Thread: Recipes for Low Cost Themed Haunts

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It's a perpetual question: how can I make a great-looking haunt on a tight budget? It's a challenge many of us have faced at one point or another. The topic of how to acquire inexpensive props comes up all the time; here's a good thread to start with.

What I haven't seen discussed is how to put together an entire themed haunt inexpensively. There's nothing wrong with a general Halloween theme, of course. I love those as much as the next person. However, while plotting and planning my own display for this year, I think I stumbled across a way to create an entire themed crime scene haunt for almost no outlay of money beyond what you already have around the house. I'll describe it in a future post.

The idea that it could be done got me to wondering what other themed haunts can be put together using primarily re-used household items and extremely simple crafts that literally anyone can do (think scissors, glue, and spray paint), with maybe a few inexpensive purchased items. Witch's kitchen? Vampire's garage sale(*)? Magic shop?

Go forth, my fellow haunters, and share your recipe! If you've created such a haunt in the past, feel free to share pictures and suggestions from the real world. There's no time like the present to start collecting up found goodies to use as props later in the year - and post-Halloween clearance sales aren't entirely dead yet either.

(*) Anyone care to dig up the old thread on this creative idea?

For the purposes of this recipe, I'm going to assume you're doing an outdoor/yard haunt of some kind, although there are a few fun modifications for an indoor haunt.

First off, I recommend viewing this YouTube video. We're not going to copy this haunt but it's great for inspiration.

Secondly, check out web sites that sell real forensic supplies, like CrimeScene.com/store. Evident, and Doje's. At this point you're not there to shop, you're there to see what items can be replicated using ordinary materials.

The Corpse: Since this is Halloween, after all, you're probably going to want to do a murder rather than, say, a jewelry heist. You can do this by stuffing old clothes to make a dummy, covered (or not) by a white sheet or wrapped in a plastic tarp. You may prefer to wrap up handy objects in roughly the sizes and shapes of dismembered body parts in garbage bags, perhaps tying them off with duct tape. Pile up some of those fall leaves and have bits of clothing and inexpensive body parts poking out. Many a murderer has stuffed a body in a large Rubbermaid-type plastic tub, or garbage can, or burn barrel, with or without bones or body parts showing If that body's been there a while, you might want to incorporate some inexpensive rats, vultures, and other scavengers.

Has the coroner already been by? Prop body bags are generally pretty inexpensive, but in an extreme pinch I imagine a dark-colored garment bag, hopefully jazzed up with words like "City Morgue" could serve as an adequate stand-in. Maybe you want your victim to sport an easily made toe tag; don't forget to make one in red for contaminated bodies

And if you don't want to show a body at all, a little sidewalk chalk from the dollar store and you can create your own "chalk outline" where a body used to be for pennies!

In the spirit of the Cheapest and scariest prop how to feel free to have those body concealment devices leaking "blood." Fake blood is cheap but in a pinch, use food coloring in corn syrup.

The Murder Weapon: You're spoiled for choice in this category. Hammer? Glass bottle? Baseball bat? Big rock? Toy gun? Ax? Have a hacksaw or chainsaw handy? Inside the house, consider using a pillow, statue, or frying pan.

Doing a walk-through or other situation where you don't want to risk having even a prop weapon lying around? Try using one of these inexpensive Weapon Collection Boxes to suggest the presence of a handgun, knife, or rifle without actually including one.

Evidence Marking. The classic yellow plastic evidence markers can be a little pricey for a low low budget. Should be easy enough to mock them up using a word processing program, a printer, and a laminating machine, but there are commercially available options too. Consider using evidence flags instead, which are much less expensive and probably more visible from a distance. Need tons of them? Try stakes-n-flags at American Science & Surplus.

There is a crime scene kit available that includes six of these plus some crime scene tape and sidewalk chalk; if you decide to go this route, shop around as it is available cheaper elsewhere.

Photographing Evidence: Get crazy if you want to with cameras and such, or just suggest that it's (about to) take place. Digital Identification Cards look very simple to mock up. Lay out straight or right angle rulers next to evidence; finding household equivalents to this or this shouldn't be challenging.

Crime Scene Tape. This is one instance when a replica probably isn't going to look good enough or save enough money to justify making it yourself. Fortunately it's available quite cheaply in a variety of places, including eBay, forensics sites like the ones mentioned above, even American Science & Surplus.

Evidence Storage: Have the technicians begun collecting evidence already? Break out the brown paper and clear plastic bags. Evidence tape and seals aren't all that expensive, or can be mocked up with colored duck tape. White evidence labels should be almost painfully simply to replicate if need be.

Was bloody clothing collected at the site? Those inexpensive garment bags with the clear fronts that many Halloween costumes come packed in make a decent stand-in for the correct type of garment bag. Collecting bugs or other pieces of trace evidence? Almost any plain jar whose original purpose isn't obviously apparent will do.

Every crime scene tech has to lug around a variety of tools and equipment. You could go the pricey route with something like this or this, or you could dig up a dark colored canvas bag and paint/embroider/stencil/applique some appropriate lettering/wording yourself.

Investigations Want to perform your own blood spatter or bullet trajectory analysis? Red string tied to a stake (bamboo stalks available in quantity from your local dollar store) should work very well for blood spatter. I'm tempted to use a cat toy laser to substitute for real trajectory analysis lasers; I'll let you know how that works out; if you have a fog machine to use in conjunction with the laser, all the better.

If you dug around those web sites earlier, you'll see that there is absolutely nothing special about the external appearance of the forceps, spray bottles, jars, magnifiers, and swabs used in collecting and processing evidence. There are CSI-tie in "evidence collecting" kits that, although pricey when new, should turn up used on eBay, CL, and such. You might get lucky.

Speaking of digging, your techs would probably appreciate some paint brushes (both artistic and small housepaint) for clearing away dirt from evidence.

Costumes: Lab coats are cheap and readily available at Salvation Army and American Science & Surplus. Polo shirt (or equivalent) and pants, ID badge worn on a lanyard around your neck, and topped off with coveralls, windbreaker/baseball hat, or lab coat makes for a simple, inexpensive costume. Don't forget to wear disposable gloves (booties too if you have them) and carry a clipboard or file "case" folder. If you want to play the part of a detctive, that's a basic suit and maybe a trench coat for that classic look as well.

This set of coveralls is incredibly cheap and is almost a complete costume unto itself. American Science and Surplus always has a variety of safety gear suitable for this application as well.

_____________________________

Of course, all of the above can be "Halloween-ized" to your heart's content. Maybe the victim died from a zombie attack or werewolf mauling. Maybe the dead person was a ToT. Maybe your blood spatter technician is a vampire. Perhaps your investigators are all classic literary characters. Go crazy with the bare bones I've presented here - and tell us all about it!

Love this thread . . . you have alot of good ideas!

Thanks! With the need to massively downsize my prop collection this year, I've been doing a lot of think-work on repurposing ordinary objects to use as props for that one special day of the year. I will admit to replacing household objects with items bought as props in a few cases, but alas, I can't turn my household into a year-round Halloween home no matter how much I'd like to!

Here's a link to a Seven Deadly Sins display done by one of our own a couple of years ago. Note how almost every prop is something you'd find in your house, or would be readily available at a thrift store or yard sale, but put in the proper context it makes for a very creative display.

Now surely someone will step up with a recipe for a witch's kitchen or other ultra-low-cost theme display .... please?

I remembered this post as a vampire's garage sale, but in fact it's a cannibal's garage sale. The underlying concept works either way. The important part is that someone could have a lot of fun with this idea and probably do it inexpensively with some savvy dollar store and secondhand shopping.

Great thread, BlueFrog.
I like using my same life-sized skeletons every year and dressing them up in costumes that fit the theme - pirates, western, or clowns, etc. The skeletons fold up, and costumes - you can even use just parts of costumes - are less expensive and easier to store than life-sized props.
I also saw a tutorial on making monsters out of tomato cages - you could also make different characters. I made a werewolf this year that was "popping out" of the bushes. He didn't actually move, but startled the neighbors every morning nonetheless!
You can supplement the larger props with inexpensive items found at yard sales to add details to the scene. For the pirate's scene, I am collecting strands of beads and other treasure for the treasure chest, shells, fake fish, fish nets, etc.

Here is one of the tomato-cage monsters I made last year. In addition to the upside-down tomato cage, I used a foam wig head, pool noodles for the arms, a mask, costume, gloves (for feet) and a plastic chain. I had everything on hand except the pool noodle, which I got at a yard sale for 25 cents.
Still looking for a photo of the werewolf, but I know it is in one of my albums on this site.

The Witches Kitchen--

You could use any shelves, bookcases, crates etc. that you already have to display items. Depending on what the shelves look like you could drape them with sheets, black plastic bags, cover them in branches, moss, etc.

Potions can go in any any kind of glass bottle/jars that you have--could be anything from cleaned out food jars to decorative glass containers that you already have. There are also tons of cheap glass items at Goodwill. You can decorate the lids with hot glue or paper and twine and paint them--or buy a package of corks.

Items to display in the jars--look in your cupboards for older food items that may be expired canned almost anything could look pretty interesting in a glass container--then just use your imagination to come up with a name for the potion or ingredient. I also am always trying new hair products and usually have a lot of things around that I ended up not liking--these are also good as ingredients or potions put in the glass containers. They also are often good to "suspend" things like spiders etc in because some of them are of a thicker consistency. Pastas, cereals, sugar, flour, crumbs can be used and mixed with other things to be an interesting potion. Fresh veggies or fruits that are no longer so fresh are also good items to put in glass containers with water that has food coloring or old marker ink in it. You just have to let your imagination go.

Branches spray painted black are good for decoration--adding lights helps too. Spray painting anything black can give it a sinister feel--so look around your house and see what you have that you are not using, or check the neighborhood trash for things you can spray paint and use in your Witches Kitchen. It is amazing how something ordinary can become evil looking spray painted black. You might want to do a dry wash of grey over the items to bring out the detail as well.

The witch lanterns (there is a whole thread about them if you search) are another easy, inexpensive prop that would help set the mood. They are glass containers (most often canning jars, but could be any glass jar really) Paint on the inside with watered down red/brown paint mixture, then add a few splatters. Paint the outside with with watered white glue or mod-podge. Run wire around the rim and make a handle to hang them by. Put some sand in the bottom if you are going to put a real candle in them--or use battery candles without the sand.

If you have a source for cheap material--like a dollar a yard--it is great for all sorts of decorations. You can drape walls, ceilings, tables, chairs. Ten to twenty yards can go a long ways!

Mirrors are another item that you might have around your house that can be used to add atmosphere--you can drape them, make ghosts, bats, etc. out of sheer material and rubber cement them to the mirror (it comes right off when you are done). I have also used this technique to make ghosts that are trapped in glass containers--just cut a ghostly shape out of a white sheer material and rubber cement their head, arms, legs to the glass.

I could go on, but the key is to just start looking at ordinary things with extra ordinary eyes...

Found the tomato-cage werewolf photos.




Can be disassembled and easily stored for next year. Use the tomato cages in the garden during growing season!

This is from a tread I did last year.

TIPS and advice on How and where to get props very cheap, or even free! – 06-19-2011,07:52 PM In the last 3 years, I expanded my collection 10 times, and for not that much money. I even past my capacity and will need to trim it down later this year.

Like most people here, I don't have much money to spend and I found ways to score props and entire haunts at 50%, 75% or even free!

Here a list of tips and advice that I can offer to everyone.



Searching the local internet sites!

Kijiji.ca is been a great source of mine! I recently discover that you must check by cities, and not province only. For some reason, many listing won't show when you verify only by province.

Used(your city).com. Not as good as Kijiji, but still a good source, as someone won't post on both.

http://www.searchtempest.com/ (Craiglist). I never scored anything on it, but I seen people here finding amazing scores!

TIP!!! : When askign a person about the ad, make sure to ask what else they have, because many times, they will have more stuff to sell, not advertised.

TIP!! : Don't bother when you see the add mentionning in last, "halloween decorations", listed with many random items. Mostly, it will be a few crappy stuff, that it's 99% waste of your time. The best adds are when Halloween is mentionned as one major key things for sale, in the add. Don't be afraid to ask info or pics. Nothing is more dissapointing than arriving at a garage sale and finding nothing worth getting. Waste of gas and time.

How to get free stuff.

Same as above, sometimes, they are advertised. Don't be shy! Some might be junk, but sometime, it's worth it! Me and Doto, we scored big time a few weeks ago, and the add was a few weeks there, nobody responded but me. We scored an entire huge haunt, all for free! Yes, at start, it look like ****, until we started digging and found a gold mine, under the crap. Was worth it!

Also, if you see an add, but they are asking way to much, wait after the date of the garage sale and call or email them, asking it the items are still for sale. realising they are still stuck with the items, they will sell it way cheaper, or even give it away! Happen to me last year, my first free haul!

Free wood! Check your local lumber yard for free wood bin, or even business park, many have damage crates free in the back.

TIP : make sure to wear some cloths you might get dirty, and gloves might help too, just in case. and garbage bags! Don't forget those!

How to score props at 50% to 90% off from stores.

Of course, after Halloween. many stores will put stuff on clearance. But did you know in September to October, some store will have left overs from last year, also on major clearance, for the new stock to arrive.

TIP! : Ask the manager for deals! Many time, they want to clear the stuff out. Forget the cashers and workers around, they don't know **** most of the time. Go for the head and explain how since Halloween is over, no one but you will want this prop. Many time, they ask me how much I would pay. Slowly looking at the prop, finding huge deffects (bullshiting helps too), give him a very low price. Many will bite (like I got the butler and wicth for only 25$ each, instead of 200$ each).

Dollar stores are your best friends!

You don't need to spend a lot also, foam balls makes great eyeballs. Many people can creat lots of cool things, using little money. Just use your imagination! Ask how could you use wire hangers, plastic pots and pool noodles!

Stores specials and printable coupons!

Check Micheal's web sites for coupons. Also, Spirit have some coupons during Halloween time. Check around!

Hope this help's out.

Please post any tips and advise you also have!