Knock, Knock
1996 was a ghoulishly fun Halloween, for that was the year my brother and I rearranged the everyday house into an all-out, ghoul-infested HAUNTED HOUSE!!! Listed below are the frightening items I used. The words in bold I will describe below how to make yourself.
First things first. I had my brother help me move the living room furniture into the bedrooms. (Keep in mind that this was our own house, and we didn't have to ask an adult's permission.)
We kept a lamp for lighting. Out on the porch, sitting beside the front door in a chair, was my dummy. I had our Halloween sound effects tape emitting spooky sounds out the window on our boom box.
Kids came by the handful! When we opened our door to them, they could see our homemade cemetery. The black light bulb made the entire room glow an eerie presence while headstones and moss lined the side walls.
The red light bulb from the kitchen barely showed. It made the people wonder what was around the corner on "the other side". For added effect, there were ghosts and rubber skeletons dangling from the ceiling, with a fan on low speed in the corner, hidden from view.
How to make the headstones, dummy and ghosts.
HEADSTONES
Please have parents cut the material into their headstone shapes. Next, wrap the foam in black construction paper and seal with either scotch tape or glue. To top it off, add scary or funy epitaphs with either chalk or crayon. I prefer chalk because it gives them a more "stone" look.
DUMMY
Place the shoes of your choice at the bottom of the jeans. I didn't mess with a head, and I thought it would be creepier to have that "slouched" look. So, I took a hat and placed it so it slightly slouched over the shirt's collar.
When my little person was finished, I placed a chair next to the front door on the porch and placed it on the chair.
GHOSTS
To make "rising" ghosts, you will need helium balloons.
Want some more haunted houses? Follow these links...
I used styrofoam, but cardboard will also work just as well.
Get a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. Gather up a used newspaper and crumple it up page by page. When that is finished, stuff your clothes with the paper until you have the bulky human form. Secure ends of clothes with safety pins.
You can either purchase them for cheap at stores, made out of paper. Or, to create your own ghost, get some cheese cloth from the craft store and white balloons. Place the cloth around the inflated balloons and tie at the bottom with a white ribbon.
Terror By Design
Kids' Haunted House
