[3pinkpoodles]

I'm chairing the annual FALL FESTIVAL at my kids' school this year--- and just found out we've been UPGRADED to use the entire cafeteria and stage for our haunted house!

I am very excited because it is a TON more space than we have had in the past.

I really want the entire haunted house to be "Classic Halloween"... nothing gory, because it is for elementary school lids----- I am thinking: Frankenstein's Lab, Count Dracula's Lair, Witches Kitchen with locked up little children, a cemetery (of course), and an evil pumpkin patch/cornstalks/hay etc with spooky pumpkin rot type scarecrows and howling werewolves.

I am hitting a road block trying to come up with good ideas for the vampire room. We have 2 coffins already, and candelabras, but what to do about the background scenery, what type of lighting, what other items belong in a lair? Bats maybe, but what would you envision the ambiance in there would feel like? A castle? A dungeon?

Does anyone have some amazing VAMPIRE pictures or ideas to share? THANKS IN ADVANCE!!! I know it's early, but I want to spend the next nine months hitting yard sales and thrift stores for props!

 

[Atomic Mystery Monster]

I think you'll enjoy these images. This tutorial should help you duplicate that last one while this one can help you with the layout of the vampire's lair.

The coffins and candelabras are perfect. Having lots of bats is a must. Make sure to have them "flying" and hanging upside down from the ceiling. Spiderwebs and rats are a great touch as well. You could imply the presence of more rats in the darkness with some glowing eyes.

 

[3pinkpoodles]

Thanks Atomic! I like the idea of the flying bats and the pictures are so great! I like the lighting behind the coffin- that looks so cool. I am surprised how challenging it is to find vampire vignettes ! Thanks for the reply

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

I wish I could remember who the member was because I loved their set up. They got a photo of Bella Lugosi as Dracula where he is standing on the stairs (black and white photo) and had it blown up to poster size and created a big frame for it. I seem to recall they hung it high on the wall near the ceiling so the room looked more castle like. I felt a large "portrait" of the owner was something you might expect to see on castle walls. If I come across any photos I saved of their set up I'll let you know or maybe someone here has a better memory of the member than me. I do know that I loved the idea so much I bought a B&W photo of Lugosi as Dracula to scan and blow up later.

Here's another thought. If you can put two tents together, make one a cave filled with bats, spider webs, hanging moss, etc. and the other one Dracula's castle. I'm not sure which order I would do them in. Either the kids enter the castle and find their way into the underground tunnel and lair with the chained/unchained coffin/s or have them enter the underground entrance first to set the mood and then access the castle where maybe Dracula would appear in the room to welcome them to "dinner". If you set the castle up as a dining room you could have a few "guests" flopped over their dinner plates with bite marks on their necks.

 

[3pinkpoodles]

I wish I could remember who the member was because I loved their set up. They got a photo of Bella Lugosi as Dracula where he is standing on the stairs (black and white photo) and had it blown up to poster size and created a big frame for it. I seem to recall they hung it high on the wall near the ceiling so the room looked more castle like. I felt a large "portrait" of the owner was something you might expect to see on castle walls. If I come across any photos I saved of their set up I'll let you know or maybe someone here has a better memory of the member than me. I do know that I loved the idea so much I bought a B&W photo of Lugosi as Dracula to scan and blow up later.

Here's another thought. If you can put two tents together, make one a cave filled with bats, spider webs, hanging moss, etc. and the other one Dracula's castle. I'm not sure which order I would do them in. Either the kids enter the castle and find their way into the underground tunnel and lair with the chained/unchained coffin/s or have them enter the underground entrance first to set the mood and then access the castle where maybe Dracula would appear in the room to welcome them to "dinner". If you set the castle up as a dining room you could have a few "guests" flopped over their dinner plates with bite marks on their necks.

oooooh, YES! Love these ideas! I hope we can find who this Vampire lover is. Would love to see their setup. Love the idea of the "cave" filled with bats--- that would be awesome.

 

[Atomic Mystery Monster]

The Universal monster party thread has some great vampire theme ideas. I don't know where you can find a vampire bust like the one in the second link, but Rite Aid and CVS usually have similar items every October (with Rite Aid carrying the larger of the two). Come to think of it, some gargoyles would also be a nice touch. This website has some great tips on making a castle or dungeon themed room on the cheap. Speaking of castles, you can download some printable papercraft items that are perfect for such a theme here.

I also came up with a great idea for a scare: Have an upright coffin containing a cloaked skeleton with a stake in its ribcage. One of the vampires pulls out the stake and (thanks to a variation on the Pepper's Ghost effect), Dracula suddenly materializes and chases after the kids!

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

3pinkpoodles, I found only one photo in my files from the Dracula theme that a fellow member had posted somewhere on the forum. Unfortunately I never changed the photo name to reflect who's haunt it was, which I try to do so I can locate the thread again. Maybe the photo will jog someone's memory. I know a number of people liked what the person did and had commented on their thread. Sorry OP I can't give you the proper credit here. Hopefully you don't mind my reposting your photo.

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

Haha. Found the thread I remembered and it was started by purpleferrets3 who initially asked the question if anyone knew who's idea this was....no one did apparently...so now I know why I didn't indicate the haunter name in the photo's name.

 

[3pinkpoodles]

Atomic Mystery Monster: THANK YOU! Those links are great. I will check the Universal Monster thread out in more detail- seems like a lot of creativity is flowing over there.

I think I've decided to add the medieval banners, along with the family shields. Flaming torches, and elegant dinner table, with a dead (or is she) bitten victim, family "portraits" like these:

I could do the walls with my bat scene setter on top, stone scene setter on bottom,

then curtains surrounding the outer walls of the dining room, like these, but in red and black:

AND........ I love the idea of entering his castle from "outside" (after battling spiders, bats and other spooky clues of what awaits inside) through a castle gate / drawbridge like this:

Note these pix are very simplified, but are great inspiration! I would want to make our props a bit more elaborate.

GHOST OF SPOOKIE- Thank you for searching the archives and posting the picture of The Count up high above. I love this--- and those drapes are gorgeous. Great inspiration!

Ok- now my vampire juices are starting to really flow

 

[Atomic Mystery Monster]

Haha. Found the thread I remembered and it was started by purpleferrets3 who initially asked the question if anyone knew who's idea this was....no one did apparently...so now I know why I didn't indicate the haunter name in the photo's name.

Perhaps Tinyeye could be of use?

 

[printersdevil]

Wow, this theme is getting me excited. LOVE all the ideas!

 

[Hilda]

I was going to stage our living room as a Victorian-esque funeral parlor... but I finally got a prop I wanted. My friend found him at a yard sale and now I'm doing a lair...
Love all your ideas OP. I'll be following along!

 

[3pinkpoodles]

I was going to stage our living room as a Victorian-esque funeral parlor... but I finally got a prop I wanted. My friend found him at a yard sale and now I'm doing a lair...
Love all your ideas OP. I'll be following along!

View attachment 194443

Awwww- he is brilliant! I absolutely love this prop---- Right now I am having to make my own vampires... I hope they don't turn out cheesy. Here are a couple of inspiring photo I found on Pinterest:

I am hoping to incorporate all these ideas into the Vampire's Dinner Scene in the school's haunted house.

 

[Hilda]

I'm no good at linking links... (I'll do my best). Check a few posts down and see Terra's Bat Lair photo. That's neat.
http://www.halloweenforum.com/general-halloween/88930-vampires-lair-2.html

EDIT: Found another short thread.
http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/109513-vampire-lair-help.html

 

[booswife02]

http://www.pinterest.com/berniceeast/vampire-castle/

This is my vampire board on pinterest. I am doing a vampire scene as well. I have a covered front porch and will be putting my scene there. Going to give those pool noodle arch windows a try and box the whole porch in like a room.

I think some of my pics could be adapted to your scene. I like the idea of a giant moon with bats for you. It is little kids so you don't want anything to scary. You could probably use a table cloth and just paint one. I also like the cardboard fireplace and grandfather clock for you because you wouldn't have to worry about storage you could just trash them after. I also love the dollar tree table cloths made to look like stone walls. That would be cheap and easy enough to pull off in large quanities for a scene setter.

so glad you started this thread. It is so hard to find vampire scenes, especially ones that are not gory and crazy

You are doing a wonderful thing for these kids. My Mom tells a story about a Halloween carnival at her Elementary school when she was a child. She still says it was one of the best days of her life. She is a Halloween nut also. Just think you may inspire a little kid to be junkies like us!!!

 

[booswife02]

I love the curtain idea that you have with black and red curtains (table cloths). It would be fairly inexpensive , easy to pull off and effective at the same time. SInce this isn't going to be a permenant thing im sure you don't want to spend a ton of money to get great effects. Those curtains are a great example of cool and cheap.

Also love the idea of bats being hung all around like Atomic said....

 

[booswife02]

http://www.halloweenasylum.com/castle-entrance-door-cover.html

also love this for $3.99!!

 

[booswife02]

could also do a version of this with cardboard that has been reinforced, red tissue paper and a light source

http://www.halloweenasylum.com/castle-entrance-door-cover.html

 

[Hilda]

booswife... great board! I started following it. I started one last night as well.
http://www.pinterest.com/LightheartedHD/halloween-~-vampire-theme/

 

[booswife02]

You have some really great boards as well Hilda! I am following you now as well.

I try really hard to keep my boards up to date, I pin things then go back and make sure the links are good and try to post my own comments under my pics so I can remember why I posted it, lol

I do so many projects on there I have to keep it all strait somehow,lol....

I wish I could transfer boards to another account. Id love to just have a pinterst account for Halloween. My poor friends that follow me who are not Halloween nutsos are constantly bombarded with hallowen stuff all year round and they give me crap about it, but until they come up with that feature im stuck with a monsterous board!