Thread: Has anybody else tried this?

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This year I'm toying with the idea of doing something different. A "Human Prop". A variation of the old "Guy-Dressed-Up-Like-A-Dummy" routine.
We have an awesome Werewolf costume that I'd like to have my 6'-1" nephew wearing out on the front lawn, in the Graveyard. He'd be posed, illuminated by a dedicated light and, at his discretion, when a group starts walking up the driveway, we'll have him start to move like an animatronic. You know, turning the head side to side in the manner of an oscillating fan, maybe repetitively raising and dropping his arms. Robotic, predictable stuff.
But than, after a few seconds of animatronic behaviour, the Werewolf starts to approach the group.
What do you guys think? Could this work?

I think that would be a great way to scare the ever livin' s**t out of some one!!! I myself would be LMAO!! Great idea!!

Yes, there would probably need to be s@#$t disposal bags. I'm seen alot of things but this would totally catch me off gaurd!

sounds like a great idea!!!

Yeah, My nephew and I talked about doing something like this also.
I got the electric chair kit from distortions. Same concept.

Potential problem with it is, the person needs to be in possition all the time in anticipation of the next group. Not to much fun for that person.

In the electric chair scenario he is seated so that will help him be as motionless as possible. maybe you can provide something for him to lean on.

I was going to put this in the garage so a "look out" can give us advance notice to get him in place.

I've done this kind of thing in my lawn haunt for several years and it always works like a charm! I usually have a prop-zombie in the yard for weeks before and on the big night everyone just thinks it's another prop I put out. I stand as still as possible and listen to all the parents take pictures and question each other about what might be real and what's not. Then I will very slowly make motions like moving my head and eventually begin walking towards the group suddenly. Gives a great scare almost every time.

You certainly have to take breaks, though. It can get tiring just standing there for a while. But at least our ToT traffic is pretty good, so there's always a lot of activity going on!

Hope yours works out as well as mine have over the years...good luck!

Originally Posted by Wolfman

This year I'm toying with the idea of doing something different. A "Human Prop". A variation of the old "Guy-Dressed-Up-Like-A-Dummy" routine.
We have an awesome Werewolf costume that I'd like to have my 6'-1" nephew wearing out on the front lawn, in the Graveyard. He'd be posed, illuminated by a dedicated light and, at his discretion, when a group starts walking up the driveway, we'll have him start to move like an animatronic. You know, turning the head side to side in the manner of an oscillating fan, maybe repetitively raising and dropping his arms. Robotic, predictable stuff.
But than, after a few seconds of animatronic behaviour, the Werewolf starts to approach the group.
What do you guys think? Could this work?

Believe me it works. Back in High School I came up with the very same idea. We found a couple of old dilapidated lounge chairs and placed them on either side of the walkway
to the house. We dressed up and sat there and stayed completely still until the tots had gotten their candy from my mom and walked past us again. We would get up slowly and sneak up behind them. I tried it a few years ago with a skeleton stalker getup on our haunted trail. I leaned against a tree like one of the normal props. I even had tots grab the fake arms to see if I was real. At points I would just leave the costume and walk around so it would really look empty. The key is to remain motionless and very quiet......then jump up and scare the livin crap out of them.

Ha... That is the most awesome idea ever! It would get boring for the person for a while, but I imagine that it would be a lot of fun for them when the time comes!

I like to use this technique somewhere near the beginning of the haunt.
It's probably one of the best techniques you can use, although you need dedicated and disciplined actors to pull off the effect convincingly. one wrong move at the wrong time and you've blown it. (for that group, anyway).

If you pull it off, you've got 'em. They will no longer know what's real and what isn't..they will no longer trust their own minds, and that's when you take your haunting to another level.

Another prop with a similar concept: Haunters Hangout Fake FCG