Difficulty: Intermediate  |  Time: 6–10 hours  |  Cost: $40–$80 Every outdoor haunt that uses video projection eventually runs into the same problem — where do you hide the projector? This clever solution, originally shared by Rabbit101 on the Halloween Forum, builds a hollow fake tree stump from sonotube, plywood, and blue foam that conceals a projector, DVD player, and FM transmitter inside. Two very rainy Seattle seasons have proven it weather-resistant without any damage to the electronics. Audience members watched the Singing Pumpkins display for extended periods and still couldn’t figure out where the projector was — even after being told it was in the stump. Materials Material Notes Sonotube (concrete form tube) Two pieces totaling about 2/3 of a tube each; size to fit your electronics 3/4″ plywood For the base (organic root shape) and interior support circles Blue foam insulation board Cut into pieces and glued to the outside of the sonotube to build up bark shape Insulfoam spray (Great Stuff) Fills bare spots and gaps in the foam exterior 2″ PVC tube Runs through the bottom for power and audio cables 10″ exhaust fan (110V) Essential for cooling — projector overheats without it Wire coat hanger & propane torch Used together to burn realistic tree rings into the lid Hacksaw blade For carving and shaping the foam into bark texture Spray paint: black, brown, green, grey Black dissolves foam slightly for texture; layered with browns and a dry white wash Jigsaw & staple gun Cutting the base and attaching the sonotube sections Step-by-Step Instructions Step 1 — Cut the Plywood Base and Support Circles Start by cutting the plywood base in a random, organic root pattern — not a circle. Use a jigsaw to cut bumps and lobes that suggest natural...

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...

I’ve never really watched Dr. Who, but I’m sure glad that MacabreRob over at HalloweenForum has because the “Blink” episode of the British television series gave him the inspiration to build two life-sized angel statues for his haunt.  To say that the statues are constructed out of paper mache and expanding foam insulation really underscores the amount of work that went into these. Several coats of paper mache were carefully coated onto a mannequin and then cut and removed in sections.  After they were carefully pieced back together, 1″ wood boards were inserted to add some support and it was filled with expanding foam insulation.   The wings were created using a similar technique with the form created using styrofoam and then coated with paper mache.  MacabreRob went even so far as to cast his daughters face in alginate to provide for the face on Angelica, the passive angel.     Once the bodies were complete he dressed them in robes made from bed sheets and thoroughly coated them in monster mud.  Both angels turned out amazing and it’s really cool to see a family working together on a Halloween project.  It’s definitely an intricate build, but if you can pull it off you’ll have the best looking cemetery in the neighborhood.     Shop These Materials on Amazon Great Stuff Gaps & Cracks Expanding Foam 12oz Professional Spray Foam Applicator Gun (2-Pack) Instant Paper Mache Powder Mix 3.3 lbs Assorted 12" Latex Balloons 120-Pack XPS Foam Board 1" Thick Craft Sheets 4-Pack 4-in-1 Hot Wire Foam Cutter Kit 15W Loctite Power Grab Foam-Safe Construction Adhesive Affiliate Disclosure: HauntersList.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to...

In the immortal words of Dr. Kreepy, “A home haunt without skulls is like a cake without icing…”  And to the great benefit of us all, Dr. Kreepy has given us the icing (in video form) in his tutorial on how to make your own skulls using Great Stuff expanding foam.  There are a few variables that can affect your success in making your own skulls using this tutorial, but even your failures will result in useable skulls.  A few of mine resulted in really thin sliver sections of the skull that seem more like broken fragments that had been bashed in.  They looked great just laying in front of my tombstones.  For the price per skull, you cannot go wrong in doing this tutorial, just don’t make too much of a mess.   Items needed to create this include: Hollow plastic skull Great Stuff expanding foam Vaseline Duct Tape Latex Gloves   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edhDTaLMpng Shop These Materials on Amazon Great Stuff Gaps & Cracks Expanding Foam 12oz Professional Spray Foam Applicator Gun (2-Pack) XPS Foam Board 1" Thick Craft Sheets 4-Pack 4-in-1 Hot Wire Foam Cutter Kit 15W Loctite Power Grab Foam-Safe Construction Adhesive Realistic Replica Human Skull Statue 6.5" 5.4ft Full Size Halloween Foam Skeleton Affiliate Disclosure: HauntersList.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to...