Thread: Let down by the JUNK props in the stores!

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I am a NooB haunter, this is my first year setting up a display. And like everyone else I anxiously awaited stores to put out their Halloween items. I’ve checked several Walmarts, Kmarts, Targets, and Biglots over the past few weeks and am sad to say that almost everything I saw was pure crap! Plastic, cheesy or cutesy looking, cheaply made --- but expensive to buy -- JUNK!

Besides some fake pumpkins I bought from Michaels for projecting onto; a foam skull; and a rising ghoul thing from Target that I only used the mechanical guts from for building my own prop (I threw the rest of it away because the rest of it sucked), I have not purchased anything else - prop wise.

My problem is that I spent the last 10 months (almost daily) looking at the home made props on Hauntproject.com and the Monter List and both this forum and the other forum and got spoiled seeing all of the great work of individual haunters. When I get to the stores all that is there is mass produced junk.

What a complete and utter let down.

I am obviously no expert in Halloween props or prop building, but I know that everything I’ve built over the past 10 months puts what the stores have to offer to shame. Over the past 10 months I have built/made the following:

32 tombstones (1 uses an LED countdown clock)
1 six foot tall obelisk
80 feet of 40" tall pvc/wood fencing
1 pneumatic MIB
2 eight foot tall entry columns
1 Tombstone peeper
1 Tombstone popper (using aforementioned prop guts from the Target prop)
Grim Grinning Pumpkins display (foam crypt for the pumpkins to sit on)
a static Grim Reaper
a laser vortex
a FCG (I did cheat and buy the FCG), but I mounted it on a 22 foot tall telescoping flag pole (won't find that in Walmart!)
2 trash can fog chillers
20 pvc pipe candles (hot glue and flicker tea lights)
a corpsed skull
a set of branding irons to brand my props

I only have 1 more prop to build, a pneumatic coffin popper. I’m glad I still have 40 some days left to build it so I don’t have to rely on the stores. Rant over.

The thing is custom made props will never be as good as mass produced props. Thats a fact. There are some decent animatronic pieces out there that some enthusiasts are more than happy with. It's all in what youre looking for. I think the bottom line is, if you want high end stuff, youre probably going to have to do it yourself. Its just like costuming.

Well it sounds like you have some amazing props!!!.for a noob you have done well I didn't tackel homemade props till my second year.Looking back at photos I see how far I have come.This will be my 4th year.
Still not up to parr as to what most are but I figure it will come in time.
Prop making is soooo much fun.I look forward to seeing photos.
So sorry retail let you down.

Originally Posted by Shadowbat

The thing is custom made props will never be as good as mass produced props.

Did you get that backwards?

Well that is very ambitious of you to build all of that. I still have yet to build that kind of stuff, because I am still perfecting my skills with the simple projects to make them better/creepier (plus I moved and had to get rid of all of it).

I agree that most of the full sized props are crap in stores. 'blank' skeletons, skulls and some other little things though are at good price if your able to do something creative with them like, corpse them up, or make decorations on pillars, or tombstones.

Hi spinachetr

Have you considered buying props from individual haunters or trading props with individual haunters?

Several haunters on this site create amazing props that they sell or trade, especially through ebay or craigslist.

It is a toss between the two because you cant make all items that the stores offer. But many items home-made are way more realistic in quality and appearance. I only have a few items that I find real interest in at the store but either way it depends on everyone's own specific prop needs or wants.

It is true that if you can make anything you heart and mind desires but only if you have the time and skills neccessary to complete such builds. I myself have a very unsteady hand and cant paint or airbrush worth a darn. So I buy many items but wish I had more skills like many of within the HF family here! So I am in the middle here ya know...

Anyhow the best of luck to you this Halloween season spin!

Originally Posted by spinachetr

Did you get that backwards?

haha. yeah, I did.

Damn, you have been one busy haunter. I definitely agree that the vast majority of props in your so called Halloween Superstores is junk. I drove by a Spirit Store the other day and decided to stop in to see what they had on the shelves. Well they did not disappoint I wasnt expecting much and that is exactly what I got. I will say the majority of the Gemmy props were not displayed yet however I am not a big fan of their products either.