Thread: That Startling Effect

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Sure, I can be creative and come up with some ways to create loud noises and scares for the trick-or-treators, but do any of you have any easy startle effects you use to scare your guests?? My display lacks them!

sorry, my display are pretty much for looking only.

Depend where you live. I am sure my neighbours would be pissed if they heard screams and loud noise all night long. (L). (Halloween night is okay for that)
Like Nowhining, it;s mostly all looks. Sometimes, if the weather permits, I might put some eletronic props for a few hours, again, if the weather permits it.

If you have haunt scare cast, they can always scream or try to blend into their surroundings slowly following and growling at TOTs/guest that are not not looking behind them..

I am lucky, my neighbours havent complained not once! They all come around during builds and peek at whats new.
as for startleing, we use rattles bells and alots of yelling and fast movements. I like it when your looking right at them and they know your real and you still don t move and wait till they get right infront of you and ya yell 'boo!'
p.s. we do our haunt the week end before halloween and the week end of.
for the past 7 or so years.

Have a place where they stop or at least pause to look at something, make it a close area, maybe even tight, have them backed up to a wall or a door. Have a crack in the woodwork(door-wall?) and whisper to them from behind them through the space, whatever it may be.
Maybe the neighbors won't like hearing the sounds of their reactions or the sounds of shuffling, scuffling feet..but Oh well?
A man who is very well-known in the haunting business borrowed this from me after he saw my place. He even went to the extreme of ripping out all of his cameras and push buttons and his former "Central Command Post", in favor of this whispering/scare..and it works!
The closeness and putting your voice right in their ear is what does it, maybe they will even feel your warm breath? Scary!

One of the things that has made my tots scream the most was my son wearing a simple ghillie suit and hiding in the bushes and grabbing peoples arms or jumping out on then when they went by. He mainly waited until they were leaving because they didn't expect anything else to occur.

I think the things you can't see or expect scare people the most.

Try animation. Particularly pneumatic animation. The speed of motion is startling.

Hello,
Nice post i like it
but i am new in this forum site so please guide me
Thanks

Usually me or the hubby is the startling effect!

Most of what I have is static, not moving ever, so one of us has gotten into a full costume & waited amongst those props & moved just enough to startle them.

Usually when they're leaning in close enough to say "Is that a person in there?" then just open your eyes or move a hand, it doesn't take much at that close range.