Building My Halloween Yard

[retroedaddy]

Well I am hoping this thread will not be deleted.This is my Halloween Display.We get Children coming from all the surrounding neighborhoods and there are a group of family's that caravan in from Hillsborough(35 minutes away) to see it every year.I am thinking the only way to make it better is to get ideas from other people and NC4X4 people are the smartest people I know.These pics are just the beginning.I just started but it takes almost a month to set up,just wait there are Fog Machines,Strobe lights,Lightening sound effects and this year the is gonna be a crashed Jeep in the ditch with a Skeleton sitting in it!!!!!!!

 

[retroedaddy]

Oh and Yes that is a welder at the grim reaper's feet.I make the "Glowing" ghosts from small round tube and cover them in a glowing material.I then hang black light in the branches of my trees.It's pretty cool!!

 

[burrellsjeep]

Very interesting...So what other ideas are you thinking of?

I would like it if you could give me some information on what you have done in the past, Like how you made the glowing ghosts out of the tube, Maybe some pictures of how there put together. I might just give it a shot this year. Although not as elaborate as yours.

 

[WHITEY]

Would you be interested in a guillotine. I believe its about 7-8 years old now. I don't have pics yet but if you're interested I can take the time to snap a few pics. I live in west durham but have never gotten many halloween visitors. My children have grown now so no more halloween parties. everything I've built I have tried to make look realistic and seems to always scare the adults away. I also have a stockade in pieces if interested. everything else has been sold or dismantled. Since you are also looking for ideas... I built a giant mouse trap 2-3 years ago with a 4x8 sheet of plywood and original coil springs to my truck. I tensioned the spring so it would only jump and not snap all the way over.

 

[RenegadeT]

my neighbor would take the chain off his chainsaw, then dress up scary. After the wife handed out candy, he would come racing around the corner with the saw fired up. That would scare the fawk out of everyone, even the parents escorting ones!

 

[JUICED COUPE]

my neighbor would take the chain off his chainsaw, then dress up scary. After the wife handed out candy, he would come racing around the corner with the saw fired up. That would scare the fawk out of everyone, even the parents escorting ones!

I've always wanted to do this!!!!

 

[retroedaddy]

Would you be interested in a guillotine. I believe its about 7-8 years old now. I don't have pics yet but if you're interested I can take the time to snap a few pics. I live in west durham but have never gotten many halloween visitors. My children have grown now so no more halloween parties. everything I've built I have tried to make look realistic and seems to always scare the adults away. I also have a stockade in pieces if interested. everything else has been sold or dismantled. Since you are also looking for ideas... I built a giant mouse trap 2-3 years ago with a 4x8 sheet of plywood and original coil springs to my truck. I tensioned the spring so it would only jump and not snap all the way over.

Yeah man I would definitely be interested in anything you have.I need plastic skulls that's how I make the ghosts.

 

[retroedaddy]

Very interesting...So what other ideas are you thinking of?

I would like it if you could give me some information on what you have done in the past, Like how you made the glowing ghosts out of the tube, Maybe some pictures of how there put together. I might just give it a shot this year. Although not as elaborate as yours.

The ghosts are crazy cheap to build.First off I buy black lights at walmart for $10 each,they have to be the florescent type.4 of them totally saturates my front yard with black light.The bar is something just a little thicker than clothes hangers ,I used coat hangers for a couple of them in fact and I spot weld it into a t then bend the arms around.The Cloth was SOOOOOOOOO expensive to buy at Hobby shops and walmart,that I had to figure out how to make it myself.So the secret to that is RIT Whitener.If you mix RIT Whitener in water then put the Cheese cloth to soak in it over night,when it dries it glows INCREDIBLY bright purple under black,and almost glows blue a little bit in the Sun.Later today I will take one of the ghosts apart and take some pics,I have one I have to fix anyways.All in all each ghost costs about $4 to make and you can buy every single piece for them at walmart.There are also people on you tube who animate them move.Those are really cool looking I just don't have the time to make one.

 

[J.C.]

I bet you're a fun guy to be around Hope to hook up with you on the trail some time!

 

[burrellsjeep]

I work with Alarms, been doing it for 15 years or so, I have tons of motion detectors that can be used to trigger low voltage devices (12 - 24v DC or AC) if you need some. I tons of odds and ends and can make just about any thing you like for almost nothing. The devices are old and not stable enough to use for what I use them for at work, so they were replaced, But for this it wouldn't matter. I throw them in a box until I finally throw them out.

 

[tkob1060]

hmm would be cool if you could some how make a pump motion activated, have a skeleton or something dressed in a costume by the front door as people walk up to ring the bell have red colored water squirt out of the body or eyes

make that casket bigger and pop out of it yourself to scare hell out of people, heck I'd come over just to do that

 

[tkob1060]

my neighbor would take the chain off his chainsaw, then dress up scary. After the wife handed out candy, he would come racing around the corner with the saw fired up. That would scare the fawk out of everyone, even the parents escorting ones!

I've always wanted to do this!!!!

x2 or work at one of the haunted hay ride places. actually I'd volunteer, I love scaring people

 

[JUICED COUPE]

x2 or work at one of the haunted hay ride places. actually I'd volunteer, I love scaring people

lolz I love walking up behind ppl at work while they are unexpecting and scare the dookie out of them......

I have always said if I had more time Id volunteer at one of those things myself. If I had the place Id do my own.

 

[retroedaddy]

There is a place in Snow Camp that is put on by the guys who did some of the star trek movies and one of the predator movies.They have people volunteer there.For your trouble you get a custom prosthetic mask made to your face.I worked there as a were wolf one year it was insane.It's easily the best haunted house I have ever been to.
I want to do some stuff with 12/24 volt triggers.In my work doing theater,we do a lot with pressure pads,which are pretty much the exact same thing as motion except you step on them.But it's the following trigger action I don't know what to do with,Like how do you close a contact and make another action happen??

 

[burrellsjeep]

Think of it as a light switch, your the trigger by flipping the switch from off to on which results in a light to come on.

A motion with a trigger works the same way, The motion sensor detects movement "flips" the switch and the light comes on.

simple drawing


Now you might have to add a relay in there if your device uses a different power supply that the motion, say a 120v device or a 24v device, Also the motions i use are mostly closed loop devices, so the switch is always on and when motion is detected it turns it off. A relay will fix this also, relays are cheap and do wonders. If you get serious let me know what your tring to do and I will lay out a plan for you.

 

[retroedaddy]

Yeah I was thinking more along the lines of relay and 120V.I am also working on a pulley system that will allow some of the ghosts to "fly" around the yard,but I don't know where you get an electric motor like that,plus what do you do when the ghosts reach the pulley,you know?

 

[burrellsjeep]

You set it up like a chair lift

 

[retroedaddy]

I have never set up a chair lift.

 

[burrellsjeep]

 

[retroedaddy]

Here's a ghost tutorial,his are actually even a little better than mine.I am working on step two right now,which is adding Electric motors to make them move up and down.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yY_l2fyGns&feature=related

 

[burrellsjeep]

idea for them to fly around

1st you need to hard mounted points for the pullys, these would need to be solid mounts not hanging. Use a set bike wheels, front wheel is your idler puller and the rear is your drive pully. You will have to set it so that wheel are mounted flat or opposite of how they would be on a bike. Also they would need to only be mounted on one side, I think this could be done with two poles with the wheels mounted to the tops, this would allow the ghosts to circle the yard, you could add additional idler wheels to make it larger if you like.

Just an idea, you could use the drive sprocket on a treadmill motor, they have variable speed and are most of the time low voltage, and people will give them away.

 

[XJfreakHO]

When I lived in mocksville as a kid, we would walk main st, there was one guy every year wiith some kind of insane setup, the last time I remember going, I think I was 12-13, He had a hole in the yard, Im assuming he dug a big hole, put a wooden box of some sort in it... Anyway as soon as we got close to the porch he would jump out and try to scare you, moments after this when our attention was on him his son/friend/whatever would pop out of the bushes with a chainsaw. Real bastards lol, but good times.

 

[retroedaddy]

When I lived in mocksville as a kid, we would walk main st, there was one guy every year wiith some kind of insane setup, the last time I remember going, I think I was 12-13, He had a hole in the yard, Im assuming he dug a big hole, put a wooden box of some sort in it... Anyway as soon as we got close to the porch he would jump out and try to scare you, moments after this when our attention was on him his son/friend/whatever would pop out of the bushes with a chainsaw. Real bastards lol, but good times.

My kids both told me they don't want to trick or treat this year.They want me to build coffins big enough for them to hide and dress them like "dead people" so they can jump out and scare people.I don't know that I have ever been so proud......Anyways here's some pics as it's coming along.The new big ghost is actually animated,it rises up/down and I put 3 dozen scary skulls/pumpkins on the ground.For them I bought a bunch of the strobe light kits that Volunteer fire fighters/unmarked cop cars use and took them apart.I wired them into all the skulls/pumpkins so they flash brightly.It's a pretty cool effect.Plus I got all my smoke machines going.I will take a video and post it to youtube eventually with a link.

 

[Caver Dave]

There is a place in Snow Camp that is put on by the guys who did some of the star trek movies and one of the predator movies.

I've known the brothers Jones for about 15 years. If you've never been to the Original Hollywood Horror Show, you owe yourself the pleasure... it's the real deal!

Years ago, I helped out when/where needed (mainly the few roles that used masks, like "Hannibal") and made the "Psycho" rocking chair (from a 5RPM gear motor) for them one afternoon.

 

[Dylan W.]

When I lived in mocksville as a kid, we would walk main st, there was one guy every year wiith some kind of insane setup, the last time I remember going, I think I was 12-13, He had a hole in the yard, Im assuming he dug a big hole, put a wooden box of some sort in it... Anyway as soon as we got close to the porch he would jump out and try to scare you, moments after this when our attention was on him his son/friend/whatever would pop out of the bushes with a chainsaw. Real bastards lol, but good times.

They are friends of mine..The Cozarts. This year, they are incorporating a great big laser light show, a crane and hanging basket, with a teenager in it dressed like an ape..and folks dancing on the roof...oh yeah, also a few more surprises.

The place to be in Mocksville fer sure.


where did you grow up? When? I lived on Main St. late 80's early 90's.