Unusual things you've used for props

7121 Views 31 Replies 22 Participants Last post by njwilk, Sep 4, 2009

Dragonomine

Discussion Starter · Aug 22, 2009

If you're like most of us this year, money is tight and you really have to get the most bang for your buck when making your props this year. What odd thing have you used or will use this year in building a prop?

I'm all about recycling this year. I've gone around and collected wine bottles, baby food jars, and any other type of glass I could use for potions. I've used old comforters for cushioning and stuffing. And I now have a very large garbage bag of stuffing sitting on my front porch from my dad ripping apart a recliner. I have added some water to my acrylic paints to make them go further. There's so much more. So what about you?

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TK421

· #2 · Aug 22, 2009

I'm checking CraigsList a lot more these days, and it's paying off. I've collected free styrofoam, free plexiglass, and some free house paint.

As far as unusual props, I don't really know what "usual" props would be!?

I'm using just about everything I can find, from branches and vines, to free stuff at garage sales.

Madame Leota

· #3 · Aug 22, 2009

I don't have much of anything to offer off the top of my head, except I did re-purpose my daughter's old doll house and turned it into a haunted house.
I'm interested to see other's responses; this should be a good thread!

Nevarstar

· #4 · Aug 22, 2009

I am planning to use quite a few of the cardboard boxes I get every month now. I have plenty to share if anyone in the DFW area of Texas wants them. (My mom gets about 30 a month because she does home dialysis)

I have several old sheets I am planning at some point to use in monster mud projects.

I have learned to save the Styrofoam from any packing I get. I have also learned to keep a box full of old newpapers, not too many though, for paper mache or temporary stuffing. And I keep old boots or high tops for dead bodies or monsters.

Old panty hose also.

Frankie's Girl

· #5 · Aug 22, 2009

Witch Hazel, built in 2006 before I discovered the whole concept of "Halloween prop building" was made from an artist's easel (for her body) with a 1x2 cross piece for her shoulders. Her head is a milk jug with paper maché. I thought I was so cool for making a whole figure!

She still is made from all of that. I refuse to update her other than checking her paint job.

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Gothikren

· #6 · Aug 22, 2009

I would never have guessed she was made out of a milk jug paper mache

Haunty

· #7 · Aug 22, 2009

Money has always been tight with my haunt building.
Which is a blessing in disguise really, because it forces me to be more creative. We have "Clean up Days" in our area twice a year. I've filled up the pickup countless times with: scrap wood, old wooden doors, broken mirrors, styrofoam, exterior light fixtures, chandeliers. I hung quart sized mason jars from trees lit by tea lights. Oops paint goes a long way for the dollar. So does using a long narrow pallet for a draw bridge. (just had to add railings, plastic chain, & orange lighting below it)

Dragonomine

Discussion Starter · #8 · Aug 23, 2009

Frankie's Girl said:
Witch Hazel, built in 2006 before I discovered the whole concept of "Halloween prop building" was made from an artist's easel (for her body) with a 1x2 cross piece for her shoulders. Her head is a milk jug with paper maché. I thought I was so cool for making a whole figure!

She still is made from all of that. I refuse to update her other than checking her paint job.

Is that a large flower pot for the cauldron?

Frankie's Girl

· #9 · Aug 23, 2009

Dragonomine said:
Is that a large flower pot for the cauldron?

Yes. I forgot about that too...

Elza

· #10 · Aug 23, 2009

I've use pole lamps and guitar stands...The guitar stand was my witch. Styrofoam head, rubber mask and a witch halloween costume. I stuffed black panty hose and slid the legs into the sleeves of costume for arms and stuff gloves for hands, top with wig, hat and pumpkin eyes behind the mask and instant witch.

I took the pool lamp, removed the glass shade, took cardbard and made a frame for shoulders, took a styrofoam head, more blinking pumpkin eyes, a ghouls costume, skeleton gloves and mounted it all on top of the pole lamp. Then I took one the those Halloween door mats that scream when you step on them, rolled it up and put it in the sleeve of the ghoul costume. taped a voice changer inside next to the mat speaker and set to monster. Cheap animated prop. Every time a party guess would touch it, it screamed at them!

Pictures of the witch and ghoul are in my forum photo album (2006 party).

I use anything I can find!

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GrahamWellington

· #11 · Aug 24, 2009

A pork chop covered in maggots, inside a terrarium...

Gothikren

· #12 · Aug 24, 2009

ewwwwwww........

bet that got a lot of attention

GrahamWellington

· #13 · Aug 31, 2009

Yes, the terrorarium (note the spelling) was the centerpiece on the kitchen table for a while!

Frankie's Girl

· #14 · Aug 31, 2009

GrahamWellington said:
Yes, the terrorarium (note the spelling) was the centerpiece on the kitchen table for a while!

Oh that's funny (the pun not the icky porkchop)!

That's real dead-ication to a horror theme.

partsman

· #15 · Aug 31, 2009

I've always been a scrounge so I've used washing machine parts, guitar strings storm door springs, window sash weights ect.

Dragonomine

Discussion Starter · #16 · Aug 31, 2009

And don't forget the magical wonder we call fishing line!

Deadna

· #17 · Sep 1, 2009

I found a dead hawk in my yard yesterday and mentioned to my husband that I would love his feathers to cover my plastic owl...he thought that was too sick

Today my halloween buddy saw the hawk and said "Save me those talons...that will be cool for a prop!!!"...LOL!

creepyhomemaker

· #18 · Sep 1, 2009

"Human Flesh"

Well I don't know if the item is weird but the way I used it was clever if I do say so myself. Someone left a dried/cured/whatever deer skin in one of my houses and I was wanting to make it into a piece of human flesh so I flipped it over to show the back instead of the hairy side. Deer skin has different colors on the back so I took a sharpie and outlined like say a large dark section and I drew in fake stitches. I let the natural color variation determine where my pieces were "joined" When I was done with that I painted the whole thing with fake blood. The deer hide absorbed the fake blood beautifully and the way the colors were different they absorbed it differently. It ended up looking perfect. The dark sections look like they were just ripped off someone while some of the other "pieces" looked like they might have been taken a while back. My son said it makes him sick to look at it because for some reason parts look like they have a little muscle still attached. I was going to post pictures the other day. I'll get on it today.

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BevAnn

· #19 · Sep 1, 2009

It's funny you started this thread....cuz just Sunday, I was driving to pick up my son at my moms house. I happen to look over at a house as I pass by, and out in their yard, under a tree, they have one of those rattan swing seat things...that look like a half an egg. And it looked old and maybe almost rotting. I probably wouldn't sit in it, it might fall! LOL

Anyway, I immediately picture this, hanging in from the ceiling in my witches kitchen, the back part to the front, with a skeleton in it, looking through the openings - like it was a cage. LOL I really wanted to stop and ask if they'd sell it to me!! LOL

I can see it now - *knock knock* Yes? Um, hi, my name is Bev, and I was wondering, do you really like that swingy thing under your tree? I could really use it in my Halloween party. Would you sell it to me??

LMAO

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Junit

· #20 · Sep 1, 2009

I've scrounged, but I don't think for anything as really strange or unusual. Old bottles, reusing old pvc or pipe, saving glass jars and old torn clothing.
Lol funny stories guys!

1 - 20 of 32 Posts

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