Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Halloween Yard Haunt Preview


Okay, I've been busy, busy, busy. But I haven't forgotten you all. I tried to get photos on Monday, but the stupid camera was filled with four dead batteries! This is a senario that is played, and replayed, in my home on a daily, no, hourly basis. I open the refrigerator to find three empty kool-aid pitchers sitting on the shelf. I get into the shower only to discover that we have the worlds largest collection of empty shampoo bottles. I spend 80% of my life escorting empty cups, soda cans, and food wrappers from the living room to the trash can. You get the idea, right? Anyway, by the time I got new batteries, the magic moment of sundown was gone, and so was the magical moment when my camera will produce veiwable Halloween photos.
However, I got them last night. I have a ton of them. some of them will look very similar to last years display; however, I am working on the premise that everything is incomplete until Halloween night. (I still have alot of ideas that I want to implement before then.) Next year, my goal is to have a finished haunt, no later than October 1st. That way, we can spend the next 31 doing the fun stuff of making it all come alive. So, I am posting some of these photos (that seem familiar) because my photography seems to be improving slightly, and I want you to see them more as they were intended to look.


In addition to photo taking, I had some other issues develop last night, that I think I'll have to deal with today. My son and Jennifer, showed up at the house last night. Long story that is more than a little incomplete just yet. *SIGH* I'll let you know what happened as soon as I figure it out. In the mean time . . . .

Jack (the ripper) and (bloody) Mary, have returned as cemetery greeters this year. I have some ideas to update, and accessorize them further, before the big night.


This is my newly created Bloody Skull fountain. I made it from scratch using spare parts that I found laying around the garage. I bought the plastic bones and skulls and 'corpsilated' them so the looked more realistic, and less like ivory plastic. I used a water pump from an old fish tank to pump the blood that trickles out the eye sockets and jaw. I' still need to figure out a clever lighting solution so that it gets more attention at night.

This is my Asylum Clock tower that I added at the last minute last year. I updated it a bit this year by adding a painted gargoyle at the base and a few other painted embelishments. Like the Bloody Skull fountain, it also could use some subtle mood lighting to bring it all together - still working on that. I'm still working on painting the Howling Hollow Asylum sign that will go over the garage door. (This will be the Asylum entrance on Halloween night.)

This is Haunter, our Graveyard Grim Reaper. He is another last minute addition from last year that needed some extra work. I gave him a shovel to help him dig up and gather those souls, and a hatchet - just in case. I'd like to eventually add a few skeletal grave robers to keep him company, but probably not this year.


Graveyard at Sunset. B.K. Crawler makes a return appearance this year.


A new light up Grave stone that I added a raven to. I plan to eventually replace all of the smaller gravestones with original, handmade head stones. But that's another project that will require some time and materials.

This is my favorite photo, that happen completely by accident. If you click on it and enlarge, you'll notice the five pairs of reflective eyes looking out the window. (my five dogs, who were upset that Mom was playing in the front yard without them.

A front yard view from a different perspective.

6 howled back:

Wait. What? said...

This is pretty increadible and wow I bet your house is a neighborhood favorite on that night!

Anonymous said...

You HAVE to make the news! I want you on Tv for that display, do you know how awesome it is?!?!

Ah, you are very clever, well done you guys.


I know if I ever come to visit you, what month to go in :)

Auburn~haired~artist said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Auburn~haired~artist said...

Kate: We really are just small time stuff. Here in the US, there are alot of people (mostly people who live in California and Florida - who work for movie companies) they have garages jammed full of computer boards that operate every aspect of their yard haunts.Their ghouls (that are beautifully created) move, scream, jump, dance, puke, blow compressed air, you name it!

If you'd like to see some REALLY cool yard haunts, check out these sites:

www.skullandbones.com
or
www.vilethings.com

Our Haunt will NEVER be that cool, or well funded, or creative, or clever . . .

Anonymous said...

Nup, I still think you guys are awesome. Awesome awesome.

Gypsy Jasmin said...

So... in response to the ded batteries, empty cups etc. A wise woman once told me that my son needed to learn how to put his own dishes in the sink I believe the exact words were "Your son acts like he has had a woman picking up after him his whole life". HMMMMM