How to Create a Haunted House for Halloween
Nothing says Halloween like a trip through a spooky haunted house. If you'd like to make your Halloween party the hit of the neighborhood or perhaps host a seasonal fundraising event, why not make your own haunted house? Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Location for the house
- Plan for the effects
- Materials to build props if necessary
- Spooky decorations like tombstones, skeletons, cobwebs, etc.
- Heavy curtains
- Mirrors
- Flickering lights
- Black lights
- Dry ice
- Cauldron
- Costumed helpers
- Fake chainsaws
- Flashlights
Instructions
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Choose a location for your haunted house. If you're throwing a party you can probably give your own house a spooky makeover for the occasion, but if you plan to sell tickets you're probably going to want a larger venue where you can stage more elaborate effects. In this case, you should look into renting a space (haunted storage locker, anyone?) or perhaps using an outdoor location.
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Plan what types of effects you'll use, and where you'll put them. If you will be building your own props, you will need to take measurements and draw up plans, then get to work with hammer and nails.
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Decorate the yard (or outside the space) with cardboard tombstones. This will create the appearance of approaching through a graveyard.
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Drape fake cobwebs around the house (or space). Hang skeletons on the walls, chain them up or perch them in chairs. Use any other spooky and/or gruesome props you can find or make.
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Hang heavy curtains over your windows to create a pitch-dark atmosphere inside the house. Use mirrors, flickering lights, black lights and dry ice (perhaps in a cauldron).
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Enlist friends, family or other volunteers as helpers. You will need them to dress in costumes and jump out at people to scare them. Cackling witches are always good, and don't forget the ever-popular chainsaw-wielding maniacs. Make sure helpers are armed with a flashlight so they can find their way around in the dark.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep your audience in mind--if the haunted house is intended for children, don't make it too spooky and go easy on anything gory
If you plan to have a lot of flickering lights or any type of strobe light, you will need to warn anyone who may be prone to epileptic seizures
