Halloween Home Haunts, and All Things Halloween

Eyeballs for Halloween Party Food

2009-07-15T16:01:00.000-06:00

Make some eyeballs for your next Halloween Party, and this video even shows you how to add the blood vessels.

Halloween Party Food for Kids

2009-07-13T16:58:00.000-06:00

If you are planning a kid’s Halloween party, there are several things you will need to plan, including the menu. Here are some ideas to help you plan what to plan for a children’s Halloween Party.

Halloween Party Games

2009-07-10T16:43:00.000-06:00

If you are planning a Halloween party you may want to get some ideas on some good Halloween party games. This video can help give you some ideas.

Halloween Forest in Your Backyard

2009-07-08T16:37:00.000-06:00

How to make a backyard haunted forest for Halloween, design several spaces with a variety of themes, and ask friends to dress up and jump out at the visitors. Create a haunted atmosphere in a backyard, always use the element of surprise, with tips from a costume and prop designer in this free video on Halloween.

How to Make Fake Blood for Halloween

2009-07-03T16:22:00.000-06:00

Here is some information about making fake blood for Halloween props.

Halloween Corpse Prop Aged Clothing

2009-07-01T14:28:00.000-06:00

Scary Halloween Props. Make clothes that look old and tattered for a Halloween corpse.

Halloween Stories to Liven Up Your Halloween Party

2008-10-27T18:35:00.000-06:00

One of the best activities to really bring out the spooky at a Halloween party if for everyone to sit around a candlelit room and tell their own scary Halloween stories, especially if these are true stories.
Most people have a scary Halloween experience that they like to tell, or a ghost story they wouldn’t mind sharing, and what better time to do this than at a Halloween party. If you and your guests don’t have enough Halloween or ghost stories to keep everyone entertained, you can always related some of the Halloween urban legends that have been making the rounds for years, such as the hanging dummy in the Halloween attraction that was a real dead person, or maybe even a real story, such as when the lady that was hanging from her tree for days, but since it was Halloween everyone thought it was just another Halloween prop.
With a little imagination you can turn any Halloween party into a true spooky event with scary Halloween stories.

Halloween Cooking

2008-10-17T18:33:00.000-06:00

Halloween cooking has always been a tradition in our family. We always cook up special Halloween dishes and treats for this holiday. The main course has always been to cook up a big pan of chili, and some breadsticks that my mother always called skeleton bones. Then of course the candy apples, spiced cider etc.
Here is a recipe for your own homemade Halloween chili and skeleton bones.

Halloween Chili
2 tablespoons oil
4 pounds ground beef
4 cups chopped onions
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 bottles dark beer
2 cans whole tomatoes, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
6 cups cooked red kidney beans or 4 cans, drained and rinsed
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup finely chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over high heat. Add the beef and brown well, about 10 minutes. Add the onions, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, crushed red pepper flakes, and bay leaf and cook, stirring often, until the onions soften, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beer and cook until the foam subsides, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, and brown sugar to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Skim off as much fat as possible. Add the beans, return to a simmer, cover, and cook until thickened, about 1 1/2 hours longer. Serve with the cheese, green onions, and cilantro alongside as garnish.

Halloween: Skeleton Bones Bread
1/2 pk Frozen bread dough
1 tb Water
1 Egg, beaten
1 tb Poppy seeds

Instructions for Halloween: Skeleton Bones Bread
Thaw and let bread rise according to manufacturers instructions. Punch down dough; divide in half. Set 1 half aside. Cut remaining half into thirds. With 1 of the thirds, form head shaped like a light bulb. With scissors, cut eyes, nose and mouth. Place heat at end of greased 17x11-inch rimmed baking sheet. Shape second third into 3-inch long triangle; place, point down, below heat to form body. Divide remaining third of dough into 7 pieces; roll into sausages. Arrange 3 on each side of upper body for ribs. Use remaining piece for neck. Halve reserved dough. With 1 half, make 4 logs for upper and lower legs; attach to body. With two-thirds of the remaining dough, make 4 logs for upper and lower arms; attach at shoulders. With remaining dough, make 2 small and 2 large triangles for hands and feet. With scissors, make 4 cuts at broad ends of triangles for fingers and toes; attach to arms and legs. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Whisk egg with water; brush some over joints, pressing to seal. Brush entire skeleton with remaining egg wash; sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake in 375F oven for about 15 minutes or until golden.

Making a Halloween Prop Corpse

2008-10-15T18:28:00.000-06:00

Here is some information about how to make your own Halloween Prop Corpse for your home haunt.

Make Gargoyle From Halloween Skeleton Prop

2008-10-06T18:33:00.003-06:00

To make this gargoyle I bought a Halloween skeleton prop and put the flesh on it by mixing a mixture of monster mud, and glue with strips of cotton from cotton balls. After applying it in different locations around the skeleton, I let it dry. I also attached some horns that I had made, to the head, and used wire and sheer cloth to make wings, which I attached to the back.
After you have added several layers of flesh to the skeleton, and it has completely dried, you then stain it with wood stain. I used dark cherry wood stain. When this has dried you then spray the gargoyle with a clear coat finish to give it the glossy flesh look. Though in this picture the gargoyle is not hung up, this Halloween prop works great posed on top of a building or hanging from a tree.

Scary Halloween Music, Sound Effects

2008-09-26T18:19:00.000-06:00

The sound effects you use for your Halloween home haunt will be just as important as the lighting effects. Sound sets atmosphere and you will want to have your sound effects and scary Halloween music to match your home haunt.
Unless you have a sophisticated computer sound setup, you will probably want to use little battery operated stereos in the different locations that you need sound. Hide the stereo in a strategic location, such as beneath a table that is covered with a cloth, behind a large prop, etc.
You can either buy the sound effects that you need or make your own. Each area will have different types of sound that will be needed. For example, in the cemetery you will want tolling funeral bells, moaning ghosts, etc. In your alien room you’ll want blips, beeps and high technology type sounds.
I usually have a parlor where the guests enter; here I have some scary organ music playing, and one year we made a cave with bats, here we had footsteps, the sound of dripping water, bats, and screams.

How To Make Your Own Tombstone Halloween Props

2008-09-24T18:13:00.000-06:00

If you want to really dress up your home for Halloween, you need a graveyard, and every graveyard needs lots of Tombstones. Here is how you can make those Halloween Prop Tombstones yourself.

Halloween Props: Alien Autopsy Room

2008-09-17T18:39:00.004-06:00

In one of our home haunt rooms we usually make an alien autopsy room. To begin with I create a frame for the Alien prop, and dress is with a costume. The walls of the room can be left as they are, or you can dress up the walls with sheets of tinfoil that cover the entire surface of the wall.
Lighting effects in the alien autopsy room can include colored lights, as well as a strobe light.

You will need a long folding table for the autopsy table, as well as a body or corpse prop to place on it. For this prop I simply stuffed some clothes with a little newspaper, added some foam insulation in some areas and let it dry, then painted it. You can use a foam head, and mask for the head, cover with a white cloth or sheet in the areas that you don’t want seen.
You’ll want some extra props, such as body parts and blood. This same setup can work for any type of Halloween autopsy room; just replace the alien with a mad scientist or mortician. It is also a good idea to replace the prop with an actor in costume.

Grave Crawler Halloween Prop

2008-09-05T18:30:00.001-06:00

Here is a video of a homemade Halloween prop. The animated singing grave crawler would make a great addition to a home haunt.

Another nice prop for the graveyard

Stay Safe Halloween Lighting

2008-09-03T18:15:00.000-06:00

Last year there was a major launch of a line of battery operated Halloween lighting products. With fire being such a threat on Halloween this is a great alternative to candles. Home haunters may find some good uses for this type of lighting as fire hazard are a special concern for home haunters.

Some Halloween lighting products

Making the Halloween Life Size Prop

2008-08-29T18:39:00.001-06:00

This is a great ready made Halloween Prop

For a Halloween home haunt or yard haunt, you will probably want some life size props to bring some realism to your sets. I have found that making the life size props, monsters etc, to one of the most difficult aspects of created your own home haunt, but if you start early, and take your time, you can make some really spooky Halloween life size props.

To begin with you need some PCV pipe that are about ½ or ¾ inches in diameter. Cut the pipe with a pipe cutter after measuring how long you want the torso, legs, arms, neck, and how wide the shoulders will be. You fit these pipes together using couplings, and T connections, once you’ve put them together and they fit correctly and in proportion you will need to glue them with PVC glue.
The stand is also made with pipe and fittings. I make mine by attaching the frame to a wide cross-section, which is attached to a square stand, all made from PCV pipe and fittings.
After you have completed the frame you will need to wrap the torso and other body parts with chicken wire and shape them. You may also choose to use foam but this tends to make the prop heaver. Attach a foam head to the neck.
From this point you dress up your prop with whatever costume you have chosen, using the clothes and latex mask. Some people choose to use monster mud on the foam head and hands to create their props, but this can be time consuming and difficult. Most often I use a latex mask and hands to finish the life size Halloween prop.

Vampire Bat Halloween Prop

2008-08-27T18:34:00.000-06:00

Here is a really awesome pneumatically controlled vampire bat Halloween Prop used in a home yard haunt.

Halloween Costume and Game Ideas

2008-08-25T18:22:00.000-06:00

Every Halloween parents face the same dilemma, buying costumes for kids and finding fun activities for them to celebrate Halloween.

Halloween Adult Fun

2008-08-22T18:17:00.000-06:00

What is so great about the adult Halloween party is that you can really let your imagination go wild. Add lots of scary and gory Halloween props, and some scary music and games, and you have some good Halloween adult fun.
Some adult party games include the serial killer hide and seek game, where everyone hides in the dark, and the person who is it seeks out and pretends to get the people that are hiding, but if you really want to make it a spooky event, there’s always the talking board.
Though you should be warned that there is some controversy about how safe this is, and that it may actually cause some problems with the paranormal during its use, or after. People use the talking board or Quja Board to communicate with the dead and other disembodied spirits; it is suppose to work well on Halloween night when the veil between this world and the next, is thinnest.
Creating your own neighborhood home haunt can also be a party in itself. Get lots of friends together and put on your own haunted attraction for the neighborhood. This is a lot of fun if you really get into decorating for Halloween.

The Halloween Home Haunts: Your Spooks Should be in Costume and Character

2008-08-18T18:42:00.000-06:00

No matter how many cool Halloween props you have in your haunted house, it will not come alive unless you have actors in costumes. When you have people dressed in costumes that go with the theme of the rooms, or scenes within your haunted house; not only does it bring an extra spook element to your haunt, but actors can do many things that you can’t do, even with animated props.
Dressing your actors, or helpers in Halloween costumes is essential for any haunted house, but when they are in costume, they will also have stay in character. This isn’t as important for the home haunter as it is for the pro haunted house, but if you really want to pull of a really great haunted house, the people helping you should try to stick to these rules.
A mummy eating a caramel apple, and giggling with their friends, isn’t going to scare too many people.
I know this is one of the hardest parts about pulling off a good home haunt. Every year this seems to be a problem, as some people don’t want to stay in the rooms they were assigned, or be talking on their cell phones while they are suppose to be scaring the group that is coming through.
I still haven’t been able to completely solve this problem, as you can’t be too choosy who helps with your home haunt when you need all the help you can get. One idea would be to assign those people different tasks. If there are some people helping you that you are fairly sure won’t get into the acting aspect of the project, assign them some other task, maybe putting together the graveyard.
Others that you are pretty sure will be able to stay in character, and keep their costumes on, at least most of the time, go ahead and assign them a place within your haunt. Ensure everyone has a Halloween costume to match the character they will play, and know what they are suppose to be doing on that night.
Remember, you are essentially putting on a miniature live production.

The Rocky Point Haunted House

2008-08-11T18:20:00.000-06:00

For my first post about Halloween Haunted Houses, I wanted to pay tribute to The Rocky Point Haunted House, which was the premier haunted attraction in the country up until Rocky Point closed its doors for the last time, following the 2006 Halloween Season.
The Rocky Point Haunted house first came into existence in my hometown. I grew up in the same area as Cydney Neil and her brother; the creators of this famous haunted attraction.
I have to admit, I received a lot of my inspiration by some of their efforts. When the Rocky Point Haunted house first came into existence in 1979, Neil Crabtree had it housed in his family’s old restaurant, which sat on a high hill, above Highway 89. It was a round building, and was very unique. The building that housed the Rocky Point Haunted House burned a couple of different times, the last time was October 23, 1996, and this time the building burned to the ground. Mysteriously, the cause of the fire was never discovered.
At this point, Rocky Point Haunted house moved to the Salt Lake area and went on to become one of the most prominent haunted attractions in the industry. This was an immense haunted house, with more than one attraction. The care put into their props was legendary in the haunt industry, and in fact, were Hollywood quality props.
For nearly 30 years, the Halloween Season was as much about the Rocky Point Haunted House, as it was about trick or treat, and pumpkins. Entire generations grew up with Rocky Point, and the artful haunting of this haunted attraction will be missed for a long time to come.

Ideas For Halloween Party Games

2008-08-04T18:15:00.002-06:00

If you plan on throwing a party for Halloween, aside from Halloween decorations, and your menu, you’ll also want some Halloween party games to help entertain your guests. The types of games you have at your party will depend on the age group of your guests. Obviously the games you have for an adult party wouldn’t be appropriate for a children’s Halloween party.
To keep the little ghosts and goblins entertained at your next children’s Halloween party, you can try one of these games.
The Halloween Balloon Fight. To play this game you will need enough orange and black balloons so that each player has one. All the children are divided into two teams, with each team having either all black, or all orange balloons. The balloons are tied onto the ankle of each player. The object of the game is for players to try and pop all the balloons of the other team. The first team with all their balloons popped, loses.
Halloween Musical Tombstones: This game is played much the same as musical chairs, except that you use Halloween music, and slip a paper grocery sack over the back of the chairs; using a marker to write R.I.P, and an epitaph. And don’t forget to draw some spooky pictures on them too.
For older kids, or adults, one of the favorite activities for Halloween is telling scary stories. Have everyone sit in a dark room, lit only with carved pumpkins, or flickering lights. Have each person tell a scary story; it can be something made up, or something that really happened to them.
Killer Instinct: This version of Hide and Seek puts a chilling Halloween twist on an old game. The object of this Halloween game is to see if you can get through the night without getting killed. You will need a scary Halloween costume, such as Jason, from Friday the 13, Freddy, or something unique. For this game you will also need a flashlight and a large, dark area in which to play. This game works for both indoors, and outdoors. Everyone, but the person who is it, hides, and the person who is it, puts on a Halloween costume and proceeds to find the party guests. As they find each one, the people who are found, must go lay in the cemetery, as if dead. The last one left that hasn’t been found, is the winner.
These are some fun and scary ways to entertain your guests at your next Halloween Party.

Halloween Props: Making Monster Mud

2008-07-31T18:12:00.001-06:00

Monster Mud is probably the single most important item for a home haunter to have on hand, if they intend to create their own Halloween props and decorations.
Monster mud is a mixture of joint compound and paint. How to mix monster mud is often done according to personal preference and needs, but the common rule to make monster mud you need 1 part paint, and 5 parts joint compound.
Monster mud can be used in several different ways. It is often used to smooth around headstones, and crypts to give them a really rough stone look, or you can use it to create monsters, which is how it got its name in the first place.
First you create a frame out of PVC pipe, or some other type of framing, and then you wrap chicken wire in areas where you would like dimension, finishing it off by covering the chicken wire with duct tape. You may also create the torso, arms and legs entirely with chicken wire and duct tape. At this point you can duct tape a Styrofoam head onto the neck.
When your frame is complete, you take strips of cloth and dip in the monster mud, wrapping them around your monster until it is entirely covered. If you want to add extra layers you should let the first layer dry before adding more. The process could take several days. Once your monster is completely dry, you can paint him the way you would like and add a coat of acrylic clear coat to help provide some weather protection.
The more you use monster mud for creating your Halloween props and decorations, the more uses you will find for it.

Halloween Haunted House for Kids

2008-07-28T18:04:00.000-06:00

Kids love to put on their own haunted house for Halloween, but until the advent of the inflatable haunted house, it wasn’t too easy. The inflatable haunted house can be put up in your yard so the kids can run their own haunted house, or you can add it as an element of your own home haunt.
Many of the people visiting your home haunt on Halloween Night will be there with their kids. We have always made a point of letting parents know that the haunted house, or spook alley may have elements that are not child friendly. In this way they can make an informed decision about if they want their kids to tour the haunted house or not. Some will go ahead and go through it anyway, others will opt to take their candy without entering.
Setting up the inflatable haunted house would be a way in which you can better accommodate your younger ghost and goblin visitors. Another option is to add a small section to your home haunt just for the younger crowd, and incorporate silly props, like funny face pumpkins, silly ghosts, etc.
Adding a haunted house just for kids can help get a crowd to your home haunt on Halloween, and keep them coming back every year.

The Origins of Halloween

2008-07-24T17:51:00.001-06:00

Believe it or not, Halloween is actually a very old holiday; even older than Christmas, though it was not always celebrated as a holiday. Over 2000 years ago, Halloween was a very important festival for the Celts. Halloween was known as Samhain, which meant the end of summer. During this festival the people celebrated the harvest and honored the dead.
It was some of the beliefs of the Celts that actually gave Halloween its spooky nature. During this time, the Celts believed that there was no line or distinction between time and space and the dead were free to roam the earth. It was out of these beliefs that the people began to build big fires and provide offers so that they could appease the restless spirits that roamed the earth on Halloween. The Druid customs of honoring the dead was also brought into the Halloween mix, as well as that of the early Christians.
When people of Britain began spread out to other parts of the world, they also brought with them their Halloween traditions. Many of the traditions that exist today can be traced to these early Halloween rituals.
The world Halloween was taken from the words, All Hallows Eve.