Halloween is a great time to let your imagination go wild creating a haunted home that everyone can enjoy. With a few helpful hints and selective purchases you can make a fascinatingly frightening attraction that everyone will want to visit.
1. Black construction paper or poster board – cut out silhouettes of bats, mice, cats, spiders, or any creature that gives you goose bumps. Cut out a lot of these and tape them along the walls, windows, or even up the stairs.
2. Black plastic or black shower curtains – Dollar stores are great for decorating on the cheap. Use black shower curtains to cover over windows or to line a garage that you have transformed into your own haunted haven. Black plastic can be large garbage bags cut along the seams or you can find rolls of black plastic at a home improvement store.
3. Spider web and lots of it, from a discount store such as Wal-Mart or Target. Nothing is creepier than feeling like you have walked through Aragog’s domain in the Forbidden Forest surrounding Hogwarts.
4. Apples – carve faces into 6 to 8 (or more) apples and allow them to dry for several days. They will soon look like ghastly shrunken heads that you can hang anywhere. Instructions can be found in many Halloween magazines or through celebrity sites, one example is Martha Stuart’s http://www.marthastewart.com/article/shrunken-apple-heads
5. Old cardboard boxes and cereal boxes – cut them into sections to create a coffin or eerie gravestones. With a little glue, paint and patience you front yard can be transformed into a neighborhood fright night cemetery. Use those cereal boxes to create box picture frames or ‘guess the hidden object’ games in which your guests feel their way through the gory mess.
6. Old white sheets – torn and frayed sheets are even better. Use red markers or paint to write a creepy banner and add ‘bloody‘ details.
7. Old clothes come in handy for last minute costumes, creating scarecrows, zombies or any ghoulish character you can think of. Grab a few inexpensive masks from discount stores to create your own horde of creatures.
8. Natural elements – grab branches and twigs to place over the mantle or through chandeliers and other light fixtures to give an unnerving feeling to your Halloween party. Leave the dead flowers in the vases and accent with cheap black candles.
9. Make up – Black eyeliner can add drastic dimension to any facial art or use it to write spooky messages to tile, glass or mirrored surfaces. Red lipstick is another item that can give dramatic results to a costume look or be used to write unsettling messages around the house.
10. Twine and rope – A guide rope is a good idea for a dark maze, so your guests can find their way. Also use it to hang objects or to create a giant spider web. If you have some beat-up tattered stuffed animals, headless dolls or ‘bloodied‘ plastic bugs you can set them up in the web for a spook-tacular display.
