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Ok... 38 days to go until Halloween and my Dad and I FINALLY start the big project that will be the biggest new addition to the yard haunt this year...
Nothing like waiting until the last minute eh??
Alright many of you already know that I've been dreaming about building this illusion for months.
Here is the inspiration.
And Here are some pictures of todays progress
There is still so much to be done. The whole thing still has to be painted. I've called Mr. Skeleton to order the pelvis but the lady in the office said they would have to call me back. The Mirror has to be ordered.... *Headdesk*
On a side note... Halloween has officially begun at my house.
I put our Crash witch in the tree, I placed some orange mums out in my flower bed, and I put the coffin we made last year out on the concrete that leads up to my porch steps
Tags: Illusion Half Man Box
Well Haunters.... Its that time of year again... (Ok well not quite yet... but hey its quickly approaching!)
I seem to go through these same situations every year... The Halloween Season arrives and leaves us... I pack up through Novemeber... make my way through the Christmas Season, Piddle around through Winter/Spring... then Summer Hits... and its time to star making plans for the next Halloween.
That has been my plan of action for the past couple of years... Last year I was ordering a Bucky and looking up plans for building a coffin... Well I did that last year... and now I HAVE TO TOP THAT!
Well I've started doing some sketching... and while I'm no VanGhost or Morbid Monet... I am pretty happy with the layout I have designed for my humble little yard haunt.
I worked on the sketch this morning... My house sits on a two acres of land out in a country area with a handfull of neighboring yokels surrounding me. The "Haunt will only cover about 1/4 of my actual front yard. And there is a reason behind that.
For years I had displayed my halloween decor spread out all over the yard ... 2006 was the very first year I had to deal with prop theft. After that year and rebuilding the stolen prop. I decided the next year would be different. Last year I decided that I would pull everything closer to the house in effort to prevent theft.
Last year I got rave reviews on my haunt... Pulling everything closer to the house made things feel more 'cohesive'. It allowed me to provide more ambient lighting without having to break out every extension cord, and other than a little pre halloween week 'rolling' (TPing whatever) which was farther down on the side yard, I didn't have any theft or vandalisim
So I decided that I will keep the haunt closer to the house.
I've got a few big ideas running around in my mind... (Warning: Some of these ideas will get lost on their journey and will never hit reality)... But here is a sketchy layout of how I'd like to set up things this year and some of the things I'd like to feature.
The Bold purple lines represent the actual front of the house, my front porch/steps, and the sidewalk leading up to my front porch. The two green circles are two very large trees in my front yard.
Here is a link to last years display. It mainly shows the size of my yard and how much of the yard was used. The picture was taken from across the street in a neighbors yard.
http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e282/theatreguymac/HalloweenDayNIght2007/?action=view¤t=DSCN484 2.jpg
The three key things I'd like to add this year are "The Box," Frank, and Fence..... more on that later.
I've numbered sections on the layout into 12 zones. Some of witch feature old props, some feature new. They are as follows:
Zones 1-4 THE ENTRY GATE
Haunts just look eerier with an eerie entry. Last year I put a "Cemetery Arch" in my display.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e282/theatreguymac/HalloweenDayNIght2007/DSCN4931.jpg
It was actually an arch that I borrowed from my aunt and 'spruced up' with some zipties and wooden letters. It didn't function for more than just a decoration that held up a prop. This year I'd like to get a new arch, or simply improve on the borrowed one and make it a functional entery for the haunt.
Zone 1: NEW FOR THIS YEAR: starts with a water feature. For several years I've been admiring Propmasters Blood Waterfall
http://halloweenpropmaster.com/skull_blood_waterfall.htm
And since then I've been on the lookout for a similar skull to serve as the main part of the fountain.
Thanks to our very own WanderRob I now have that exact same skull which is featured in Propmasters fountain.
I'm not the type that likes to copycat designs from fellow haunters... so I want to make my mark on the fountain. I don't actually have the space for a Waterfall... but I do have the supplies (salvaged from an old fish pond that we removed) to make a small feature. I've got an old "Half Whisky Barrel) that I'd like to feature the skull in. I'm planning on bulding a stand for the skull that looks like an arm coming up out of the water. I'd submerge a green pond light into the water (I'm not really the blood/gore type of person)... and I'd make my veryown acid/embalming fluid spitting fountain)
Zone 2: (ADDED LAST YEAR) Consists of my Bucky and Toe Pincher Coffin that I built as a feature item last year.
This year he will point the way for the victi-er...guests who visit the haunt.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e282/theatreguymac/HalloweenDayNIght2007/DSCN4875.jpg
The coffin design came from Woody Carr's site www.scarefx.com
Zone 3: THE CARETAKERS EQUIPTMENT. For the past couple of years I have toyed around with placing a wheelbarrow and a shovel in the haunt. I love the haphazard careless look of "Someone left... and left in a hurry"
Here was last years wheel barrow scene which featured Grim who was added last year. This year I'd like to add a few more tools, lanterns, and such.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e282/theatreguymac/HalloweenDayNIght2007/DSCN4849.jpg
Zone 4: is the actual arch and surrounding NEW FENCE its self... I'd like to creep out the arch with some vines, moss, etc. and I'm planning on adding a Fence made of salvaged Pallate wood surrounding the main boundary of my Cemetery Haunt.
I fell in love with the look of Hpropman's Fence in his haunt video
http://hauntspace.com/videos/id_110/title_grave-yard/
and I've decided that salvaging some pallates is the right thing for me... Its good for the budget and it has that look that I like.
Zone 5 is the GIANT WEB I added last year.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e282/theatreguymac/HalloweenDayNIght2007/DSCN4887.jpg
I'd like to creep it up a notch with some webbed up victims and a few more spiders. I just kind of threw those skeletons in there at the last minute last year.
Zone 6: is for IGOR a prop that I bought last year at Walgreens. Last year he hung from the cemetery arch. I'd like to find a way to make him stand on his own. Possibly by adding just a simple T shaped frame under his shroud.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e282/theatreguymac/HalloweenDayNIght2007/DSCN4883.jpg
EDIT: I just realized that I have two zone sixes on the sketch... the second one is for Hubert II, My PVC Ground breakerzombie... He is actually the rebuild one of my very first and favorite prop. The original Hubert was the stolen prop that I mentioned earlier. I don't plan on changing him at all.. but this is the area that he will be placed in.
Zone 7: is the WITCHES LAIR:
Last year I added my Mad Lab Prize Winning Witches Cauldron to my witch scene.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e282/theatreguymac/HalloweenDayNIght2007/DSCN4870.jpg
NEW: This year instead of just having Henreitta out in the open ... I'd like for her to have her very own "Lair" I've got acces to an old square gazebo style tent frame... that I'm going to try to creep out with some burlap, black plastic, or any other material that I can get my hands on... I'd like to creep up the area inside by hanging some chains for the cauldron from the top of the tent, and placing small tables with spell books, ingredients, pumpkins, black cats, etc around the inside of the "Lair" The Lair would be able to be viewed from the front groundlevel, and from the left side porch level.
Zone 8: THE CRYPT.... What good cemetery doesn't have a crypt?? Evidently mine. So ideally I'd like to add a crypt to house my "Window Phantom" that I added Last year. First I actually named him "Faux FCG" ... but then he was loveingly renamed "Window Phantom" buy our very own SUSAN and GINNY.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e282/theatreguymac/HalloweenDayNIght2007/DSCN4898.jpg
In that link you can see him floating in my bedroom window over HUBERT's Shoulder.
I'm not sure if the Crypt will actually Happen this year... Its one of the last things on my very long list of details... however If things go my way and the Halloween Fairies are smiling down on me... that is the area where I'd put the crypt and I'd use Ghostess Deanna's Crypt Design to serve as inspiration.
http://www.howloweenqueen.com/
Zone 9: is for my GHOUL that my Mom bought for me last year. He hangs the sameway that IGOR does... so I'd probably make the same style T frame for him aswell.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e282/theatreguymac/HalloweenDayNIght2007/DSCN4853.jpg
He will guard the pathway up the the porch steps/Candy area. Which will be lined with... well I'm not sure what I'm going to line the pathway with... yet but it will be a lined pathway.
Zone 10: will be the area for GRIM who I added to the haunt last year.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e282/theatreguymac/HalloweenDayNIght2007/DSCN4876.jpg
The only change I might make to him would be to change out his head....
Zone 11: NEW FOR THIS YEAR!!! I am excited to say that I'm adding a Frankenstien Scene to my Haunt! I've wanted to do this for YEARS! While I was on my Memorial Day weekend Gatlinburg Trip I came a cross a little shop that sold masks. Whereupon I had to make a choice... between A Boris Karloff Mask and a Herman Munster Mask (you know I'm kind of partial to that cutesy side of things)... well a call to Wally (GrimDaddy) and a couple of calls to Ginny (PaHalloweenfreak) later and I made my decision. The next day I bought the Karloff Mask.
I'd love to set up a Mad Drs. Lab featuring FRANK leaning against the Lab Table... and various equiptment, strobes, etc strewn about.
I'd like to lean Frank's Table Vertically against the house and use Spooky's design as my inspiration.
http://hauntspace.com/user/gallery/view/name_spooky/id_11285/title_plazma-lights-on-monster/
Now I know I've told you guys that I'm not into electric chairs, hangmans nooses, guillotines, and various other torture devices... and I was having this Discussion with Wally on the phone the other day... when this wicked idea struck me ... "You know... I never said anything about labratory tables" ...
I could hear Wally laughing an evil laugh in the background.
Zone 12: is possible the biggest and most massive project that I've ever thought about building. Its an effect that I've admired many times at the Ripleys Haunted Adventure in Gatlinburg, TN... It is the half man illusion box.
If all goes well with my planning "Gravesly the Caretaker" my character that I created for 2007's haunt will be part of 2008's haunt aswell...however he will be "Half the man he used to be"
The Half Man illusion box will also serve as the control station/Candy station. I'll hide several triggers for strobes and effects on the side of the box. The base of the box will hide the sound source that will pipe music through the haunt, and it will house a manual fogger trigger.
If I get this thing built... there will be noway that I can top it for next year. So I'll go ahead and set you all up for dissapoint you know while I'm a head... ... or is it while I'm whole?? Cause I'll only be half once I get it built...??.. oh well thats only a minor detail....
Well thats pretty much it ... Of course there will be tombstones, and pumpkins, and other spooky things here and there... but thats the gist of all the Haunt Zones for my 2008 yard display...
I hope you've enjoied my blog... wish me luck. I'll need it!
So today I found out that my Grandfathers doctor confirmed that he has Alzheimers.
Back before Christmas we had a scare with is blood sugar dropping abnormally low. He turned 85 in January. Since then we have seen a great deal of improvement. While his P.T. and Home Health assitants came to work with him.
But here lately he has been acting strange, asking odd questions, doing odd things, and getting more and more confused as the days go on.
He is the only real Grandfather that I have ever had and he and my Grandmother are the only 'set' of Grandparents that i have ever known.
Now with this diagnosis I am worried that he will eventually forget me all together and forget about all of the good times we have had. Times that I had just taken for granted.
Now I really don't know how to deal with it... I am a mess of tears, anger, and frustration.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
BLEUGH
Happy Anti-Valentines Day to all my Creeptastic Friends here on Hauntspace!!
Just so you know.... Zombies Love Chocolate... so BEWARE!
- CreepyChrisS
Ok I know this isn't Halloween realted (well except for those who are afraid of clowns)... But I am thinking about registering for "Moose Camp" Its a clown camp that is heald in Minnesota every year by Pricillia Mooseburger a professional clown and a host of her friends.
The daily cost of the camp is 100 dollar and the camp is five days long. (Plus additional costs of travel) and they accept 150 Applicants.
Camp is July 29th- August 3,
I was wondering since I talk to more of my friends on here more often than I talk to my friends in real life.... How many of you think I'm Crazy?
I was doing some cleaning and I found these pictures.
I was six years old in this one. I was in first grade and it was my first "Scary Costume" ... evidently the look on my face made my mother think that it would be funny to stick a "Why Me" sticker on the photograph.
This picture was from one of my first displays I was probably in 3rd or 4th grade.
How is that for a walk down memory lane.
Alright Haunters... so a couple of days ago I copy pasted my "Comercialized Christmas" blog from myspace and posted it here re-titled "Mega Christmas Meltdown"
In that blog I ranted about the comercialization of Christmas and how that led me to taking down the secular Christmas knick nacks, twinkle lights, and decorations that I had already put up...
Well all of that still stands... the lights and knick nacks are still put away... but the tree remained standing in all of its naked glory for three weeks... All I wanted from my parents was some help in decorating that tree... (weeks before all of this commotion with my grandfather)....
Well last night I played Grinch and took down our naked Christmas tree and put it back in the box and put it up in the loft. At 4:00 this morning.
My mother cried "You took down the tree" blah blah....
So I said, "Well you hadn't bothered to help decorate it when I asked for your help weeks ago" blah blah...
"Well don't you want Leah Kate (my 1 year old niece) to have a tree when they come here?" blah blah
"She's one year old she won't know the difference"
so on the dialog continued for a while eventually I went back to sleep and she went to work...
well today I put up and decorated the only Christmas tree that I intend on having anything to do with this Christmas. It is more than enough tree for me.
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men. That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown"
Merry Christmas To you and Yours.
-
Hi Haunters...I composed this blog in Myspace originally but I thought I might post it on my blog here ... I originally titled it "Comercialized Christmas" But on myspace it has become known as "The Mega Christmas Meltdown"...
I warn you if you continue reading you will be subjected to my rant... but please proceed if you wish.
Well here it is folks. The most wonderful time of the year is right around the corners. But is it as "Wonderful" as we make it out to be, or just another way for Walmart and Christmas Card companies to pad their pockets? Every year people spend way more than they need to on gifts, food, decorations, every thing that makes Christmas so "WONDERFUL" ... But really? Is it as wonderful as we make it out to be? Now-a-days most people see Christmas as a time to BUY, BUY, BUY, and SELL, SELL, SELL! People buy trees decorate them with expensive ornaments, boost their electric bills by adorning their houses, please their children by BUYING all of the items that they want, and want, and want.... and all that leads up to is one day with just a few hours of excitement in the morning while greedy children open the presents that their parents bought for them...and give a fat man in a red suit all of the credit. I'm a big fan of the phrase "It is better to give than to recieve" But not when it drives you into debt.
I'm sorry if I sound like a Scrooge but HOW IS THAT CHRISTMAS? Christmas has become comercialized by a fat man in a red suit, stores that advertize low quality top cost products, and Greed! I have come to realize that there aren't many people who know what the true meaning of Christmas is anymore! There are people who want to forget that meaning all together and replace it with a big X and turn the holiday into X-MAS! Well ... if it is coming down to that they might as well just call it SANTAMAS and be done with it.
Christmas has turned into a month of rushing here and there, buying this and that, wanting and getting, putting up decorations and outdoing neighbors, and keeping up wtih the Jones' That is not Christmas. After seeing this it has ruined my "Christmas Spirit" for this year. I myself used to have the biggest Christmas display on the street, my tree used to go up the day after Thanksgiving, the house was always decorated perfectly and looked like it should belong in a Martha Stewart Catalog... But now I look at my shed full of lights, loft full of decorations, shelves full of whatnots and I'm sick of it... Christmas Items are on the shelves at Walmart in September if not sooner taunting you to buy, and buy, and buy... when we are really just being victimized by the comercialisim of Christmas!
I know I am ranting on this topic... but that is not what the spirit of Christmas is all about ... it shouldn't be about a tree... (My tree has been up for two weeks and it is STILL NOT DECORATED! I come home every night too exhausted to decorate it... I put up a few decorations in the yard just because I got sick of hearing people saying 'Where is your Christmas display... aren't you going to put up the show this year?'... I'm just sick of it and as far as I am concerned it is all coming down tomorrow the lights, the few whatnots I've pulled out, and that blasted santa claus and Christmas tree... the quintessential element of all that comercial Christmas is all about.
I know I've mentioned several times.. "This isn't what Christmas is about... " Let me tell you what Christmas is all about "FOR UNTO YOU IS BORN THIS DAY IN THE CITY OF DAVID A SAVIOUR WHICH IS CHRIST THE LORD AND THIS SHALL BE A SIGN UNTO YOU YE SHALL FIND THE BABE WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHES LYING IN A MANGER!" Thats what CHRISTmas is all about! Jesus Christ was born to live, teach, and eventually die so that we all might live some day in the glory of heaven! Not trees, lights, presents, or santa claus! Christmas is about peace on earth and goodwill towards men! NOT FIGHTING IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES! CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT LOVE NOT GREED AND MOST OF ALL GIVING TO THOSE WHO ARE LESS FORTUNATE!
IT IS BETTER TO GIVE THAN TO RECIEVE! So Give! Donate time to a community center, work with children in a Church christmas play, volunteer at a senior center, visit nursing homes, make food boxes and fruit baskets and give them to those who are less fortunate. Pick up Christmas angels and give them the gifts instead of blasting your money away on an ipod shuffle! Hand deliver Christmas cards and remind your neighbors in your community that you do care about them! Visit Shut-ins. Spend time with friends and family...
Augh I am so sick of this Comercial Christmas! My head is spinning! Call me a Humbug if you want me to .... but Christmas just isn't CHRISTmas anymore and I'm sick of it.
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