Have you ever wanted to take your Halloween decorations to the next level? Whether you’re making your very first prop, or you’re a seasoned pro, the team at Haunted Calgary is here to show you the ropes.Visit www.hauntedcalgary.org to learn more about Haunted Calgary and how a family’s simple Halloween decorations transformed into Calgary’s largest haunted yard attraction and to find more detailed instructions.
Beginner
Kitchen Catcher Bag Ghosts
- Grab some small white garbage bags.
- Fill them with 1/3 full with leaves or yard clippings.
- Tie off the bag tightly around the ball of clippings, trying to get the bag into a somewhat circular shape: this will form the head of your ghost.
- Draw ghostly faces on the head using a black Sharpie.
- Hang them in a tree or from your house for a spooky effect!
Cereal Box Tombstones
- Eat your favourite delicious cereal!
- When the box is empty, paint it a solid colour- black or grey works well.
- Have fun and use your imagination to create fun and funny epitaphs. Use paint or sharpies to write them on. Stuck for ideas? Here are a few to get you started:“U. R. Next,” “Will B. Back,” “Helen Back: She was a real trip”
- Set up your spooky cemetery in your yard or decorate for your Halloween party
Novice
DIY Intestines
- Lay down some plastic or cardboard on which to work. Wear gloves and old clothing.
- Use expanding foam such as “Great Stuff” (sold at hardware stores to seal cracks around windows and doors) to create thin lines and coils. The foam will expand as you work so play around with your speed and the amount of foam you use.
- Allow the Great Stuff to dry for 1-2 hours.
- Paint your intestines using layers of red, brown, and maybe a little purple or blue. When you’re happy with the base colours, allow to dry thoroughly.
- Use clear glossy finish varnish to seal your creation and give it a permanent oozy gut look.
Pro
Corpsing
Corpsing is a common technique among pro haunters. There are countless YouTube videos available to learn the nuances and a variety of different corpsing techniques. This is a very simple version.
- Start with a generic plastic skeleton (often called a “Bucky” among haunters).
- Wrap pieces of clear plastic garbage bags around your skeleton.
- Use a heat gun to melt the plastic around the skeleton. Try to get lots of variety in the “meat.” If you don’t have a heat gun, a very hot hair dryer will usually work but will take more patience. The fumes may be toxic so you should work outdoors at the very least and ideally with a fume hood.
- Once you’re happy with the “meat” you can paint it. We recommend stains in shades such as mahogany and burnt umber because they make a fairly nice charred corpse appearance. Add layers until you are happy with it. For the most realistic effect, don’t make it too even.
- Once complete, seal your creation with clear glossy varnish.
