Simple Laser Vortex Construction...

I’ve always wanted to post a link to a tutorial on how to build a laser vortex but I’ve not been able to find one that wasn’t either too detailed to the point of confusion, or lacking in detail, which is equally confusing.  Luckily, UrDaddyO31 posted a short video detailing the design of the laser vortex he used for his prop.  It’s not so much a tutorial, but it does lay out the design he used which was originally created by kimcfadd who has them for sale on HalloweenForum. This ultra-simplistic design incorporates a mirror mounted on a cpu fan.  The cpu fan and the laser are mounted to blocks of wood and as the cpu fan spins the mirror projects the circular laser effect which will become your laser vortex when you add a little fog.     ** Warning: Lasers can cause serious and/or permanent eye damage.  Never look directly at a laser or point it directly in someone’s eyes.  Consult Safety Recommendations for Laser Pointers for more...

Tombstone Weathering

It seems like I spend more time watching tutorials on how to carve tombstones than I do actually carving tombstones, and that’s ok with me, because it’s all part of the learning process.  Well a major part of that process comes in the form of the two video tutorials that S.K. Austin of The Haunting Grounds provided.  This two part in depth analysis of how to weather your tombstones properly is an invaluable resource for those of us interested in created the most realistic looking tombstones possible.  ...

The Build of a Giant Spider...

It seems like we can’t go more than a few weeks without a good spider tutorial here at Haunter’s List, but Rania Peet’s latest prop tutorial, The Build of a Giant Spider is way better than “good”.  This is one oversized arachnid that could not possibly have turned out any better. In her tutorial you’ll start off making your head and body out of tension wire covered with chicken wire.  The tension wire comes round but is completely bendable to get whatever shape you see fit to make, it doesn’t necessarily have to be round.  The base is a rounded sheet of plywood that holds securely in place the 8 pieces of pvc that will form your legs.  Once the base is complete and painted, the body of your spider can be connected to it via a piece of metal flat bar.   The legs consist of three sections of 1″ pvc, a 5′ section that comes off the 45 degree fittings at the base, then connects to a 3′ section at the middle of the leg, and finishes with a 2′ section at the end.  Once the legs are attached Rania wrapped the pvc with some burlap and proceeded to spray Great Stuff in the gap.  The Great Stuff pushes the burlap and expands through the tiny gaps creating an amazingly creepy appearance that look both bulbous and hairy (just as I suspect spider legs would look like if you enlarged them to 17 feet in diameter).  Once complete they legs were coated with flat black spray paint. The body is covered with several yards of two tone long pile fur that were applied in sections.  The fur can be costly, but you cannot beat the appearance it gives the spider, it’s creepy unto...

Bulging Door

If you’re a fan of Disney’s Haunted Mansion, then you’ve probably already spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out how to incorporate some of your favorite effects from it into your haunt already.    Some are easier to accomplish than others, but if you’re looking for inspiration, HalloweenAddiction has a great tutorial on how to create a bulging door just like the one that appears to be breathing as it bows in and out in the corridor of doors.  The great thing about his prop is that it’s really not that hard to build.  Of course, you’ll need an empty door frame and a variable speed motor to create the effect, but the rest is constructed using 4 x 6″ foam that is held in the door frame via tension wire used for fencing.  ...

Sand Casting Skulls

If you have access to a sandbox, or even just have some sand and a box you can put it to good use in making some skulls using the sand casting tutorial that partsman at HalloweenForum wrote.  You’ll need some play sand, a box, some great stuff, and a foam skull (or whatever you chose to cast).   Once you’ve got all your supplies, you’re basically just pressing the skull into the sand and packing the sand really tight around it.  Once it’s packed, just remove the form and add some great stuff to the impression you’ve created.  As you can see the resulting product has a really great looking stone appearance to it....

Foam Barrels

Ok, since September 19th was International Talk Like a Pirate Day, (and I was completely unaware of this fact), I thought I’d post the tutorial that fravak from HalloweenForum penned on how to make foam barrels.  The barrels are crafted using styrofoam blocks, the kind that are used to stack small flatbed trailers, and while these may be hard to come by, even if you don’t need barrels and have access to these, they are gold, take them. Since the foam blocks start out square, fravak utilized the lid from a 5-gallon bucket to outline the round shape you’ll need.  From there the corners were cut off using a hot wire cutter and the entire block was sanded down using a drywall rasp to round it out.  Once this is complete the detailing of the barrel will actually begin.  A soldering iron will be needed to carve out the individual pieces of wood on all sides of the barrel.   Once this is complete you can add some finer detail by adding graining to all the wood planks with the soldering iron.  Fravak utilized paper mache for the straps around the barrels and a piece of blue foam for the plug.   Once all of these steps are complete it’s time to paint it up.  The base is a browish color while the top he top is covered with a black wash that fravak rubbed all over the barrel to make the color more uneven. The end result is phenomenal, these barrels look completely realistic they don’t cost much, and they’re light as a feather.  So next International Talk Like a Pirate Day, don’t forget to grab one of your barrels as you strut around town saying “Ahoy, me hearties, let’s see what crawled out of the bung hole.”, it’ll just make a lot more...

Making a Drop Panel

A drop panel prop is great for some quick and easy screams, and building one is a pretty easy process as long as you can cut a hole in a wall.   Ok, it’s a little more involved than that, but if you’ve ever wanted to build one for your haunt, check out the tutorial that Brad of Bradsboobarn made.  There are a lot of videos out there on how to build this prop, and they’re all pretty much the same, but I really like the way Brad has incorporated his kids into this video, really cool....

Mr. Gravedigger

I’ve wanted to build every prop I’ve come across lately, but none as much as I want to build this one.  The Gravedigger that Mizerella at 102 Wicked Things To Do created for her cemetery is amazing looking and doesn’t seem that difficult to pull off (said the guy that’s never created an entire person out of paper mache). The head of this fellow will take the most care and attention to detail when creating.  It’s made using a foam skull that’s a blend of paper mache, mache pulp, and Creative paper clay.  The features of his face including the nose, ears, tongue, teeth and eye brows will need to be built up with the Creative paper clay which is where some basic sculpting abilities will come in handy.     Once you’ve got the head done you’re almost done.  The rest of the prop is a pvc frame that’s been heated and bent to give him a warped stance.  The pvc frame is then covered in chicken wire and paper mached numerous times.  The arms and legs incorporated pool noodles to build them up before coating them in paper mache.  The final piece of the puzzle when creating this fellow were the hands, which were a mixture of wire, cut straws and many layers of paper mache and mache pulp.   Once all of the pieces of the puzzle are complete it’s just a matter of dressing this guy up in your favorite old clothes and finding a final resting spot for him.  Mizerella’s gravedigger looks incredible and I’m a little skeptical on whether I can make one that looks as nice, but I will definitely be giving this guy a...

Chicken Wire Ghosts

I’m going to be honest here, I’m not sure exactly who is making all of these chicken wire ghosts for their haunts, but I’m guessing that their hands and arms are covered with tiny little red spots from where the chicken wire pierced their skin.  Seriously, though, I’ve noticed that a ton of people lately are searching for the chicken wire ghost prop, and while it’s not something that I would ever consider doing, they sure do look cool when they’re done right.  Shawn and Lynne Mitchell have put together a pretty concise DIY tutorial on how to make these.  You can make them with or without the cheesecloth dressing to get the look that’s best for you.   Items needed to complete this include: semi-transparent fabric S-hooks thin wire mannequin head roll of chicken wire with 1-inch cells roll of chicken wire with 2-inch cells wire cutters cheesecloth scissors wire hanger work...

Flying Ghosts

Originally created by Scott Axworthy in 1988, the Axworthy Flying Ghost prop is a great effect that is pretty easy to understand conceptually, but always seems to elicit some really hard to follow tutorials.   The prop features ghosts that zip along on a tie line along the path of your choosing.  It’s proven to be a time consuming prop that is prone to bogging down if things don’t go just right, but when it’s working and the ghosts are chugging around your line, it looks awesome.  The Haunted Driveway has done a great job of putting this prop into an easy to understand tutorial that just might inspire someone to give this prop a shot this year.     Items needed to complete this include: Gear motor around 1/8 hp and speed around 110 RPM Wheels made for V-belts, 5 inch diameter Threaded metal rod that will fit the wheels Locking nuts that fit the threaded rod Wood or angled steel to attach the threaded rod Black tie line Fishing line to hang the ghosts Hot glue gun Ghosts...

Burnt/Two Face Makeup Tutorial...

I suppose you could settle for a plain old latex mask this Halloween, but if you really want to put some fear into the kids this year, try utilizing the Burnt/Two Face tutorial that Mel Rose made.  It’s a really easy effect to accomplish, though you may need some help applying the makeup since you’ll be working with only one eye.  The cost is minimal and it will look more realistic than any mask you could buy without breaking the bank.   http://youtu.be/_Eev6lYGT5A   Items needed to accomplish this include: Red Cream Makeup Black cream makeup Card stock (for teeth) Liquid latex Eye popping latex appliance Spirit gum Toilet paper Textured sponge...

Scary Guy at the End of the Hall...

The HollywoodHaunter has a hilarious prop idea for you if you have a corner of a haunt that’s in need of a prop.  It’s also proof that haunt props don’t have to be exceedingly elaborate to add to the creep factor of your haunt.  It’s essentially an oscillating fan with a head on it that appears to be a scary guy at the end of the hall!  What could be easier, right?  I can guarantee you, though, that more than a few people were creeped out by it before they realized what it was.     Items needed to create this include: Oscillating fan PVC end cap w/screw 12″ of 1/2″ PVC Dark fabric Foam head Form...

Alien Capsule

Now that the C.I.A. has actually acknowledged the existence of Area 51 it’s almost like they’re giving their seal of approval to the Muddy River Haunt’s tutorial for an Alien Capsule.  Almost.  And even if they’re not, we’re more than happy to give this prop a thumbs up because it’s exactly what we suspect we would find in the bowels of Area 51.  It’s a really simple prop to build and will add a really cool element to any alien scene. It’s basically a wood box that’s wrapped with plexiglass and aluminum flashing with an alien inside.  Even though they’re listed as optional, I would highly recommend using the fog machine and strobe light with this prop.   Items needed to complete this include: Aluminum Flashing: 1 sheet 3 ½’ X 7′ 2 sheets 3′ X 16” 1 sheet 1′ X 7′ 2X4 wood:  (4) 2”X 4”X 7′ (4) 2”X 4”X 3′ (2) 1”X 3”X 2′ Miscellaneous: 1 sheet Plexiglass 5′ X 3’X 0.016” (Thin enough to bend without cracking or without too much pressure) Some pieces of thin lattice board Alien for inside the capsule Optional: Fog machine Pipe Strobe...

One Armed Grave Grabber...

If you’re not familiar with the Grave Grabber tutorial that Kevin over at Haunt101 posted, you really owe it to yourself to check it out…right after you take a look at his One Armed Grave Grabber tutorial!  This prop is a little easier to build than the full Grave Grabber but it’ll still provide you with an awesome effect in your cemetery.  The mechanics are very similar between the two props, although the One Armed Grave Grabber utilizes an animated deer motor instead of a higher torque motor.  There’s also an added element with the skull linkage in the One Armed prop.     The animated deer motor actually reverses when it meets any resistance, thus the two “stop” screws that are drilled in the base.  If you check out the video of this thing in action at Haunt101, you’ll see that this prop has just the right amount of movement to create an unforgettable prop.   Items needed to complete this include: One foam skull One length of plastic tubing One tape and wire hand One length of 1/8”x1/2” aluminum flat bar One length of heavy wire One length of thin wire One length small foam block Burlap One Buck animated deer motor Two pieces of lumber 4” and 2 ½”...

Prop Dental Plates

If you create your own masks or creatures for your haunt, you’ve probably needed to find some teeth for them.  I always heard the phrase that necessity was the mother of invention, but it turns out it’s actually Allen Hopps.  He’s got a great tutorial on how to make dental plates for your masks and props.  Since they’re made from hot glue sticks you really don’t want to put them in your mouth, but they’ll look great as an accent to any prop....

Dry Brushing Tips & Tricks...

Whether you just finished building your latest masterpiece, or simply want to age a store bought prop a bit, properly painting your prop can make all the difference in the world.  Eerie Acres Cemetery has a great video tutorial with some really helpful dry brushing techniques that might just give your next prop that extra bit of realism....

Stone Wall Facade

Stone walls for your haunted castle may be hard to come by but if you’ve got some time and some plywood you can create your own.  The Bronson Boneyard has a tutorial that shows how to create a stone wall facade using monster mud applied onto plywood. You’ll start by painting the plywood black, and then applying masking tape where you would like the mortar joints. Then, you’ll apply a thick coat of monster mud to the entire sheet, and then remove the masking tape. The great thing about this method is that once the monster mud starts to dry it lightens up, which eliminates the need to paint the mortar joints, and it also begins to crack slightly, which gives it a realistic stone appearance.   Items needed to complete this include: Plywood (4′ x 8′ sheets) Black paint Masking tape Monster...

Ermelyn’s Horns...

If you like creating your own creatures for your haunt you’ll eventually have the need to create some horns for them.  You can probably buy some actual antlers, but if you’re planning on incorporating them into a mask or don’t want an overly heavy static prop, you may want to follow Ermelyn Hollerborn’s tutorial for making horns in 10 easy steps.     The horns are made using multiple layers of styrofoam that’s shaved down to give it a more rounded appearance.  From their it’s a matter of adding detail to it with a soldering iron, or heat gun.  Ermelyn’s horns are then coated with Pattex adhesive and painted.  They look fantastic and can be made as large as you like without weighing down your prop.   Items needed to complete this include: Styrofoam Contact adhesive Acrylic paint Soldering iron / heat gun Google Translate (unless you read German)    ...