How to Create a Haunted Graveyard

You can turn your own yard into a spooky haunted graveyard with some time, effort and creativity.

Creating a haunted graveyard for Halloween is a great way to get your kids into the spirit of Halloween, or to augment a haunted house for children or adults. Whether you are hosting a Halloween party, building a haunted house, or just handing out goodies on Halloween night, creating a haunted graveyard is a great part of celebrating Halloween. There is no one way to create a haunted graveyard; you can use items you already have at home, and recycle old Halloween decorations. Other items you'll need can be found at any home improvement or Halloween decorations stores.

Things You'll Need

• Plywood and Styrofoam, or store-bought tombstones
• Pencil
• Saw
• French curve or cans (optional)
• Liquid glue with brush
• Stone texture spray paint
• Tarpaulin
• Mounting stakes
• Black paint
• Small paintbrush
• Letter stencils (optional)
• Cotton balls

Instructions

Tombstones

1. Go to a Halloween decor shop or a Target or Wal-Mart to buy tombstones. Otherwise, you can build your own with a few simple steps. Building your own tombstones allows you to get creative by writing your own epitaphs, and ensures your tombstones don't look the same as any others in your neighborhood.

2. Purchase a standard 4-by-8-inch sheet of plywood. This will make for about eight tombstones, depending on their size and shape. Buy 2-inch-thick Styrofoam from a home improvement store, or acquire Styrofoam insulation sheets from a building supply store. Get twice as much Styrofoam as you have plywood, so that you can cover the front and back of all tombstones.

3. Select the epitaph you want on each tombstone. Look for ideas from websites (see Resources), or use your own morbid creativity. Write your epitaphs down on a piece of paper first so you can estimate how large each tombstone must be to display it.

4. Use a pencil to outline on your sheet of plywood the various tombstone shapes you want for your haunted graveyard. For a spookier graveyard, make some cross-shaped tombstones and tall narrow rectangular tombstones with the top corners rounded off. Avoid making all tombstones the same shape. Use French curve or cans to help you draw curves.

5. Cut out your tombstones from the plywood with a saw.

6. Place one cut-out plywood tombstone on a sheet of Styrofoam. Use a box cutter or similar knife to trace the plywood on the Styrofoam, so that you have a piece of Styrofoam in the identical shape as the plywood piece. Repeat so that you have two identical Styrofoam pieces, one for the front and back of the plywood tombstone.

7. Attach the Styrofoam pieces to both sides of plywood by painting liquid glue onto the Styrofoam pieces and laying one piece at a time on the plywood and applying pressure until dry.

8. Repeat Steps 6 and 7 for each of your other plywood tombstones.

9. Lay down a large sheet of tarpaulin and lay each tombstone flat on the tarpaulin. Apply a coat of stone texture spray to the sides facing up, and let dry. Once dry, flip the tombstones over and apply a coat to the other side. Let dry.

10. Paint the epitaph on each tombstone and draw any other elements, such as crossbones or a skull, using black paint and a small paintbrush. Use stencils if you want.

11. Attach mounting stakes into each tombstone. Tent stakes and plant stakes work well; you can use whatever you have on hand to keep the tombstones standing upright in the ground. The amount of mounting stakes you need depends on the size of tombstone, size of stakes, and how windy your yard is.

Decorations and Special Effects

1. Avoid mowing the lawn you're planning to use for the graveyard for about two weeks, so that it has a spooky and neglected appearance. Once you've placed your tombstones in the ground, spread dead leaves around the graveyard and place dead flowers on a few of the graves. Drape fake moss on some of the tombstones.

2. Place electric candles or lanterns in front of the graves.

3. Use scrap plywood you might have to create a "Keep Out" sign. For a spooky, broken look, cut jagged edges using a jig saw, and use messy handwriting.

4. Recycle your old Halloween decor or purchase decoration pieces from a Halloween shop to add fake bones, skulls, and/or body parts to the graveyard.

5. Add animation to your graveyard by purchasing a ghost, monster, or other creature that pops up from behind one of the tombstones whenever someone passes. You can find animated ghosts that become activated by motion, loud noises, or by a timer. They are battery-powered.

6. Make spider webs by spreading out cotton balls. Place them on tree branches and some of the graves.

7. Add a fog machine or dry ice to your graveyard to create a spooky mist effect. The combination of fog and flickering light created by electronic candles creates a spookier effect.

Tips & Warnings

• The best time to buy materials for Halloween is in November right after Halloween; most retailers reduce prices by 30 to 75 percent.

• Do not limit your creativity; there is a place for coffins, crosses, zombies, skeletons, bats and many other spooky things in a haunted graveyard. The possibilities are endless.

• Purchase a spooky Halloween sound effect CD from a Halloween store to complete the eerie graveyard atmosphere.

• If using dry ice, make sure it is not in the pathway where people walk. Wear protective gloves when handling dry ice.

References

• Divine Dinner Party: Halloween Yard Decoration Tips: Graveyards, Yard Props, and More
• Scary Products: How To Create a Scary Halloween Graveyard
• Theme Party: How To Build a Halloween Graveyard