[TheHalloweenKing]

I've been trying to get some horrifying props for our yard haunt this year, so I'm trying to get an idea of some of the creepiest props that you guys have seen.

 

[Grey Lady]

I had a strange thing happen recently. Most props don't scare me, like most of 'us', but I was literally surrounded by hanging static props in various stages of 'decay', half torso's etc and for a moment, I was completely weirded out. This is not like me at all. I think it was the amount of pretend death and gore on all sides of me that did it.
After I walked away I felt a little silly, 'big scary haunter' afraid of a few corpses! LOL
I guess my point sometimes it not the prop but the situation.

 

[TheHalloweenKing]

Good point... The surroundings help a lot.

 

[thenightmarefamily]

It's all about the surroundings.
Towards the end of Oct., like so many of us i spend a lot of time in my walkthrough finishing up and getting ready for the big night, some times i work alone in there late into the night by myself and even though i built it and everything in it, the atmosphere will still creep me out now and then, so i walk out and have a smoke to relax.

My point is, anything is scary in the right environment. you can have the scariest prop in the world but without the right surroundings it takes away from the effect.

 

[TheHalloweenKing]

We were out of town last year and found an old witch prop that was really really creepy. She was about 600.00 dollars and we had to pass...
She was probably the best I've seen. So much detail and her face looked so real.

 

[SPOOKMART]

Probably myself. After 25+ Home Haunts where YOU are it, YOU have to control the crowd I can safely say no store bought prop can replace the sort of terrorism a seasoned veteran is capable of and what is most scary is not what you'd think. A prop swaying in the breeze might conjure up some thoughts in a trick or treater's mind but that trick or treater is also experiencing the wind and can relate to the rhythm of the night. There is comfort to be found in knowing. They see an animated prop that startles them but after noticing a predictable sequence it is no longer scary because they are able to rational. What is scary and always will b most scary is when YOU become the prop and you learn what will scare anyone and how a scared person acts. Snotty kid, a punk, urban to the max, unruly says you're fake. They flail their bag at you and start acting like they're in a "rap video". How to not be scary? Start talking to him or her. Try to tell them to settle down if you want them to scare you. If you want to scare them? Believe it or not you already are. Little do you know the hissy fit they are throwing is to alert you their underoos are saffron. They never seen the likes of you before and at the same time are surrounded by their peers so they feel the need to pretend to not be afraid. Your reaction to this is critical if the saffron underoos will turn into a rash. You do NOTHING. You stare. Suppose the punk kid(in a high crime city like here he might b only 7 or 8)hit you with the bag? You do NOTHING. You stare. When they eventually leave still screaming their head off you stare. They turn their back on you QUICKLY ADJUST YOUR POSITION BUT silently and star some more. If you hear more "you're fake" blah blah you have someone scared out of their mind.

It helps if you have a nice scary costume. Even something as simple as going as Michael Myers works great because most kids will be able to identify. Being scared is an acquired condition. You're not born scared. You become accustomed to things that are scary. I have more punks per capita here so how much scariness you can get away with varies. Oh and it helps to b most realistic. Wearing a Michael Myers mask is one thing but a foam rubber knife is asking to be ridiculed. Happened to me two years ago, never again. Last year I went back to the broadsword. Occasionally I unsheathed it safely. Causes quite the scatter. Something quite intimidating about getting medieval. Mostly it's the stare that works. I recommend prosthetic masks for comfort, over head masks for convenience(sweat like a pig though). Every area is different. I live in the crime capital of the NE. Half the trick or treaters probably have guns. Just always keep in mind fear of the unknown is your friend.

 

[TheHalloweenKing]

Great post, SpookMart. It really gives something to think about.

 

[SPOOKMART]

Thanks Halloween King but trust me you're the best prop you can use. A store bought prop can only do so much. Oh don't forget the music and learn what is scary and what is not. Some people like to add any music that has some Halloween related title. That is so not scary. I prefer to play Baroque music and some later classical pieces. Really stirs me. Last year I played a lot of horror movie themes but movie themes are often supportive of the film/acting. They don't have much weight on their own. They're like playing lead guitar while the singer is singing. They often don't do much. I love playing Bach. Really gets me going. For prosthetic masks I prefer Screamteam and Boneyard FX. However scary doesn't have to cost a fortune. Does any company still use burlap flour sacks? There's Friday the 13th part II. What to do with the flour though? Make masks!!!! That's how old fashion masks were made. Flour, newspaper strips and warm water. You apply them to your face for a custom fit then paint them. Look at old Halloween photos those kids were creepy!

 

[MamaGrizzly]

It's all about the surroundings.
Towards the end of Oct., like so many of us i spend a lot of time in my walkthrough finishing up and getting ready for the big night, some times i work alone in there late into the night by myself and even though i built it and everything in it, the atmosphere will still creep me out now and then, so i walk out and have a smoke to relax.

My point is, anything is scary in the right environment. you can have the scariest prop in the world but without the right surroundings it takes away from the effect.

'
LOL...I'm so glad I'm not the only one that freaks themselves out like this.

 

[Nicholas]

There's only one prop that has made me seriously uncomfortable to be near...

One year at Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Haunt they had a maze based on the Saw movies. Most of it was pretty generic gore that didn't bother me, but one room included a live actress standing in a clear tub filled about waist-high with medical syringes. The gal had a number of syringes also carefully attached to herself, as if poking into her. Being a bit needle-phobic, that hit a nerve.

This last Halloween I carried a syringe prop with me, dressed in scrubs. It kind of made me feel good to realize how many other people really hate needles.

 

[thenightmarefamily]

'
LOL...I'm so glad I'm not the only one that freaks themselves out like this.

Nope. I live in CA mojave desert and around the end of Oct. it gets a little windy. Combine the sounds of the wind at 2am along with a lack of sleep, not to mention the only light i have to go on are the haunt lights, it gets a little nerve racking at times. I guess that means i'm doing something right LOL.

 

[thenightmarefamily]

There's only one prop that has made me seriously uncomfortable to be near...

One year at Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Haunt they had a maze based on the Saw movies. Most of it was pretty generic gore that didn't bother me, but one room included a live actress standing in a clear tub filled about waist-high with medical syringes. The gal had a number of syringes also carefully attached to herself, as if poking into her. Being a bit needle-phobic, that hit a nerve.

This last Halloween I carried a syringe prop with me, dressed in scrubs. It kind of made me feel good to realize how many other people really hate needles.

That reminds me, a friend of mine that has diabetes gave me an extra box of syringes to use in my haunt. I forgot i had them, thanks Nicholas.

 

[TheHalloweenKing]

Thanks Halloween King but trust me you're the best prop you can use. A store bought prop can only do so much. Oh don't forget the music and learn what is scary and what is not. Some people like to add any music that has some Halloween related title. That is so not scary. I prefer to play Baroque music and some later classical pieces. Really stirs me. Last year I played a lot of horror movie themes but movie themes are often supportive of the film/acting. They don't have much weight on their own. They're like playing lead guitar while the singer is singing. They often don't do much. I love playing Bach. Really gets me going. For prosthetic masks I prefer Screamteam and Boneyard FX. However scary doesn't have to cost a fortune. Does any company still use burlap flour sacks? There's Friday the 13th part II. What to do with the flour though? Make masks!!!! That's how old fashion masks were made. Flour, newspaper strips and warm water. You apply them to your face for a custom fit then paint them. Look at old Halloween photos those kids were creepy!

Great ideas. Thank you. There's some music on Pumpkinrot's videos on Youtube that I'm going to use... they're pretty creepy. I'll try to post one of the vid links in here...

Some of the older vintage costumes were pretty scary back then. We need to bring them back.

 

[Ragged Grin]

I don't really go to haunts. I suffer from ptsd and the last couple times it hasn't gone well. I will admit to my scarecrow props single eye following me around the workshop on occasion. Being alone gets under your skin some with the good ones.