Thread: Yard haunt feedback and ideas

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Hi all! New member here. I've been into Halloween for a long time and lately have started to get even more stuff going. I have a property that lends itself quite well to an exterior haunt. Years ago I sent up some scenes at the end of my long driveway. One year was a crime scene (chalk outlines, shell casings, police tape etc.). The next year was a chemical spill. I used one of my vans, a bunch of dummies, biohazard bags and buckets, chemical barrels, lights and glow sticks.

I stopped all the major stuff for a long time after my daughter was born. Now that she's older she really loves Halloween. Last year we really spent a lot of time doing up the yard. We don't get a ton of people (but I am going to try and promote it a bit this year) so I didn't go crazy with expensive props. Most of the stuff is mass produced but I think it works will with the right lighting.

So, it's time to start working on this years setup. Before I continue, the pictures...

Halloween 2007 - a set on Flickr

They lead in from the gate to the house with the old chemical spill scene pictures at the end. Obviously this was shot with a slow shutter on a tripod (and sometimes with some light painting) but it still gives a pretty good representation.

I think I'll stick with the same basic setup for this year but I want to add some elements. I'm planning on using a drill and offset weight to make a tree shaker for the bushes to the left of the path up to the front door. It'll be motion activated which will also turn on a red light and start a sound effect. I was thinking of scattering some cheap MP3 players with small speakers along the driveway to making moaning sounds and such so the walk from the gate to the house had more elements (maybe some body parts scattered too). I'm going to open some glow sticks, strain the cyalume and leave some blobs around.

I'm going to also re-do the chemical spill again. The setup will be similar but I think I'll put on one of those suits and lie in wait for people to scare. I want really good fog from the van so I'm going to put a pot of water out of sight on a hot plate and feed in dry ice as needed.

I was also thinking about a motion activated noise maker that would get all the sound activated props going. They really aren't very sensitive and sometimes don't activate when people walk by. I don't really want to build an air cannon (I have a spud gun already but it's propane so no dice) but I can't think of anything else loud enough to get the job done.

So, sorry for the huge long post! I'd really like to hear feedback and comments about my setup and ideas. This will be the second year for the haunt and I want to make it as good as possible without my wife killing me. We're on a dead end street and we only get traffic on Halloween so it's a one shot deal.

Thanks!

I think it all looks great. As a kid growing up in the seventies and eighties I can assure you houses like yours were just fun, fun, fun to go to and I remember them with shear delight. Now of course most of us halloweenies will tell you your yard looks awesome but remember the youngsters will enjoy it immensely! Have fun!

Oh WOW. That looks incredible. I love the lighting behind all the props. I too remember specifically choosing houses like yours to trick-or-treat at...it was just a thrill. I'll bet your neighbors and all the kids love it.

Those are AMAZING set ups I don't think I can give you ANY advice lol..great use of lights, great use of props etc.

What you might want to do is incorporate some sort of animated Halloween props that would work perfectly with all of the room you have to utilize...

I have no problem with store-bought props. Anything anyone puts up to celebrate Halloween is wonderful!

That being said, your set up looks amazing! I love the lighting, the arrangement, the props - you have done a spectacular job and I'm sure the kids and even the parents in your neighborhood are blown away by your house!



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I think you did a great job, and really nice pictures.

Bravo !! Excellent setup and a super job on the lighting. I wish I could use colored lights to highlight my props as well as you did. My problem is I have so many props running I don't have enough outlets for lights! LOL
Thanks for sharing!!

great job.
thanks for sharing
Like the orange lights around the walkway.

Great pics. I love all the lighting you have, it looks awesome.

I liked the van. Very unique idea! Looks great!