Thread: Video: Ideas Needed

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2008 was actually the only time I really did anything outside. I no longer live at the house in those pix. I plan on making quite a bit this year. Tomb stones, scarecrow, maybe a reaper. I also want to make those skeleton sonotube columns under the tutorials...I think those would really cool next to the basement door. I got some pretty cool stuff off CL a few weeks ago too. 12' clown that I'll be putting in the back entry with all the other clown stuff, a zombie creepy crawler that I'll put in the cemetary and a huge web with spider vic that I'll probably put on the garage door. Got a bunch of other stuff along with these things. The pix are in one of my albums

Originally Posted by ter_ran

I concur! Kymmm took the words out my mouth!

Just remember to butter the sides of the walls a bit so larger individuals like myself can squeeze and slide though there with ease...

LMAO my big booty fits!

Great vid & I got a few ideas for you.

Body hanging from the tree is a great one . If you could burlap sack the head like he was executed that would eliminate having to find the right mask. Put him to work for you though, the body could also hold a sign of some type. "Welcome to the party", "Happy Halloween" "This Way" with arrow Etc.

How about labeling the trash can lids, "heads" "arms" "legs" "intestine" "bones" Etc.

If you can keep the tops of the trees and let them dry out you can incorporate them where you want the scarecrow. How about instead a scarecrow you put a body on a 4x4 post there like a burning at the stake victom. Then take the tree tops and place them at the base of the post with a strand of 50 or 100 orange lights woven throughout them to make it look like glowing embers of a fire.

The video of the eyes you're talking about is called "Terror Eyes" put out by Big Scream TV.

Hope this helps, Marc V.

That's a fantastic idea with the burning vic! But my landlord already took all the trimmings away :/ I'll definately keep that in mind if he goes ape_ _ _ _ on the shrubs again next Spring lol. It's a very cool idea if I go with a witch theme next year ~ witch getting burned at the stake...LOVE IT! Thanks, ravenworks69

For the windows, have you considered painting them? I've done window painting for retail establishments and private homes for years and it couldn't be easier. You sketch out your design with a black Sharpie marker and then paint the windows in with one coat of craft acrylic. It dries easily and looks great with back-lighting. Best of all, it washes right off with window cleaner and some paper towel. If the glass is stubborn, you can use a little nail polish remover to get the residual marker and glass off. Paint it on the inside of the window to protect from the weather. And if you want to cheat, you can print out the design, tape it to the outside of the window, and trace it right to the glass.

Samples:




For the alleyway, could you run some string lights through on the side of your building? You might even get away with some of those 3M mounting hooks to hold them up since the wind is unlikely to be an issue in a space that small. That way, you can pull them right off when you're done and not even leave a mark.

The first corner looks just about right for a witch scene. Witch, cauldron, broom, a couple creepy critters, and some witch jars and you're good to go. Alternatively, you could put together one of those big spiderwebs out of rope and hang some victims/big creepy spiders.

The basement door could be dressed up if you use some of the pink insulation sheeting. The door doesn't seem to stick out too far, so you could probably split one of the big sheets in half vertically. Then you can carve and paint (or just paint) however you see fit to create the mausoleum effect. Save a little bit of it to make a carved sign for the top and label it however you want.

For the scarecrow scene, cornstalks would work. You can also try to grab larger branches off the side of the road in the fall when people are clearing out brush and pruning their trees. Clean them up right and they look like smaller trees. I did it for my Jabberwocky haunt and people really responded to them.



The sun room windows would also be a good place to do the painting. You could also do black paper silhouettes that mostly fill the windows, as well.

I think you're going to have an awesome party.

the alleyway if you could dangle fishing lines from above so it would tickle their faces, or thin pieces of fabric or strips of dollar store crepe paper. Use 3M command hooks
like suggested by going up about 10 feet using a ladder. You dont have to go all that high, think of people who use these techniques in their homes and garages.
The ceilings arent usually that high. Start by building the fishing wire and attaching along its length crepe strips or more wire. Attach the two ends via ladder about 10 feet up from the ground
with the 3M hooks onto the house walls. The hooks are removable, and no holes.

I like the lined up tree fence thing and would put string lights on it.
Top the tree fence with some crows. Have one holding a dangling eyeball to fit in with the BBQ scene around the corner. If anyone saw the
crow with eyeball they will realize what where he got it.

Line the other side of the fence with black sheeting so you block out viewing along the initial path (makes more creepy and claustrophobic)
and will help serve as a backdrop for the bigger inside yards props.



Use black vinyl (from shindigz) or table cloths to cover the trashcans and decorate on top and around them. Use fall garlands? Setup a shelf for witch potion bottles?
I like to use a trick of hiding in plain site with alot of my stuff. Like boxes, etc.

By the tree I would do witches around a cauldron. Many black cats and rats. Put a bubble
fogger inside the cauldron (must be a big enough cauldron for clearance. It was a HUGE hit at my haunt last year.

And it will give off lots of fog. A word of caution, the bubble fogger can get hot in places, so get a metal drip pan with a grill.
I used that inside the cauldron with the fogger on top and no heat/melting problems.

Where your scarecrow will be put lots of pumpkins with mini garden fence that has string lights along it. And in the graveyard put this there- a Hellmouth--> http://softlyspokenmagicspells.com/h...hellmouth.html

The basement door is wicked cool and for ideas I would get a gargoyle to put on each side of the top and
on the front above the door a scary worded sign with a demon/gargoyle leaning over it. Like this--> It means= Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here. Borrowed from Dante's Inferno,
these are the famous words inscribed over the gates of Hell.
Get a scene setter of the rock/dungeon wall and cover the siding on it. I saw these cheap for $1 at walmart last year.
perfect size for the use you need it for. Also, on the front on the left and right sides of the door, add wall sconces.

I got some plastic ones at a yardsale that hang on a nail or pushpin. I added long tapered candles but you can add the LED
candles for fire safety since youll want those guys lit.

For your husbands office window I would put the shadow illusion technique at work or simply
hang a sheet in the window and do a hung body inside with a spot on it to cast the shadow
on the window.


lastly, this site has many props from all over, even forum members condensed. Alot can be used by non electrically inclined persons, like me. http://www.halloweenmonsterlist.info/

Wow, some great ideas, trentsketch and kittyvibe! Believe me, there's so much I wanna do, but I have to pick and choose. It's just not in the funds to do every single little thing that I'd like to do. As with a lot of folks, it'll get bigger and better through the years I do plan on making a few things that I've seen on here. I'm just trying to stick to having/making enough to make an impact, but not go overboard....not this year anyways. I not only have to decorate the outside, but the inside as well since I'm having a party. We did our first Halloween costume party last year and it turned out real well. Everyone seemed to enjoy all that I did and had a great time. I just want to up what I did last year and I thought a haunted walk through before guests even come inside would be perfect. Thanks for all of your ideas everyone!

pretty much everything in my suggestions I have but didnt spend a fortune on. I just went out to yardsales and was really picky so I wouldnt go overboard.

All my garden fencing was $1 and it is quite a bit, could always use more though The crows were 50% off at Michaels but you could also get the Dolalr Tree ones , at $1 each of course

Fishing line is maybe $4 but you might be able to ask your friends for some of theirs, they might have some fishing line. If not, some crepe paper at the Dollar store is cheap n easy.

The only thing you would probably have to buy at retail or be very diligent with walmart is the bubble fogger, the 3M clips -$3, Large cauldron or you can mache one, Black sheeting- $5 at Dollar general for landscaping fabric (get it now since its gardening season), rock wall setter- $1 at Walmart last year, wall sconces at yardsales, .. I got many props %50 off pre-Halloween a few years ago, like the fogger was $20 at Walmart.

I just really could go on but I dont know what you already have to work with as far as your large props go. Alot of things can be made at home relatively cheap, you just need the time to create them.

Well, I've made a couple of tombstones (still need to make so much more). Hubby actually helped me out with making some pvc candles....23 to be exact. Not quite finished with them yet. And I've also made the burning coals as shown in a tutorial. There's still lots to be done, but I feel so much better now that I've actually started on these projects. I might have to scratch making the sono tube columns this year. We shall see. If not, there's always next year!

Any more ideas folks?