Thread: Decorating Themes

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Each year, I try to do a new theme. Besdies trying to make each theme encompass more space, I also try to make each theme's decorations more realistic than the previous theme's decorations.

My first "theme" was a continuation of my old random decoration days. It consisted of spiders in webs, a pumpkin with blinking eyes, a rubber bat, a pair of blinking eyes, the Scream Guy (made from an old kite frame, a chair, a mask, and a cheap plastic cape), and a scythe in a window. For the outside, I had ghost windsock and some plastic ghosts hanging off the front steps.

In 2002, I decided to do a theme based on a single scene in the window. My original plan was "The Grim Reaper's Spirit Realm", but that got changed due to the budget it'd require and the fact that my house still had icicle lights up! Since we were all too busy to take them down, I decided to explain their presence by making a mad scientist's lab in the window, complete with blinking Christmas lights. I beefed up the kite frame with some newspaper muscles and reused the pumpkin lights to make the monster dummy seem more real. Sadly, the cloth mask I used for the head kinda detracted from it. My outside decorations (hands rising from the ground and a sign warning of a man-eating plant) actually tied in with the window's theme. All the other decorations would be explained as being put up by the mad scientist if anyone asked about them. To add some realism to the cheesy decorations I put on the porch that year, I put up a painting with moving eyes.*

This year, my theme is "The Old, Dark House". Depending on how much space I have left for storage, I'll either do a tattered cheesecloth ghost lit with blacklights and moved by a fan or a severed head being nibbled on by rats. The "old house" props are all settled on and include old, spooky books, a blinking lantern, webs, and a creepy candle holder.

Next year, I'm planning on adding motion to some props and maybe having a PVC dummy, along with having more realistic stuff. Maybe I'll do a haunted funeral parlor that has a coffin with a motorized hand trying to break free.





*I thought that the reason we only had two trick or treaters the previous year was due to the terrorist attacks. Figuring that my house would get more visitors and not knowing how they'd behave, I put up cheap decorations that wouldn't cost anything to replace.

If on No buget or you wanna get Cheap,Let me introduce you to our O.C.C.O.C.P.(Offical Chief Clown Of Cheap Props)...MISTER PUTRID!!!!!

Thank you! I will hunt Putrid down with any questions I might squeeze out of my brain. Yes, unfortunately we do have the 2 birthdays...the 26th & the 29th. Geez why these kids can't just be happy with Mom spending ALL the money on Halloween, I'll never know.
Like I said tho, I had quite a few compliments last year and people stop in front of the house to check it out. I can't post any pics because they are on the computer with the fried motherboard right now...
Then there are party expenses (always the weekend before)
ann~~

~~Don't torture yourself, Gomez...That's my job~~
~~Morticia Adams~~

Thanks guys for the stinking introduction! LOL

Welcome Moomstarling61! You are now a member of the best Halloween forum on the net. Think of yourself a part of a demented 'think tank'. LOL
Sorry to hear about your fried motherboard. Hope you'll be able to retrieve all your information and pictures.
Wow, the 26th and the 29th? You tried to get one on Halloween didn't ya. LOL. We spend all our budget on candy. Always try to give out what we wanted to get as kids. Last year my wife (Debbie) bought 400 glow sticks and we ended up giving out over 350 of them. Looking to do that this year as well. Will need more than 400 being Halloween's not on a school night. However, all our props are as cheap as anything you will find in a dumpster. A tittle imagination and elbow grease goes a long way.

If you have any prop how-to questions or ideas please feel free to post them. There's a lot of talented people on this forum.

Rod, because helium is thinner than normal air your blow up doll might not stay floating for long. Leaking might be a big problem. If your thinking about doing this I would contact the manufacturer and ask about it first. Would be a real bummer to go through all the expense just to get 15 minuets of 'flying' time. Also you would have to limit the amount of clothing and accessories for your witch. Too much weight and it'll bob along the ground. Which of course would be great for a sheep.





Personal hygiene 101 from your O.C.C.O.C.P. There's nothing in the air, that's me your smelling.

Sheep?SHEEP?What a great idea,a demonic bobbing sheep.You're a demented one you are Putrid!

rod spain

Yeah we REALLY wanted a Halloween baby..but we hit close 2 times...LOL!

I was thinking my BEST themed party I ever did
I haven't been here long, so I hope this doesn't breach the RULES....the kids were small (so they really didn't get it). I did a complete S & M decorating theme inside the apartment with of course my normal horror, thrills & chills mixed in..... The invitations read "The Mistress of the House DEMANDS your presence at the annual halloween bash of the season, ect; I dressed up as a dominatrix complete with whip... (mommie what are YOU???) We even had taken our bedroom and completely porned it out. A sign on the door that read, "Enter if you DARE"
Of course now, this was all people of legal age in attendence...I don't say adults because neither I nor anyone I associate with fits the title.
Ummmm the **ONLY*** consequence was... I think we had too much fun setting up for the whole deal. I have a now 2 yr old "gift" from that excursion (no I am not kidding). She's cool tho, I bet she is the only 2 yr old that knows how to do the "Time Warp"
We have also raised the children well to be as weird as their Parents....
You all really have my head spinning on the "theme" for this year. I really would like to make the paper, Photo wise. Nothing ever exciting happens in Mt Dora (so I have learned after my first year here) and last years party was a HUGE sucess (better then I expected knowing NO ONE my kids did all the inviting) so I definately want to top it.....
Obviously the maid & slave to these 4 people of this house is doing nothing today but checking HAUNTS,hehehehehe
ann~~

~~Don't torture yourself, Gomez...That's my job~~
~~Morticia Adams~~

Mort? is that you in that MoonStarling get-up??? LOL

"The banshee shrieks with WICKED delight, on this, a cold and death filled night!"

Mort? is that you in that MoonStarling get-up??? LOL

ahh Wicked,
I could be a carbon copy of Morticia Adams, EXCEPT her figure, LOL! okay, and her height.
Our little family is very odd. My kids even tho they *STILL* don't get the subject matter have to watch "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at least once a month. I also checked the prices on Riff Raff & Magenta costumes too $$ for our budget.
I am not going scary this year (because if the littlest "Adams" she is 2) I am going to be an 1800's Tavern Wench. Thought about being a maid but that hits TOO close to home,heheheheh.
Hey, you are welcome to the party if you can get over to the states. I mean that. But the keg is usually domestic beer. We keep the Harp hidden
ann~~

~~Don't torture yourself, Gomez...That's my job~~
~~Morticia Adams~~

AWWW COME ON Moonstarling61,give the kid a corpse head to play with and she'll be alright.Just look at me,I'm ok,I'm ok,I'm ok,.I think!LOL.

rod spain

ummmmmmmmmm, rokay!!! (best scooby voice)

BTW, like your site and if I hit the florida Lotto this weekend....I shall take 1 of everything <G> like I said before I am pretty uncrafty and ONLY allowed to use the Hubby's power tools when he is NOT around, hehehehehehehe

In my home we have this little saying...."We are the People, our parents warned us about"
I think this forum fits right in with this phrase (even if JB said it first!) ahhhhhh, I *finally* found a home on the net

ann~~

~~Don't torture yourself, Gomez...That's my job~~
~~Morticia Adams~~