From their creepy turrets to their creaking doors, some houses are to haunting born. Others must be, ahem, resurrected from their mundane, everyday existence.
'Tis the season for the jitters. The heebie-jeebies. The creepy crawlies. And since most of us don't have a neglected old mansion at our disposal, a little thought, work and creativity are in order if we want houses that are haunting, if not actually haunted, for Halloween.
Certainly, the possibilities for tricking out a home range from the amusingly simple to the obsessively extreme. But if stories came with warning labels, this would be one: Haunting your own home is an addictive experience.
Start out with a ghost going up on a fishing line when you open the door, and build to greater things you and your family will work for months each year creating their computer-controlled horrors for a couple of thousand visitors -- at an expense of $5,000 annually or even more.
Just how does one go about executing this transformation from the normal to the, well, paranormal? Her are the culls from a number of useful tips from veteran haunters and other experts and in some cases, their advice might surprise you.
First and foremost, the experienced universally say you have to realize that you are not about to embark on your own brief reign of terror. A little gore goes a long way. In fact, folks who proudly call their annual haunted house a low-gore, family affair. Remember that terror is not fun; it's just right when you're jumpy and come out laughing.
Know your audience, says one `Hauntmistress.' A good rule of thumb is to keep things Casper-the-Ghost friendly in front of your house so you don't frighten pint-sized trick-or-treaters and guide them through a mild experience to the door while having the Friday-the-13th horrors for invitation-only tours of private areas.
Some people do own the sort of home we all want when it comes to Halloween. The home isn't neglected, of course, but an old Victorian is a great scene-setter thanks to the movies. But make sure to create kid-friendly, mildly creepy scenes in front of their home. These scenes tend toward comfortable old favorites, such as allowing the kids to stick their hands in boxes where peeled grapes stand in for eyeballs and spaghetti subs for brains. But as visitors progress down his driveway the landscape becomes scarier. The older and truly brave venture into the basement, where, the spiderwebs are `real' and visitors wander a maze where volunteers in scary attire jump out.
Would-be haunters might be surprised, too, to learn that veterans make sure their homes and scary scenes are adequately lit. The front of a home needs a lot of light, for parents find it reassuring. It also attracts a lot of attention so you get a lot of traffic.
Lighting affects safety as well. And safety is the byword for serious haunters. Families should take such steps as fireproofing the painted muslin screens used to define spaces around your haunted house. You want to make sure your creations are stable and won't fall over at the slightest jostle. Prosper cautions that low-hanging props or cables can trip visitors.
Make sure you can get your lights on and people out quickly in the case of an emergency. Make sure your electrics are UL-rated, which will help prevent fires, and don't overload electrical sockets.
So now that you have the guidelines in hand, where do you go from here? It's all about creative vision, getting in touch with your inner Spielberg. Haunters create scenes and scenarios, sometimes borrowing from a popular current movie, such as ``Pirates of the Caribbean.'' Many offer a theatrical show every half hour that includes things like a demon who grows from 8 feet to 14 feet during the show.
Story is essential: Why is your house haunted? What happened there, a deranged mental patient escaped the local sanitarium, what else? You can start with simpler scenarios, including the kids in the creative process. The most basic and one of the real standards is the graveyard.
Veteran haunters offers tidbits such as to use bags of manure for the graves, then you can spread it as fertilizer for your plants afterward but in the meantime cats and two-legged critters won't mess with the graves. And if a pair of boots or a creepy hand emerge from the grave, that's all the better.
It doesn't take much to create a spooky atmosphere. Appropriately creepy music and sound effects are readily available. A fog machine is a must; it's a pretty simple investment. Rent machines from theatrical supply stores or party stores, or if you're serious about your haunting, purchase them and reuse them year after year.
Strobe lights, black lights and even white flashing Christmas lights lend atmosphere. Fake spiderwebs are plentiful and cheap.
Obviously, creations that move, talk or detonate in some manner are far from cheap. That's where your friends come in. You will have to recruit friends to put the scare in their mazes and scenes. Even technology-laden attraction end with the real deal such as a Jason look-alike with a chainless chain saw who chases visitors down the walkway as they exit. Things that move get people, especially if it's a real person.
Styrofoam for tombstones
Creepy music for atmosphere
Fake cobwebs for the ick factor
Things that move to make people jump
Create a story line.
Limit the gore.
Know your audience.
Have adequate lighting.
Think safety, safety, safety.