Thread: What's Everyone Planning For Their '08 Haunts?

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Or some build pics? Thanks, I like seeing what others are thinking.

I'm doing something a little smaller this year. (In the process of moving into a house, so I'm just scaling down because of time.) I'm throwing a murder mystery party. I started on the script two years ago, but didn't finish because I invited the office to the party and 3 weeks before the party my bosses family had a female family member abducted and murdered. I decided that the murder mystery would be in bad taste.

Anyway, i finished the script and I will have the party this year. I will decorate like it is a morgue and everyone has been invited to help identify the body and figure out not only who done it, but who it was done to!

Big stuff:

Crypt/mausoleum and FCG
Hope to start on it soon. I have plans drawn out, and will eventually post with lots of pics of the build process (it's a collapsable crypt so it can store flat - and should put together and take down easily once it's built).

Little stuff:

Build two new columns for graveyard and get the resulting 8 columns painted up better, attach pumpkin/skull (haven't decided yet) column finials.

Tombstones

Touch up current lineup of props. I need to clean up some sloppy stuff.

This year we're going nuts
We are going to have the entire first floor open and do a walk through starting from the Garage and ending in the front door.
Have the plans on paper, but my scanner is broken and can not post the prelim drawings

A whole BUNCH of stuff. But a few (too many details I'm sure) that I am most pleased with... of course only in the planning parts right now. We'll have the haunted hayride for family friendly time, the trailer with patrons will go by a tennis court, with a very tall chain link fence. I decided this will be the velociraptor cage! The gate/door is off it's hinges, there are signs for danger, caution, high voltage. We'll make some big fake eggs in nests, dino sounds, a toilet with just the two legs in front (ala Jurassic Park). Lighted correctly, you won't see anything but the front fence to the courts.
A Ghost Train, the tractor driver stalls the trailer on the fake tracks as the lights and bell start going off. In the distance you can hear the train whistle... getting close and closer. Finally a blaring horn, bright light, and we'll have a fan come on. With 4 channel stereo, I think I can get the sound to give the effect of going from one side of the trailer to the other.
For the scary haunted house portion... whew, I'll need to post later. But I'm am SO excited!!!

Kind of random hahaha for me: a cemetery in the front yard with concrete tombstones, grim reaper, zombies, fog machine and such, an animated stirring witch scene on the front porch (hopefully), giant spiders on the porch roof hahaha. Still deciding what to do with the party.

Some additions to the graveyard--a few static yard spooks, a few new gravestones, a tomb for the cemetery's most illustrious resident. If that gets done with time to spare, I might add another thing or three.

I'm just continuing on my asylum haunt. I will put somw build pics up when I start octber 15th.

This year will be the first year that I am moving the Haunted Sidewalk into the garage. I will keep some aspects of the yard being decorated but most of the action will be in the garage. The theme for 2008 is Gothic Vampires and Werewolves.

Outside: I will have a Flying Crankghost hovering on my front porch. All but one of the front windows of the house (both stories) will have stained glass windows to give the illusion of Dracula's castle. One of the windows will have a specter moving around (projected). In the yard will be my first cemetery. Going up the driveway into the garage will be DH's truck and my car smashed into each other with silk flame fire, a dead driver and man who was run over and you just see his kicking legs under a wheel. While you are walking up the driveway you will be chased by a werewolf (DH). You then enter the garage and proceed through a maze.

Scene one: Strobe lights, fog machine, 6 ft spider, vampire specter.

Scene two: Werewolf forest with scarecrows and cannibalistic artifacts. Scared by drop down (me saying Boo!).

Scene Three: Neon dots and black light room. Scared by me in neon dots costumes.

Scene Four: Bats and Vampires. Dozens of bats flying around and a spooky coffin. This is the pneumatic MIB I've been going on and on about here

Then they run out of there to get their treat.

This is the first year I'm contemplating doing a specific theme outside and continuing it for a few more years.

Even though I see a pirate theme done several times by folks online, there's rarely a good yard haunt around me, let alone a themed one. I love pirates - even during the 'off-season,' so I'm going to set that up.


I really need to sit down and figure out what I want it to look like, which props I'm building, and how the heck I'm going to cover the area to my door. I've got a long driveway and I'd like the walk-thru to go up to my side door. That's a lot of real estate to cover.

My goal for the past few years has been to make my entire front yard a cemetery (not just 1/2 or 3/4 of it), so that will be added to as per the usual.

Other tasks:
Building part of a pirate ship - shipwrecked and sinking (socalhalloween inspired)
Lots of crates (labeled with pirate 'stuff')
A fence - going to be pylons from a pier with rope between
coordinating several people to help on Halloween night (got several people interested in helping scare the little ones... I just don't know what to do)
Costume
Treasure chest for the candy
Set up my ginormous camo netting somewhere...

Want to do, but probably won't have the time or resources:
Build entry columns to the yard


So, all you pirate people start bumping your old threads!!