Thread: Detailing your display

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There are old threads on this topic but it might be good to re-visit the idea for new haunters. Do you guys detail your display, as in try to make it look as real as possible? Over the years, we have made a concerted effort to really keep the whole surrounding atmosphere creepy, and not just place things out for people to look at. The added effort can really pay off when trying to create a spooky scene;
some things we do at our home haunt;
Let grass grow for 3-4 weeks before Halloween. (Scary props on a well manicured/raked yard don't quite fit in!)
Put away things like garden hoses, grills, patio furniture, flags, flower pots (anything that doesn't fit into a scene)
Park cars in garage or neighbors driveways (keeps your vehicle safe and creates more space for foot traffic)
We add leaves and dead sticks/twigs to the graveyard scene.
Change out bright outdoor lights for dim, orange or green bulbs.
Shreds of creepy cloth in branches or on shrubs.

These are just a few things that can make a difference in the mood you're trying to create. I'm sure others will add to the list.

Originally Posted by jdubbya

There are old threads on this topic but it might be good to re-visit the idea for new haunters. Do you guys detail your display, as in try to make it look as real as possible? Over the years, we have made a concerted effort to really keep the whole surrounding atmosphere creepy, and not just place things out for people to look at. The added effort can really pay off when trying to create a spooky scene;
some things we do at our home haunt;
Let grass grow for 3-4 weeks before Halloween. (Scary props on a well manicured/raked yard don't quite fit in!) YES, but only because I don't want props and people walking on the yard to trash it....
Put away things like garden hoses, grills, patio furniture, flags, flower pots (anything that doesn't fit into a scene) YES, but only because the weather is nicer now and I don't want to do it in November when it's colder outside
Park cars in garage or neighbors driveways (keeps your vehicle safe and creates more space for foot traffic) YES, but only because I have a funeral carriage blocking access to the driveway
We add leaves and dead sticks/twigs to the graveyard scene.NOPE, unless it falls from the trees I have, I don't go looking for more. I just wish the leaves on my tree would drop sooner, like they used to before Al Gore invented Global Warming
Change out bright outdoor lights for dim, orange or green bulbs. NOPE, all the circuit breakers to the motion detectors and outside lights get turned off, then I plaster the place with rope light, and miniature lights
Shreds of creepy cloth in branches or on shrubs. NOPE

These are just a few things that can make a difference in the mood you're trying to create. I'm sure others will add to the list.

I don't know what mood I'm trying to create....what mood does is set with a 7' by 8' pumpkin face made out of miniature lights?

I must add to your awesome list- fake moss! Fake moss makes everything better!

Keep inside lights to a minimum. We darken the entire house during TOT hours to add some creep factor. Of course much depends on what you have going on inside but we're all outside running the haunt and having a dark house makes it spookier.
Agree with the moss. We have a huge bag of Spanish moss we use all over. Vines are another good idea. Add some climbing up a fence or around the cemetery colums.

Originally Posted by hollow

I must add to your awesome list- fake moss! Fake moss makes everything better!

Depends on where you live. People around here wouldn't even know what moss is. It doesn't grow around here, so doesn't fit.

Our house lights remain OFF (inside), cars gone, the porch lights are replaced by those fake-flame bulbs (so they are 'on' but give NO light), no raking of anything, I haul in several truckloads of cornstalks and reed grass, and do not clean the mess up from bundling them (other than tripping hazards).

Some things that always give me a devil of a time are the porch furniture, trampoline, swing set, etc. Have yet to come up with a good camoflage for them. I hate the chain link fence, too. Gotta come up with something for that...and a facade for the house will never be in the budget, but something there would be nice.

Well, the weather plays a huge factor for us. Even right now, everything is coverred in wet leaves everywhere. Snow also don't help out the scenery too!
As much details we want, we now realise sometimes, it simply can't work, as our fog machines, the wind is so strong, the fog simply gone in a second...
I wish I was joking as how bad the weather is for us in October here, as I just heard on the radio that it's suppose to rain for the next 7 days in a row ...

Originally Posted by hollow

I must add to your awesome list- fake moss! Fake moss makes everything better!

Why use fake, Spanish moss can be had at an arts and crafts store where they have the plant display stuff. I put it over my light fixtures.

I do everything on that list and here are some additions:

Fake boarded up windows. I used clearance lumber for this last year so it cost under $20 for five windows on the main floor. Mine are on stilt legs that are painted black so with the low lighting you cannot see them from more than a few feet away.

This year I am adding a fence. I made it out of old pallet wood that is split and dry rotting already, I made it look like the boards are falling over too.

Also I got flicker bulbs for my lamps, they have little light and a fake flicker and are orange looking so it looks more like a gas lamp than a modern fixture.

Yes, to all of the above! It's my favorite part of Halloween decorating. Where I live, we still have lush green lawns and the trees haven't started to change at all, so you have to creep it up as much as you can, otherwise, it looks like springtime in the meadow. I swear, it got cooler leaves turned earlier 20 years ago. Maybe Al is on to something...

I have struggled with this very thing. How realistic is one to make everything? In my opinion your can go to far with trying to get something down to the very last detail, why?? Because the very fine detail on stuff never seems to get noticed. I have people walk through my cemetery multiple times (as does most of you) and they continue to see new stuff every time. And I am not talking about new detail stuff, I am talking about tombstones, ground breakers etc. Especially at night when we count on our lighting. We do not want it bright enough for someone to see fine detail on something. To me its the ambiance of the scene (lighting, fog, sound) more that what is in it. Take 10 tombstones and stick them in a yard all by themselves vs 10 tombstones with creepy lighting, spooky sounds and fog and its a whole different display. All I know is that TOT isn't long enough!!!!!

The level of detail depends on the type of haunt. A wide open front yard where people don't get close doesn't require as much detail. My indoor Halloween party and Haunted House gets very detailed because people are up close to everything.

I do have some friends who notice the little things, I've always found they appreciate my efforts the most. I've watched them wander around my home during the festivities and check it all out. Then there are the others who just drink and have fun.

Mostly I do it for myself, I need to be satisfied with how things look.

I too use many of the techniques mentioned here plus others.

For indoors I have a bag full of fake Fall leaves that I spread about the house and stick in the cobwebs. I've always done this except for 1 year when I forgot. I've looked at pictures from that party and remember thinking to myself that something was missing. Then I remembered I forgot the leaves. I'll never forget that again.