Yard-haunting

[robokatt12]

Who else besides me really gets into decorating the ol' homestead in grand Hallowe'en style? I love to give the trick-or-treaters something to remember each year!

[SChaser783]

Let's get hudzilla to respond to this one. I used to love doing that every year, now that I work at a haunted house, it doesn't really give me much time to do a yard display. Do you have any pics of your's?

[WelchWitch]

I Lovvvveeeee to decorate up my yard. But I found I had a better scare if I stand in the yard by my big tree and just flash them. Between that green sagging boobs and no underwear, the kids freak out and run fast. This way, I save money on candy and I get to keep what I like and eat it all my self. So all around its all good.

[Rob]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (WelchWitch @ Aug 10 2006, 04:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=65)</div>
Between that green sagging boobs and no underwear, the kids freak out and run fast.[/b]
Thanks for making me oh-so-glad that Haunted Denver pays thirty bucks a month to have these forums hosted now.

[WelchWitch]

OOPSS Do you want me to be good? Don&#39;t want you to get in trouble

[SChaser783]

http://www.octoberlounge.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif Makes me glad I&#39;ll be working all of October. Not that I&#39;ve never been flashed there...

[Rob]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (WelchWitch @ Aug 10 2006, 04:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=71)</div>
OOPSS Do you want me to be good? Don&#39;t want you to get in trouble[/b]

Nah, I&#39;m just giving you crap. These boards belong to all of you. Write whatever you want. Just don&#39;t say anything that will get me into legal trouble. http://www.octoberlounge.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif

[WelchWitch]

Then let Real know to stop humping my leg.....his perm is giving me a rash!

[scaredycat]

I am a big fan of making jack o lanterns, as cliche as that is. Totem poles of jack o lanterns are the best.

[Scarica]

Here&#39;s some pix of the last year we did our home haunt...holy crap...2002! In 2003 we did a party for friends, but I ended up decorating just as much...not as many strangers (though 54 strange people in my house was scarier) and a LOT more drinking...just as much prep and cleanup!

This was the year it was 17 degrees on H&#39;ween night...hubby ended up with pneumonia...the haunted house rocked, though...had about 80 people come through...not as many as usual, but DAMN it was cold!

Oh yeah...here&#39;s the link Nightshade Manor (http://www.digi-wizard.com/NightshadeManor)

[SChaser783]

That looks awesome Scarica, looks very similar to what I did up until 2001.

[hudzilla]

Ok Tye, guess I&#39;ll contribute.
Glad to see someone else had issues with &#39;02(Scarica) however that was when I decided to not only keep the decorations up though Christmas, it was the year that I made up my mind that snow on Halloween was not going to ruin the Halloween decor but enhance it.
Yes, if you hadn&#39;t guessed I have THE Nightmare before Christmas Decorations. If you made it to HAuNTcon you got a taste of these decorations during the hearse rally. [Which I took the best Non-Hearse trophy for]
This will be the fifth year for the decorations, and I hope the best year yet. The decorations are based on the characters from Tim Burtons movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. The decorations stay up from mid-October until New Years day, and as Christmas approaches Halloweentown is slowly converted to Christmas time in Halloweentown.
This is not a Yard haunt though, I do have one pop-up to scare the "to old for candy" TOT&#39;s but that rarely gets used. This is really just something for the young TOT&#39;s (Tick-or-Treater&#39;s) and the young at heart that enjoy the decorations for what they are. http://www.dpproduction.com/img7.jpg

[robokatt12]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tye @ Aug 10 2006, 01:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=53)</div>
Let&#39;s get hudzilla to respond to this one. I used to love doing that every year, now that I work at a haunted house, it doesn&#39;t really give me much time to do a yard display. Do you have any pics of your&#39;s?[/b]

Hell&#39;s Bells! I can&#39;t believe that I neglected to take photos last year. It was such a gorgeous All Hallow&#39;s Eve, for a change. I&#39;ll go one better this time around, as I shall document the occasion with video and photos. Now watch, we&#39;ll probably get a BLIZZARD this year. Teehee!

[WelchWitch]

We need to post here everyone that does something this year. Driving around to see all the yard setups is just as fun if not more then seeing Christmas lights set up during Christmas. That way maybe we can have a contest for best yard . Maybe give passes to something for the winner. Just a thought.

[SChaser783]

I agree, I&#39;d like to see some other peoples&#39; work. I&#39;ve seen a really good display, the yard was completely full of dummies and anamatronics. I&#39;ll have to find it again this October, its right on Florida between Federal and Sheridan.

[robokatt12]

I have always wanted to do a re-enactment of the 1947 Roswell UFO crash on my front lawn.

[WelchWitch]

That would be cool. I could imagine what all you could do to the scene. The biggest pert would be the crash itself. It would be great if the UFO was bigger then your house and half buried into the yard. I for one would love to come see it if you do.

[robokatt12]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (WelchWitch @ Aug 15 2006, 08:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=145)</div>
That would be cool. I could imagine what all you could do to the scene. The biggest pert would be the crash itself. It would be great if the UFO was bigger then your house and half buried into the yard. I for one would love to come see it if you do.[/b]

BIGGER THAN MY HOUSE!!? My front yard isn&#39;t big enough-and besides, there&#39;s a majestic oak tree near the center. I had intended to go with the half-buried look, though. I just need to decide on a design, materials and of course, what sorta budget I&#39;m willing to sink into it. Thanks, W.W.

[WelchWitch]

Have it buried partly in the yard and maybe some around the tree. Make it real, that would be cool.

[titan]

i used to do a big thing with a haunt in the driveway and garage and get around 400 people to come each holloween but stopped last year because i was sick and tired of replacing hundreds of dollars of prop each year.

the kicker was i never charged anything, gave candy out to each person that came to house and feed about 13 people pizza, pop and other food that helped out each year.

just cant afford to replace all that stuff each year.

[Scarica]

I would LOVE to still do a home haunt, but I actually OWN my house now...it was fun to trash the rental house. No...we actually did a pretty good job of protecting it. I remember one year when it was really, really wet (I know, that&#39;s EVERY Halloween) and when it was over we turned the lights all up and saw this massive trail of mud through the house and the garage. We would only let a few people at a time go through, so we had someone guarding the door and he was like the tweaked out crypt keeper or something...he would pace and just keep moving about in a small space to entertain people. Well, eventually that spot on the lawn turned to a big mud pit, which everyone had to walk through!!! Ugh.

Our props generally held up, but the poor house!! It&#39;s a good thing they were going to replace the carpets when we moved out, since Halloween was NOT kind to them! Ah...memories.

My favorite piece we ever did was the Arboretum...we built a 12&#39;x16&#39;x8&#39; PVC house in the driveway and filled it with trees, leaves, stumps, etc. It looked awesome with the fog (chilled so it hugged the ground). I&#39;m getting all teary-eyed just thinking about it. http://www.octoberlounge.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif

We usually had 70-100 people show up...our candy always sucked, cuz I&#39;d wait &#39;til it went on sale on Halloween...what, did you want a haunted house AND primo candy?

[scarecrow]

I get into yard decorating and haunting,dim or black lights,I have done for 20 plus years at 3 different
homes.Its always fun,some years we had a lot of people helping.
I have the old standbys,strobes,music,lights.
The best ever,was a scarecrow I made,it looked human,it had a burlap hood,just sitting in a chair.So the next year,this was in the &#39;80&#39;s,I wore the scarecrow costume,complete with hood,worked great,even had some teen age boys that thought they would knock the head off of this old scarecrow I had sitting there every year,little did they know it was me!When they got their candy at the door,they walked over to me and told their friends to watch the door so they could knock my head off,when the boy swung at my head I reached up and grabbed his arm,he screamed his friends screamed and they all ran down the street,it was great,and they all came back later and told me that it was a great scare,and even helped me set up some more unsuspecting trick or treaters.
I like to make things creepy,the unknown is fun,I have had a body in the back of my pickup,covered with just the feet sticking out,last year was a dummy,this year....maybe a person.things like that.

[robokatt12]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (scarecrow @ Sep 20 2006, 03:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=678)</div>
When they got their candy at the door,they walked over to me and told their friends to watch the door so they could knock my head off,when the boy swung at my head I reached up and grabbed his arm,he screamed his friends screamed and they all ran down the street,it was great,and they all came back later and told me that it was a great scare,and even helped me set up some more unsuspecting trick or treaters.
I like to make things creepy,the unknown is fun,I have had a body in the back of my pickup,covered with just the feet sticking out,last year was a dummy,this year....maybe a person.things like that.[/b]


AHahahahaheheheheehoheeho! I&#39;m glad that you had quick reflexes. That would&#39;ve been a Hallowe&#39;en tragedy if he had connected with your noggin. Great story, scarecrow.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (scaredycat @ Aug 10 2006, 08:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=75)</div>
I am a big fan of making jack o lanterns, as cliche as that is. Totem poles of jack o lanterns are the best.[/b]

Jack-o-lanterns make Hallowe&#39;en even more magical. I love the legend ("Stingy Jack and the Devil") that tells the origin of jack-o-lanterns. They used to use turnips-can you imagine how hard that was to carve!?
I love the totem pole idea. Any tips on constructing this sort of thing, scaredycat?

[jasonbach]

This year I am putting one together complete with cornstalks, scarecrow, f/x lighting, and antique scithe. that last one is costing me, but i&#39;m sure will be in my family for quite some time. more of a setting than an actual yard haunt. this is my first year in my new house, so hopefully I have some kids to scare the hell out of this year (haha). and speaking of scarecrows - check out this guys site - he makes some awesome scarecrows!!!

www.pumpkinrot.com

Pumpkin Rot and Johnny appleseed are really good....

[moodeous]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (scarecrow @ Sep 20 2006, 03:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=678)</div>
they all came back later and told me that it was a great scare,and even helped me set up some more unsuspecting trick or treaters.
I like to make things creepy,the unknown is fun,I have had a body in the back of my pickup,covered with just the feet sticking out,last year was a dummy,this year....maybe a person.things like that.[/b]

OH MAN! My family did that one year too! It was the best. No one expected it and it scared me everytime I walked by because I never knew if my brother was in the scarecrow costume or if the scarecrow was there just as it had been for all of October! My Dad used to dress up in a Gorilla costume and wait in the tree. When trick or treaters would leave the house and walk down the driveway he would chase them away through the neighborhood! On year my mom got one of those great creepy old lady masks and just followed kids around the neighborhood asking if they wanted an apple!


Jack-o-lanterns are my favorite! I love being all artsy ridiculous with them. Everyone I know is sick of my pumpkin carving obsession because it becomes a huge production. Wading through fields of pumpkins looking for the perfect inspiration then coming home and boiling a pot of mulled cider or wine while I lay out all the appropriate tools. Sounds a little ritualistic.

I just moved into a rental house in Whittier. I wonder if the kids in my neighborhood would be into a scare... The yard is huge and we have a garage and multiple entrances to the backyard.... hmmmmmmmmmmmm

[SChaser783]

That&#39;s awesome, guess I&#39;ll step in here a little bit too, my favorite bit was when I had a ghost hanging from the tree and would drop it on unsuspecting trick or treaters. It was usually the parents who I&#39;d get the best reactions from. They&#39;d be jumping out of their skin.

Hehe, moodeous, if they had a drooling smiley I think I&#39;d be using it here because your backyard seems like a great place for a yard haunt.

[moodeous]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tye @ Sep 21 2006, 07:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=721)</div>
Hehe, moodeous, if they had a drooling smiley I think I&#39;d be using it here because your backyard seems like a great place for a yard haunt.[/b]


Seriously Tye if you or anyone else has the time or money it would be rad. I should mention that the majority of the families with children in the neighborhood are mexican and I&#39;ve never lived here before so I have no idea what kind of crowd that would bring in. But I&#39;d be down to host major halloween party/haunted bash thing whatever!

So yeah.... errrr I think I just invited all of Haunted Denver over my house!

[SChaser783]

Well, time yes.... money... no... hehe. Hmm I heard haunted bash though.... You&#39;re braver than I am!

[moodeous]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tye @ Sep 21 2006, 08:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=726)</div>
Well, time yes.... money... no... hehe. Hmm I heard haunted bash though.... You&#39;re braver than I am![/b]


Brave or stupid?!

[SChaser783]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (moodeous @ Sep 22 2006, 08:39 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> (index.php?act=findpost&pid=737)</div>
Brave or stupid?![/b]

Well I guess I haven&#39;t known you long enough to claim either. http://www.octoberlounge.com/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif