[wilceee]

Hi everyone!! New here and I absolutely LOVE halloween and every year since about 2010 I've done up the front of our house with decorations (parents never really enjoyed it so it kind of fell to me)

Last year I had a graveyard theme and used a red lamp in our entrance hall - really gave off an incredibly creepy effect.

This year however, I managed to get a bayonet black light and it fits in our outdoor lamp- next to the front door. I was planning on using two- one outdoors and one indoors (in the hall), adding some uv reactive bugs and creepy crawlies to the bushes.

I also have some dry ice ordered for the fog effect

However, obviously the bushes next to my front door are not exactly 'bayou swamp' and as a result I wanted to get my hands on some artificial plants that would give it the 'marshy swamp' effect- does anyone know where I could get my hands on these for a good price? I'd obviously need a lot to cover up the bushes

Also, I wanted to add a sort of 'pool' or paddling pool and fill it with water and maybe some floating plants/pool lights? I was thinking of getting a crocodile head and adding it in for extra effect
I'll attach some photos for you to use as a reference

 

[dawnski]

You might try throwing some netting or just use creepy cloth draped over your bushes. Then get some green flood lights and light up from the base of your bushes. It should create all sorts of neat shadows. Put in a couple poles or branches with some swamp lights. I think it would be a nice effect for you. Here's a link to some swamp light and other swamp ideas. https://www.pinterest.com/zim2/halloween-swampbayou/

 

[offmymeds]

you could make a small swamp area with 2 x 4's and a tarp from Big lots. they have some that are a funky greenish color. or black plastic. Use the boards for a frame and just staple the tarp on. cover all around the outside of the boards with plants so you cant see the "swamp" you can use glow sticks in the water to give it some color. I found some small cat tail bushes at dollar tree and I gather all the fake plants I can find at garage sales and the thrift store.

I just laid my tarp out for the swamp area.

 

[moonwitchkitty]

oooh good ideas

 

[lawrie]

If you have a pool then make sure you drop some of the dry ice into it to fog nicely. I would also consider using a speaker of somekind to play so creepy bug sound effects etc. to add to the atmosphere.

 

[offmymeds]

I had frogs and loons and cricket sounds.......it makes a great impact

 

[wilceee]

Guys- I've ran into a bit of a problem.

The UV lights are quite powerful, however, my local council has very helpfully decided to put up a extremely bright streetlamp literally right across from me.

I know this is going to cause quite a bit of light pollution, whereas in the photos I posted before hand- it doesn't look so bad.

I have gutting around the front of my house and I was thinking whether or not I could get away with door curtains hung onto it- maybe this would leave the porch area unpolluted by light?

At the moment, it looks like my best option would be

-A swamp similar to offmymeds's suggestion, the only problem with this is we have two cars on the driveway and not a lot of room to put up 'boards' with tack- I think my solution might come in the form of a large plastic box- similar to a box pond and then just hide the outside with some plants- I wouldn't bother making this uv reactive as it would be polluted by the street lamp

-Seclude the porch area off with door curtains- maybe I could use a dark green foil curtain OR i was thinking of getting fake foliage and bunching them together into a 'foliage curtain' hopefully that would be thick enough to block the light coming through, then decorate the bushes with uv reactive snakes/flowers/bugs

Here's a picture I took of my house off google maps, hope this gives more insight to what I mean

 

[wilceee]

Just realised that the picture is quite small - here's a bigger one
https://40.media.tumblr.com/f797f5bca8fc6c2d65fe79f63624da26/tumblr_nvaao0PRIv1qf418uo1_1280.png

 

[HellsKitchenette]

You might check out black light hairspray, for some accents!
Re: the streetlight...um....Google "streetlight laser pointer."

 

[mamadada]

Harbor freight actually has camo tarps and camo bungees for cheap! No joke if you point a good flash light up toward the sensor of the street light it will turn off. Bungee to poleand then wrap in something that matches the pole to camo it.