Zombie Cage

A while ago I saw a Zombie pit made from a pallet half dug into the ground, with a red light behind and some arms sticking up which looles cool. Alas I dont have the space to bury one, but I have a nice pallet width between mine and the neighbours, so I thought about having a pallet fence/gate/cage between the houses as a similar kind of effect. I would also like to make use of a couple of fans I have so the arms move up and down, complete with some sound fx etc. Has anyone done anything like this before? Does it sound possible? Any tips? Thanks