[DaveintheGrave]

I finally got my Halloween pics uploaded. I'm the absolute worst at setting the camera for good night pictures in my yard. Plus the fact It's hard to find the time in between all of the TOTs. Luckily, my MIL was up for Halloween this year and she gave me some good tips for setting the camera.
Anyway, here they are:

My FCG in window above front door.


Skeleton Trick-or-Treaters and Opening Tombstone.


Cauldron Creep and Witch.


Double Spider Lifter.


Bride and Groom Skeletons (Motor crank broke, but they still looked good as a static prop).


Animated Wolf


Graveyard and Ghost (on motorized lifter). Also Tombstone Peeper on left side.


Skeletons playing Chess. (Chess board had five moving chess men. Operates the same way animated Ouija board works.)


Lizzie Borden Tombstone (Has a mechanism triggered by a door lock actuator that makes a fake hatchet chop through the middle of the stone, but I didn't use that part this Halloween.)


Rockin' Granny

 

[DaveintheGrave]

Pet Cemetery






Animated Teeter-Totter


Front Door Area (with NBC inspired Wreath).


Electric Chair (with Electroshock Hat---(thanks to Ghost of Spookie for getting that for me).


Old Maid Greeter


Little Skelly with Jack-o-Lantern


Weathered Coffin

 

[DaveintheGrave]

A few more:





Entrance to Yard with Gargoyles on Pillars.


Wolf with Swinging Skeleton in background.


My PhotoBucket page has a few more pics, but these are the better ones.

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/DaveNTracy/slideshow/Halloween 2015

Here are some links to very short YouTube videos of some of the animated props:

Rocking Granny (Kind of dark).
https://youtu.be/G-Y9K_Aeaq4

Monster in a Pet Carrier
https://youtu.be/9QYwmvkyHJU

Cauldron Creep
https://youtu.be/NGC1Held-TY

Teeter-Totter w/ Skeletons
https://youtu.be/DX8I0CE1z5w

Ghost Maid DVD Illusion (keep watching--it's dark for a few seconds between passes).
https://youtu.be/xCwPNIgKWBE

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

Wow Dave you do a great yard!!! and looks like you have quite a bit of space to work with too. I think the photos came out great btw. Nice coloring with the lights. I think you got the nighttime photography down now!!

I recognize a few different things in your yard, the reindeer/werewolf from a few years back for example. Still looks pristine and in perfect condition. Love that drool. I recognize the swinging skeleton from the Make article thread. Love the electric chair. First time seeing it I think. Glad the hat made it in time to use. What did you use to make the top electrical components on each side of the chair top? Also recognize the chess players. The pet cemetery is a hoot. Speaking of which is that the Gemmy owl that sings "who can that be now?" The cauldron creep and teeter totter guys are cool. Are the teeter totter guys lit from inside? I have a bunch of the old Big Lots bluckies that I really should get around to using and like how you added eyes to yours. I recall Hilda mentioning that you had a tutorial on making them positionable? so maybe that will be a winter project for us. You are always an inspiration with your DIY props. BTW I'm going to also be looking at your Ouija board prop build for my Madame Misery fortune teller display.

 

[Frankie's Girl]

There are so many good looking props, it's hard to single out any specifics... but wow, I wish I could see all that in person because it looks amazing in the pics! Totally awesome haunt/yard and I'll bet the kids in your area are thrilled every single year.

 

[OHS]

Awesome Dave!! A lot of different stuffs I specially love the pet tomb that says "He dug is own grave" hahahahaha Hilarius!

 

[Col. Fryght]

So much wonderful stuff going on in your yard. I really thought the pet cemetery was a neat idea. The goodbye kitty instead of hello kitty was pretty funny. I might have to steal the idea of a pet cemetery. I wish I had the patience to make tombstones the way you do. All of your tombstones look great.

Your FCG looks so much better than a projection ghost, though I use projection because of my laziness. The weathered coffin looks very professional. And I loved the humor in the parent skeletons taking their skeleton child out trick or treating dressed in a Tigerr costume.

Thank you for posting.

 

[Muffy]

Holy Cow Dave......its amazing how much more stuff you have in your yard! The lighting is great. You sure have built a lot of stuff since I been over. We really have to try and get our families together next Halloween.

 

[Hilda]

Yay!!!! I was so excited to see you posted a thread!
I agree with the previous posters... there is SO MUCH goodness in there it is hard to pick out favorites. The drool is fabulous. hahaha
I admire your animated props so much. I do. It's a talent that completely escapes me. So complete admiration from this gal.
I love the sense of humor in your haunt. It's fantastic. I am going back through it all again. Thank you so much for sharing it all with us.
I would LOVE to walk around and see it all in person. So many fantastic things. Great job!!

 

[jdubbya]

What a great display! Love the wolf and the skellies playing checkers.

 

[Trex]

Dave your yard looks fantastic, there is so much to take in! It's fun, whimsical, creepy and colourful, so many beautiful details. Great job once again!

 

[The Halloween Lady]

Yay Dave you did it again! Your yard is such a wonderful blend of whimsy and fear.... and you do it perfectly, it all fits together seamlessly!!! I particularly love your wolf and coffin.
Btw - Your night pics came out great!

 

[ChrisW]

Good ol' fashioned fun Dave. I bet the ToTers love it.

 

[J-Man]

Very cool, nice work!

 

[Col. Fryght]

I was admiring you pictures again, and noticed that your pet cemetery could use spell check.

 

[Paint It Black]

Loved it all, Dave. Your scenes are just so fun. I always look for those skelly TOTers - just adore them.

 

[matrixmom]

I love those skelly tot's too.....and your front door wreath.Scary!

 

[DaveintheGrave]

Gee, I'm humbled by all the wonderful comments on my yard. I really appreciate all of them. It used to be I wouldn't even post any pictures of my yard, mainly because I didn't have a decent camera for night pics and also because I didn't think my set-up was anywhere near as good as all the fantastic looking haunts I see posted here. All that makes your kind comments even more special. Thanks again!

Wow Dave you do a great yard!!! and looks like you have quite a bit of space to work with too. I think the photos came out great btw. Nice coloring with the lights. I think you got the nighttime photography down now!!

I recognize a few different things in your yard, the reindeer/werewolf from a few years back for example. Still looks pristine and in perfect condition. Love that drool. I recognize the swinging skeleton from the Make article thread. Love the electric chair. First time seeing it I think. Glad the hat made it in time to use. What did you use to make the top electrical components on each side of the chair top? Also recognize the chess players. The pet cemetery is a hoot. Speaking of which is that the Gemmy owl that sings "who can that be now?" The cauldron creep and teeter totter guys are cool. Are the teeter totter guys lit from inside? I have a bunch of the old Big Lots bluckies that I really should get around to using and like how you added eyes to yours. I recall Hilda mentioning that you had a tutorial on making them positionable? so maybe that will be a winter project for us. You are always an inspiration with your DIY props. BTW I'm going to also be looking at your Ouija board prop build for my Madame Misery fortune teller display.

Thanks for the compliment on my lighting. That's always been the Achilles heel of my haunt. I guess I'm slowly getting better at it as years go by. Yes, the wolf is holding up really well. Must have been some high quality fur I bought for him, because it stays in the hot attic all summer. His head (mask) comes off and stays in an air-conditioned closet all year. I used a Gemmy orange kaleidoscope light on him and it lit him up a nice fiery reddish color.
The top electrical components on the electric chair are a section of that accordion looking plastic piping you put on the downspouts of your rain gutters to drain the water further away. (Maybe you don't need these in California?) The top of each component is the lid/top from an outdoor 12 volt Malibu pathway light. There is also yellow electroluminescent wire wrapped around each, but I don't think that showed up in the picture.
Yes, that is the Gemmy owl that sings "Who can it be now?" I cut his speaker wires and soldered them to a switch so I don't have to hear him sing it.
The teeter-totter guys are lit from the inside. The green lights fade in and out. I found them both on sale at Big Lots several years ago.
I did write up a tutorial on those Bluckies. If only I can locate it now. LOL The paint jobs have held up really well on them and its just diluted acrylic paints sponged on, then clear-coated. I bring them in at night and during bad weather.
I can show you on E-bay where I ordered the eyeball halves. They look real.
Let me know if you need any help on the Ouija board build!
And thanks again for taking the time to buy and send me the electroshock hat!

Awesome Dave!! A lot of different stuffs I specially love the pet tomb that says "He dug is own grave" hahahahaha Hilarius!

Thanks! I got the idea for that from a movie called "My mother is a space alien" or something like that. A dog is digging a hole in order to bury something that belongs to Kim Basinger and she says "You're diggin' your own grave, Fido". I always thought that was funny.

So much wonderful stuff going on in your yard. I really thought the pet cemetery was a neat idea. The goodbye kitty instead of hello kitty was pretty funny. I might have to steal the idea of a pet cemetery. I wish I had the patience to make tombstones the way you do. All of your tombstones look great.

Your FCG looks so much better than a projection ghost, though I use projection because of my laziness. The weathered coffin looks very professional. And I loved the humor in the parent skeletons taking their skeleton child out trick or treating dressed in a Tigerr costume.

Thank you for posting.

Thanks a lot, Col. Fryght! The Goodbye Kitty I copied from a scene in the original "Frankenweenie". It's in a pet graveyard and there is a tombstone that says that on it with a similar picture.
Thanks for the compliment on my tombstones! I love making them, but I actually haven't had the patience to make one in about 5 years. I make mine with just an exacto blade. Yes, I would recommend you make a pet cemetery. So many things you could put in it. Especially now, with the skeleton dogs and cats in abundance.
I love my FCG. That's the first animated prop I ever built, back in 2001 I think. Using projections isn't lazy. I use the "Ghost Maid" projection in one of my windows. People love it.
That weathered coffin I bought many years ago from $pirit Halloween. I thought I overpaid for it at the time ($100), but I've been using it for about 10 years now. So I guess I got my moneys worth.
The Tigger costume is one we bought for my son to wear one year and he wouldn't wear it. So I put it to good use.

Holy Cow Dave......its amazing how much more stuff you have in your yard! The lighting is great. You sure have built a lot of stuff since I been over. We really have to try and get our families together next Halloween.

You're right, we do! It's too bad October is always so crazy busy for both of us.

I was admiring you pictures again, and noticed that your pet cemetery could use spell check.

LOL You're right. And being the perfectionist I am, you'd think I would have fixed that by now!

 

[lizzyborden]

I knew you had created several animated props over the years but never realized just how many until now. It looks great and the lighting is awesome. It's hard to choose favorites but I love the see-saw skeletons and the animated chess set simply because they are unique.

 

[DaveintheGrave]

I just added some video links to a few of my animated props. They are right after the link to my Photobucket page.