[Sally's Nightmare]

My 8 year old daughter wants to do a Nightmare before Christmas halloween party with a circus twist in our backyard. She wants me to be Sally and my husband to be Jack, and all three of our kids be lock shock and barrel...
I have some interesting ideas in my head, but I'm more morbid in thinking than she and my scare level is way above hers. She says she wants it scary but fun but all my head is thinking is making scary carnival games and a freak-tastic haunted house.
Do you guys have suggestions on how I can keep it somewhat scary but keeping it kid friendly? I have generic props from the past few halloweens and have stockpiled on everything under the sun to get started on making props and games..

ANY SUGGESTIONS APPRECIATED!!

 

[LadySherry]

Ask your daughter for her input. Let her help you with coming up with the games. This will gage her level of scary and you can go from there.

 

[Sally's Nightmare]

I have been, but she tells me to do my best to scare her and her friends, and she has come up with some adorable doodle ideas. Most games are like ring toss and balloon darts, typical backyard carnival games. I'm just trying to really figure out how to incorporate the awesomeness of Tim Burton's classic into this party. But good tip!

 

[Immortalia]

Hmmmm, you've actually just inspired me to do something similar, so tell your kids thank you!

I would say build the mayor and Boogie, and then dress up skellies to look like the ones in the movie. I would definitely consider doing your own scene setter style backdrops for inside the house, and then with some creative lighting that matches the feel of the movie your yard haunt would look awesome!

 

[Sally's Nightmare]

Boogie is one of our number one things on a to do list. I bought my husband a ton of burlap and said have stitching that. He's made a few snips, but nothing yet. I'm still flipping back and forth if I want it to be massively circus like skeleton clowns and zombie animals ran by Jack and Sally or more Halloween town feel with the dark grays and blacks and shadows. I'll have to post some of my daughters doodles when I get home from work.

 

[ScaredyKat]

I would say, definitely bring out the good old Christmas tree. Maybe have some boxes with semi creepy things under it. Like altered dolls, or skeletons. Again, not overly creepy. I would also make some bottles, worms wort, frogs breath, deadly night shade, and have those on display.

 

[ScaredyKat]

You could do a ring toss, and just paint all the bottles black and white. Or maybe jack's face on a few.

 

[Immortalia]

The Mayor has a swivel head don't forget...it would be cool to make him with a motor hooked up to IR that spins it to the Evel side! Hmmmmm, now can someone please tell me how the best way to do that will be? LOL I guess we can be Haunt Buddies since I am completely sold on it this year.

My daughter is 5 this year and she usually does her trick or treating with my Mom because her neighborhood is really kid friendly. However, I seem to have given my child my affliction....she's already asking about the Halloween haunt! So, I can't do my norm or else she will never sleep again since she wants to help out this year. She loves TNBC as much as I do so it seems like a good compromise.

 

[lanie077]

heres a website with some great nightmare before christmas how tos

http://diynmbcprops.blogspot.com/2011/09/diy-antique-book-halloween-prop.html

 

[Sally's Nightmare]

Ha, yea, I'm trying to figure out how to do this on a minimal budget. (My Husbands a stickler with the checkbook on holidays)
I wish our neighborhood was kid friendly, that's why I agreed to have a party for her class.
But I lvoe the idea of the mayor with the swivel head, and saying "Happy Halloween" on the good side, haha.

I can't wait to see what you come up with for your haunt this year!

 

[Sally's Nightmare]

Lanie,
I love the website, THANK YOU!!!!!

 

[lanie077]

your welcome, hope it helps with some ideas. Im working on sallys spellbook right now. Hope to have it done soon.

 

[Sally's Nightmare]

I haven't started on any decorations, just have three or four games set up and waiting for decorations.
My husband and I have a bet on if I will be a last minute decorator or acutally have stuff prepared for the party... With the way my ideas keep pouring out...I may lose the bet, haha

 

[Immortalia]

Yeah, that website has definitely given me some good ideas. As for budget-freindly, don't forget that a lot of scenes are black cut-outs against an orange-red sky. So, if your hubby is handy with hand tools he could do some plywood cut-outs, ala Tim Burtonesque for back drops.... Don't forget about the witches too, they should be fairly simple to throw together.

 

[lanie077]

I did a carnival outside last year. We did a bean bag toss and i painted a clown head on it. You could do jacks face or oogie boogie. Everybody seemed to have fun with it.

 

[Immortalia]

Okay, tee-hee, I just informed my husband of what he will be helping me with this year! He likes it and came up with a neat idea for Jack. Instead of making him since we're short on time/money too...he suggested creating the cover scene (Jack standing on the hill during his big song in front of the moon) as a cut-out and painted plastic background on our garage door or front wall...

What do you think?

 

[lanie077]

that sounds like a great idea

 

[Immortalia]

How cool would this be to make????

 

[mamadada]

i certainly hope u r actually going to showTNBC outside! we did when they were 5.

 

[GobbyGruesome]

I think you can get away with a lot if you keep things kind of cartoony. I mean corpse kid would be extremely disturbing in real life - but he manages to be cute in the movie because he's exaggerated.

I wonder if you could do the ring toss idea using the "face in the jar" technique for the bottles...using faces of the characters?
http://www.halloweenforum.com/request-tuturials-go-here/71195-head-jar.html