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.  ...

Hi-Rez Designs offer some really high end visual effects for your haunting pleasure.  Their collections range in complexity from simple projections like the sky effects, bugs, and ghosts DVD’s     to more intricate video window effects that can trigger pneumatic valves, lighting, smoke / fog machines, and more with their Hi-Rez Relay Decoder.     They’ve even got a Paranormal Portraits series which offers the Dueling Portraits DVD, paying homage to Disney’s Haunted Mansion.     All of their effects are great looking and would add an incredibly immersive element to any haunt.  The DVD’s range in price from $39.95 to $89.95 individually, and they do offer package sets of some of their collections. All Hi-Rez Designs Visual FX DVD products are restricted to non-profit home haunt & personal use only, and are protected by all federal copyright laws.  Commercial use licenses are available for use of Hi-Rez Designs Visual FX DVD’s as part of a pro / paid haunted...

Fans of the Walt Disney World Haunted Mansion are no doubt familiar with the ghostly footprints effect that is projected early on in the ride in the M.C. Escher style room with the upside down stairways.  Since approximately 2010 I’ve seen the good folks over at HalloweenForum.com hashing out various ways to achieve this effect, but it appears that VexFX have actually made it a reality.  With the Ghost Steps routine it is now possible for home haunters to project a set of ghostly footprints in a pre-programmed path of their choice that actually dissolve after a few seconds.  You can download the flash based app for offline use, or navigate to their site and create your Ghost Steps on the fly.  You can change the size, color, rotation and style of footprint as well as move and rotate the projection surface to get it completely accurate to the surface you’re projecting onto.  This software is too cool to pass up, and is a visual delight....