never did that before. The fence pops out so much more at night with the dry brushing.

Got the voiceover done for the talking-skull-pointing-guy. I'm happy with it. Here it is if you'd like to hear it.

Finally, Sunday afternoon I got all my dorp hung. The last thing I played with was a piece of beef netting. I'm new to haunting with beef netting and had no idea what I was doing. How the heck do you use the stuff?! I stretched one 3 foot piece on the fence and I think it looks okay, but I spent 15 minutes dinking with it. There must be a better way!

The to-do list is formidable, but I remain undaunted.
  • build a mirror frame
  • build new exit gate
  • build a few new tombstones
  • test all air hoses and pneumatics
  • build pointing-talking-skull guy
  • setup magic mirror
  • rebuild and setup drop panel
  • rebuild air cannon and install in left pillar
Lackadaisical? Naive? Foolish?

Probably a bit of both, but the next 11 days will tell for sure.

Comments and questions encouraged...

Cheers!
Push E. ]]> Push Eject http://www.halloweenforum.com/blogs/push-eject/235-shouldn-t-i-more-concerned.html