Thread: Yard haunt actor scene suggestions

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Whoo - hooo!! Already getting pumped for this years yard haunt but I need your help and suggestions!

Last year I had installed a brand new shed in my yard (left it empty for the four weeks leading up to Halloween) and based my yard haunt around this key feature. With the help of 22 actors we were able to create about ten various spooky yard scenes and mini actor based productions leading up to and even past the key shed haunt. For me the actor based scenes are the best part of any yard haunt! We actually had over 250 TOTs come through our 2009 tour. I do have a video of our effort but sadly it's so dark all you hear is screaming and laughing. Regardless, great fun was had by all!!

This year the shed has been filled with lawn equipment (bummer--lol) so I'm instead planning on taking our haunted yard tour into the woods behind my home. Provided it's done right (lighted/safe), it should be 100 times better then even last years effort.

My theme will be... "Old Scare Bridge Village." Picture a mid 1800's New England farm but the Villagers are zombies and or cranky farm hands. The key feature (building it now) will be a 35 foot long foot bridge leading over a small swamp. Along key spots on this guided tour I'm hoping to have at least four different actor based scenes. To date my only real concrete idea is to use an old tree fort in the woods and turn it into a replica of an old black smith shop. Lots of sparks and banging on loud metal objects will be going on in that scene I'm sure.

Hopefully I've painted a small picture of what my Old Scare Bridge Village Tour will be but my question to you is... "what would make for additional good actor scenes besides my black smith shop idea?" I think my concept is going in the right direction with my 2010 haunt but I'm actually at a loss for additional spooky farm/village scenes that are doable in the open woods. I can seperate certain areas with long roles of paper but really don't want to build anything else. Simply keeping the each spooky scene consistent with the 1800's time frame would be ideal!

OK, any of your crazy mini production ideas would be welcomed.
Thanks so much!!!

I'm moving this over to props as your post is getting lost in with the general halloween and fits better over here.


You have a bridge? You HAVE to have someone UNDER the bridge (if at all possible) - what about a creepy troll that runs out after they cross?

There is always the crazy person with a (de-chained) chainsaw off in the woods too.

Also, you could do a tribute to the Ring movie and build a well with a real Samara that crawls out of it and lunges at the group.

It would be great to build a sort of arbor tunnel out of old branches and the like (actually built onto a sturdy roof) that the pathway runs into and have an actor up on the roof and lunge down at them through an opening in the branches.

Forest haunts can be so awesome.

CHeck out my web page below....we do a backyard wooded trail.....I have 3 pop-up camo hunting blinds that work great....look like mini cabins.GOT A NEW ONE THIS YEAR an always looking for more blinds..lol.

Some great suggestions. Keep em coming. I'm also now thinking about doing a creepy church scene. (Not that church is evil at all) Rather maybe a crazy minister or something would go with my 1800's theme.

The Hanted Bridge.

The crazy minister & the congregation could be handling snakes with one giant one wrapping around the seats & into the trees. How about a coffin maker where he wants people to get in to try them out for size ( like Van Helsing Movie ) Mybe in the Swamp ( with Fog ) on a Track under the fog have the Ferryman with hood & staff beckoning as he moves in thr swamp on his boat.

Snakes.. Yes Yes!!! I hate snakes so that would be a good prop for the minister or town official welcoming everyone onto the tour. The Coffin maker would be awesome too! I never even considered that as an option. Thanks Bo Bo!

Does anyone have a good suggestion on how to set up a Blacksmith shop? Outside of putting road flares inside a safe metal container to make it look like a branding tool is going to be used... I'm not sure how I could give the scene a more authentic look. I'm really trying to keep to my 19th century look here and not go overboard. I'll post a photo of the spooky treefort soon that will be the scene location.

OH, that is just teetering on the edge of doing a headless horseman,....know anyone with a horse ? For the Blacksmith shop, orange mini lites to simulate burning fire pit ( real fire & flares would make me nervous even in a metal bucket....... )

ZomBie, I've never done this before but take a wood dowel the thickness of a branding iron
drill or carve an area at one end of the dowel to put a Red LED light & battery. Get clear silacone put in a clay mold or what ever someone who has done this before recomends, paint a little part of the silacone black, the part that gets attached to the dowel. Light on Iron Hot. Maybe make a small area near the front to but some DryIce, when it's put into the troff it starts steaming, maybe that would be a different one if you cant get the other one water tight. The Blacksmith will have gloves on so they would be safe putting new ice in when needed.

Check out LT Scares " Hot Coals " in Tutorials it might help with Blacksmith shop