What do you get when you take a plastic skull and shove it into a funkin foam pumpkin?  Epic awesomeness is what you get my friends!  Think that’s overselling it just a bit?  Well, maybe it is, but after looking at the wicked Pumpkin Demon prop The-Hog-Flu built by doing just that I am content with that designation. The prop started by cutting a hole in the funkin and shoving the skull inside.  Some sculpting material was then added to fill the gap between the skull and the pumpkin and to also give the face a little bit more detail.   Once the sculpting material was applied and sanded down a base coat of a darker blend of orangish-brown paint was applied. The eyes were crafted out of ping pong balls and it appears that the teeth were cut from an opaque plastic bottle (the tongue is a mystery).  Note to self: hot glue makes for a nice coating of drool. The lower body was constructed with a hybrid 1 x 2 wood base and a PVC spine that was wrapped with some tree branches where visible, as well as chicken wire near the lower legs.  The upper chest consists of a piece of plywood. The-Hog-Flu added some spray foam over the plywood and then inserted another branch for the neck of the pumpkin demon where the head will be attached.  The lower portion was also spray foamed and a variety of skulls and lesser pumpkins were peppered throughout. Once completed the upper torso was given a coat of purple spray paint while the lower body was a mixture of blood red and green.  The-Hog-Flu fabricated a rib cage and some incredibly detailed arms out of branches. The word epic is too easily tossed around, but if a picture is worth a thousand...

A while back I mentioned that I’m not much of an electrician, and this tutorial pretty much puts the exclamation point on that thought. I’m pretty sure there should be more than just cardboard and aluminum foil needed to generate power of any kind, but that’s literally all that’s needed to power the Pressure Plate that Rick Osgood made in this tutorial. It’s a great way to save a few bucks and still get a trigger for your props!...

If you’re planning on going with a pirate themed haunt you’re going to need a treasure chest, and IMU posted a great tutorial on how to make a treasure chest out of a cardboard box at the HalloweenForum. Start by cutting the side flaps of your box into half rounds and then hot glue the front flaps to the side. You’ll have to cut a thin piece of cardboard to add to the center since the front flaps are now extending further since the sides are rounded. IMU cut out a space on top that the treasure will peek out through.     The metal banding consists of foam core along the top and bottom edges as well as the side and centers. Once completed the gaps were smoothed out with a little paper towel mâché and then some wood grain was applied using monster mud.     After applying a latch and some hinges crafted from a plastic coat hanger (if you don’t have access to a similar hanger you can buy some small hinges and a latch) it’s ready for paint!     IMU gave it a base coat of black rubber spray paint since it would be sitting outside. Some various wood colors were dry brushed on as well as 2 varieties of metal colored paint for detail. The final touch was adding some rivets throughout the metal bands to give it a really sturdy appearance. The finished chest looks amazing, IMU did a spectacular job with this and it costs next to nothing to make.     Items needed to complete this include: Cardboard box Foam core Hot glue Rivets Black spray paint Wood colored paint Metal colored paint  ...

There are few things in life as disconcerting as waking up after a night camping in the woods than to see a bunch of these creepy totems hanging from the trees surrounding you.  And thanks to the tutorial posted by pooky73 over at the HalloweenForum I’ll be well prepared to instill a bit of the Blair Witch fear into everybody on our next trip because these things are incredibly easy to make! Start by cutting some branches for your dolls, you’ll need an equal amount of “Y” pieces and straight pieces for however many you choose to make. Add some hot glue where you want your straight piece to sit and when it’s dry flip it over and add some more hot glue to reinforce the other side of it. Grab a piece of burlap and then fold it diagonally to form a triangle, then fold it diagonally again to form an even smaller triangle and cut the tip off of it.  You’ll now have a perfect piece of burlap with a square hole in the dead center for you to slip over the doll. Add some hot glue to the stem of the doll as well as the arms, slide the burlap over it and press down so the glue will stick to the burlap.  You’ll need to do this to both the front and back of your dolls.  The final step is to cut a couple of pieces of jute.  The first piece should be wrapped around your dolls waist to look like a belt and the other can be tied to the top of the doll to hang it from a tree.   These dolls are easy to make and are a great way to add a little extra atmosphere to any haunt (or backyard).    ...

So is it a prop or is it a costume?  That’s the question I was left with after watching the tutorial on the Anti-Gravity Machine that Brick in the Yard Mold Supply created.  However you decide to categorize it, there is no question that it is completely awesome.  It’s an incredibly intricate build that was definitely worth the effort.  While an anti-gravity machine may not fit in a haunt (or be comfortable to wear at a Halloween party for that matter), the concept behind it could certainly be implemented and is worthy of at least a cursory look....

If you’re looking for a creative alternative to the paper mache skull then feast your eyes on the tutorial for Burlap Skulls that OctART posted over at the HalloweenForum.  It’s pretty much the same process as making a paper mache skull (although considerably less messy) and the finished burlap skull looks amazingly creepy with a tea light inside. You’ll need to start by wrapping your skull with aluminum foil and then cut your burlap into strips. Grab your hot glue gun and start to apply the burlap over the foil covering as much of the skull as necessary.  You’ll want to make sure that you don’t use too much glue in the back so you’ll be able to pull it off the skull. Also, if you’re planning on using a tea light, make sure you’re only applying one layer of burlap where your light will shine through.  You’ll have to remove the foil from those areas as well.  Once all the burlap is in place and dried you can remove it from the skull and spray it will some of your sealant. Items needed to complete this include: Skull Aluminum foil Burlap Hot glue Spray sealant Tea lights...

If you’re looking to add a little excitement to your haunt, or just want to give the trick or treaters a quick startle before sugaring them up for the season, then a rumble bridge might be just what you need.  It’s a pretty simple project to build and the guys over at CreepyCreations have created a great video detailing how its done.   How to Build A Rumble Bridge   The completed Rumble Bridge:   Items needed to complete this inlclude: (1) – 3/4″ sheet of plywood (4) – 2×2 wood, 36″ long (4) – 2×2 wood, 30″ long (1) – 2×2 wood, 48″ long (2) – 2×4 wood, 43″ long (4) – 2×4 wood, 25″ long (4) – 4×4 wood, 6 to 8″ long (2) – 4″ diameter rubber balls (1) – clamp (1) – bracket (1) – 2 oz fishing weight (8) – 7″ bolts with nuts & washer – 1/2″ diamter Assorted screws, nuts & bolts for weight Hot glue Metal strapping High speed motor...

Everybody loves PVC candles. They’re easy to make and offer some nice ambient lighting without having to fear burning your house down. They’re also incredibly realistic looking, with the one exception being that they are not as translucent as an actual candle when lit. That’s precisely what led Sipesh at the HalloweenForum to come up with a Slightly Different Take on the PVC Candle, utilizing clear plastic fluorescent light bulb protectors instead of PVC.  They’re available at Home Depot and come in four foot lengths. The process is the same as when making PVC candles. You’ll start by cutting you tube to the desired length and then dripping some hot glue along the outside edge of the tube so that it runs down the side. Once covered with glue you’ll need to give it a coat of spray paint. Lighter colors will achieve the translucent effect better than dark but don’t let that stop you from experimenting. After the spray paint has dried you’ll need to build a base for your tea light. Sipesh recommends putting a piece of styrofoam in there as a base, but I suspect you could spray a small amount of great stuff in the tube so that it rises to the desired height you want the tea ligh at as well. That’s all there is to it, but the end result looks great, these really glow nicely.   Items needed to complete this include: Clear plastic tubes Hot glue Spray paint Styrofoam base Tea...

There’s nothing more satisfying than creating your own talking skull.  I would have no way of knowing this since I opted to purchase one for fear that I would horribly botch the installation, but I honestly suspect there’s nothing more satisfying than creating your own.  With that in mind, Scary Terry has a great tutorial on Installing a Servo in a Bucky Skull.   You’ll start by building a mounting bracket for your servo out of aluminum and then you’ll mount the servo bracket in the Bucky skull (ok, there’s a little more to it, but trust me, you’re going to need to check out Scary Terry’s Tutorial). You’re going to break the jaw of your skull next and reconnect it utilizing the zip ties as the new pivot point of the jaw.   You’ll next drill a hole in the skull and connect the servo to the jaw using a piece of the music wire.   That’s all there is to it, more or less, but you’ll still need an audio circuit to drive the servo.  Luckily, Scary Terry has an audio circuit solution as well!   Items needed to complete this include: Bucky Skull Servo (HiTec HS-425BB – See details at ServoCity) (2) 3/4″ long 1″x1″x1/16″ angle aluminum 0.039″ Music wire, aka piano wire (1) 1/2″ #6 screw, nut, washer Servo mounting hardware (#4/ 40 screws and nuts) (2) 4″ Zip ties...

If you’re looking to serve Ladyfingers you’ll want to pair them with tea, pudding, or ice cream. If you’re looking to sever Lady fingers, on the other hand, you’ll probably want to take a look at the tutorial that Rachel from SplatterFactoryTV posted.  She details a remarkably easy way to make a quick casting of your own finger using liquid latex and makeup.  The great thing is, all of the details of your finger will be imprinted on your castings, giving it a remarkably realistic appearance.  The process is so simple you’ll have no problem making enough for everybody to eat!     Items needed to complete this include: Liquid latex Tissue paper Hair dryer Flesh tone makeup/foundation...

I love scarecrows.  There’s something eerily majestic about the way they stand guard over isolated fields, just swaying in the wind.  They’re selfless as they monitor everything that happens, day and night, silently watching.  Waiting.  I’m pretty sure they eat the birds that make the mistake of landing on them, and its entirely possible that they do get off their perches and walk around while I’m asleep, but, I can’t confirm that. With all of that said, if you’re interested in building a scarecrow, Nightfisher posted some great details on the build of his Creepy Scarecrow over at the HalloweenForum that are worth looking at. This project started by hot glueing some burlap over a foam skull and stretching it tight so most of the features of the skull would be visible through the burlap. After adding some stains and shadows Nightfisher added some large metal staples along the scarecrows mouth.  The skull itself rests on a PVC spine. The shoulders and arms of the scarecrow were crafted with some heavy branches. The torso was created by spraying some Great Stuff over a 2 inch block of styrofoam. Nightfisher did an awesome job of spraying the ribs with expanding foam because I’ve got to imagine that was a fairly stressful process.  A few vines were sprayed over the ribs as well to complete the torso. Once completed some black latex was painted in between the ribs and all of the crevices of the torso.  A base coat of brown was dry brushed on after the black latex dried followed by another layer of black and a final coat of light brown.  The vines were given a coat of green paint.  Finishing touches included adding some stitches to the eyes, wrapping some twine around the joints of the arms and hands, and of course, adding a...

If you need a rib cage for your haunt and are down to you last few bucks, don’t worry, be happy, because the Count over at the HalloweenForum has created a tutorial on how to create a Cheap Skeletal Rib Cage. It all starts with a trip to WalMart to pickup one of their 18″ high, plain white plastic trash cans. You’ll want to draw your ribcage, sternum and spine on the trash can (the Count recommends using 1/2″ masking tape to delineate the ribs).  Once your outline is complete you’ll need to grab a pair of tin snips and carefully cut out the dead space between the ribs. Make sure to save the bottom and top for last to provide extra stability to the trash can. Once the ribcage is cut it’s time to put some meat on those ribs! The Count mixed and quickly spread several batches of a two part polyurethane foam on his ribcage. Once dried a few layers of reddish brown and black latex paint were added followed by a final coat of lacquer. The finished ribcage looks great and I never would have guessed that it came from WalMart!     Items needed to complete this include: 18″ White trash can 2 part Polyurethane foam Reddish brown latex paint Black latex paint...

Bamboo, while often being mistaken for wood, is actually an incredibly strong grass. It’s got an ultimate tensile strength of 265 MPa (Megapascals), which is pretty incredible when you consider that cast iron only carries with it an ultimate strength of 200 MPa (spider silk has an incredible 1200 MPa, fyi).  This is no doubt the reason that a single 8 foot bamboo cage could contain 5 stranded castaways so well. PVC on the other hand only carries an ultimate strength of 52 MPa, but since it is considerably cheaper and easier to get than bamboo you might want to consider using petejc’s tutorial to make some Faux Bamboo if you have the need to build a cage. You’ll start by using some acetone to clean all of the writing off of the PVC. Once the PVC has been cleaned you’ll want to cut some notches with a razor blade around the pipe for the bamboo nodes. Petejc recommends going around the pipe a couple of times to get the notch deeper for a better effect. Once the nodes are notched in you’re going to need to grab a blow torch and heat your PVC up a bit. This will not only give it a slight discoloration, but will also allow you to compress the pipe a little bit to give the nodes an actual raised appearance. Once the nodes are complete it’s time to sand and stain the PVC. Petejc went with an amber shellac instead of stain on his bamboo. Sanding the pipe adds some texture to the pipe allowing the shellac to adhere to. The shellac when applied with a rag gives a great uneven finish that looks amazingly like real bamboo.     Items needed to complete this include: PVC Blow torch...

It’s one thing to make realistic looking eyeballs for use in a skull or creature, but what if you want eyeballs that have been freshly plucked from their sockets?  You know what I’m talking about, the eyeball that’s being pecked at by a crow with muscles and optic nerve still attached.  If that’s what you’re looking for, and trust me, you definitely want some of these, then you’re going to want to check out the Gorey Eyeballs tutorial that Chiapetrescue posted. You’ll start with your pristine, perfectly round eyeball and add a few layers of hot glue to the bottom of it. Once you’ve got a couple layers of hot glue added you’re going to start turning it upside down to let the hot glue start running.   Once you’ve built up enough layers of hot glue to give the appearance of an extended optic nerve, you’re ready for painting.  Chiapetrescue did an awesome job of painting these by starting with a base coat of red spray paint for a bit of a splatter effect and then added an additional coat of red acrylic to it.  Some black acrylic paint was then dry brushed over the base to add a darker finish to it.  A final coat of polyurethane was applied to give it a glossy appearance.  The finished eye balls look fantastically gruesome and are incredibly easy to make.   Items needed to complete this include: Plastic eyeballs Glue Gun Glue Sticks Red Spray Paint Red Acrylic Paint Black Acrylic...

Ok, remember when you were getting ready to use the Frankenstein Plans to build your very own Frankenstein and it said you’d have to supply your own set of hands? Well unless you were able to run out to your local Halloween store and buy a pair of hands you were out of luck. And a Frankenstein without hands isn’t very scary now is it? Making your own hands isn’t that difficult though, and the crew over at Screaming Scarecrow Studios have created a simple tutorial on how to make really great looking monster hands using latex gloves, witches fingers, and some expanding foam. You’ll start by turning the glove inside out and cutting a small slit in the tips of the fingers of your rubber glove.  Once you’ve got your witches fingers securely inserted into each of the fingers you’ll need to get a 12″ piece of 1/2″ pvc pipe for an arm bone.  You’ll need to drill a hole in both the bottom and top of your pipe approximately an inch from the bottom.  Once you’ve got your holes drilled you’re going to thread some wire through the hole in the pipe to secure the hand to the bone. You’ll also need to secure the wire through the witch’s fingers which is what will keep the hand secured to the bone once its filled with foam.  Once you’ve got your hand securely wired to the arm bone you’re ready to add some foam.  You can hang the hand by threading another wire through the hole you drilled in the top of the pvc. It may take a while for the foam to fully cure (2 to 3 days), but once they’ve hardened you can remove the glove from around the hands.  You’ll need...

If you’ve ever wanted a motion sensor to trigger your Halloween props but didn’t feel like laying out the cash for an overpriced store bought unit then pay close attention.  The reality is, they’re not that difficult to make if you’ve got a moderate amount of electrical skills and you’ll end up with a unit that is tailor made for your use.  You’ll also end up saving yourself a lot of money because once you realize how easy it is, you’ll want to make more!  I’m sure the folks at Eerie Acres Cemetery wouldn’t mind you sending some of that extra cash their way because they’ve posted a really descriptive tutorial on how to create a motion sensor that will more than get you up and running creating your own.     Items needed to complete this include: Replacement motion sensor GFCI outlet 4 hole single gang outdoor outlet box (metal) Outdoor electrical outlet cover (metal) Clamps for gang box PC power cable Threaded ground stake Silicone...

Any Halloween prop that necessitates the drinking of beer is naturally going to pique my interest. After all, Halloween prop building and beer go together like peanut butter and jelly, right?  I’m pretty sure Ollieee who posted a great tutorial over at the HalloweenForum detailing how to make a small faux wood barrel using an empty 5 liter mini-keg would agree with me.  Ok, truth is, you don’t really have to buy a keg filled with beer to get this done, you can purchase empty mini-kegs from Midwest Supplies and save a few bucks, but what fun is that.   You’ll start by emptying the barrel if you opted for one filled with beer, you can use whatever method you like for this step, however a pint sized glass works best for me. Once emptied make sure you give it’s good rinse out to remove any leftover suds and the give the exterior a light sanding.  Ollieee gave the barrel a solid base coat of flat black paint, then an additional coat of a dark brown flat paint.     Once the brown base is completed you’ll want to add some faux wood grain to your barrel.  Once the wood grain is completed you’re going to want to paint some metal bands around the barrel as well as any additional decorative text to complete your barrel.     The finished product is pretty great looking and the barrel is just the right size to make me feel like a giant pirate, Arrr!   Items needed to complete this include: 5 liter mini-keg A drinking buddy (optional)...

If you’re interested in making your own skulls, and I’m talking seriously making a lot of your own skulls, then you’re going to need a pretty serious mold to cast them in. You can use the Cheap Easy Skulls method provided by Dr. Kreepy, but if you’re interested in some serious skulls you’re going to want to checkout the tutorial that The Devil’s Workshop posted. Creating your mold is a pretty elaborate process but this two part tutorial will walk you through the process from start to finish. http://youtu.be/QetqLES6MXA...