Thread: Need Lighting help

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This is probably remedial ... less than 101 to all of you. I live in a nicer neighborood with very over protective parents. We have a covered portico (stone and stucco) that is 10X10 that TOT's enter to reach the front doors. Normally this area is lighted by one recessed overhead light that brightly fills the area. My question is how to make the lighting spookier without freaking out the parents? I'd like to keep the overhead light but dial back or modify the brightness/color. I'd like to be able to use smaller spot lights and shadow pumpkins ... these just get washed out now. Second question. On the other side of the yard I'm putting a reaper and grave and ... what do you think about a small spot directed from a balcony above? Should it be a strobe? How close? Thanks in advance

Ha! There's nothing remedial about lighting. It is one of the most important things about creating an "atmosphere" and it is great that you are thinking about it so early because it often takes lots of experimenting and trips to home depot to get it the way you like. Keep in mind that its the shadows created by the lights that add the drama so look for places with plants, trees, rocks, tombstones etc that you can use to throw shadows on you house or the ground. Trees with lights pointing up the trunk into the branches always look spooky. Nothing adds ambiance like a real candle - whether in a pumpkin or by itself - just make sure if it is a real candle (rather than a battery operated one) that you keep in mind where the TOTs will be walking and that they frequently have "flowy" costumes. Nothing puts the damper on halloween like a kid on fire. As for the overhead light in your patio - my suggestion is to replace it on halloween with a red compact flourescent bulb. It will not be very bright and it will create some harsh shadows. Have fun!

echo most of the above, but as an option you could replace your lamp with a black light an dthen have some spooky UV writing etc.

just a thought for you

maybe you can try to use the strobe light that have different colors, u can find it at Spencer's the store. I have one myself and it's really cool

I would look at putting a blue light in the overhead cans you can get blue flood lights at the local big box stores

I know out here in Ca. at the OSH stores they have a little puck looking thing that goes inbetween the bulb and the socket to make standard bulbs strobe at irregular intervals. combine that with a lower wattage bulb to keep things dimmly lit and now porch light will flicker and be a little darker.