GHOSTS OF HALLOWEEN PAST

People who make real HAUNTS would not consider this a haunt. We don't have a walk through just a display. I still liked the title. Moving on...

Some people have asked me why I would want to put so much effort into something that will just come down?  Here is my answer:

When we bought our house I was very excited about decorating it for the holiday season; I LOVED the holidays as a kid and creating that magic for our neighborhood kids and big kids seemed like a fun idea. It was also a great opportunity to involve my Dad and some of my close friends including my Husband Larry in something creative to get us away from our computers. Other than that it is great fun to see the reactions of people as they walk or drive by. It is always my mission to get this thing up by October 1st and take it down November 1st.

This obsession started simply enough.  A projected sign and a decorated Honda Element. We obviously weren't ready to commit to anything hard yet.  We had a wheel for the kids to spin which decided whether they got candy or a Halloween toy (we always gave them both anyway).  We also served margaritas to the parents and our new neighbors brought snacks. It was great until it rained. That sucked! That's Florida.

2009 The Owl

The first year of putting in some effort, I painted an owl on a board by my front door. The window had been broken by a rock that was ejected by the lawnmower. It was the perfect temporary solution. You can't see it but it was coated in a black very fine glitter. It was beautiful and I hated taking it down. We focused primarily on our doorway.  I can't figure out what we used around the doorway below the lights. It looks like a garland.

 

2010 The Skeleton Crew

To follow that, the following year we put a spooky ghoul out front. It obviously didn't require much effort but when the setting sun hit him just right he was awesome. Cheaply made but effective. We used leftover grapevine as a garland which covered the front of our house and we lit that with orange and purple twinkle lights. We tied black gauze throughout it which gave it a spooky effect blowing in the wind. We added the VERY OLD lady to our doorway. We always had a lot of fun with her. We bought the chair at goodwill and we painted it. Added some great details to create a back story about her.  I'm going to see if I can find a picture of future renditions of her. She was always fun to have there.

2011 The Ghost Carousel

The following year we invented a ghostly carousel which danced around in our front yard. My Son-In-Law engineered this and it was splendid. We still get requests to bring the ghosts back. They were really eerie up close. The ghosts were crude but a very effective set up. A wig head, gauze, sheets,wire hangers (sorry Joan) and paint. Oh and the ever helpful duct tape.  Lucky for us we had a very breezy October.  We painted them with glow in the dark paint and lit them up at night. The rustling of the trees made them even spookier. They would always turn in the same direction and that made it look like a dance. It was very relaxing to sit and watch them dance.

2012 The Headless Horseman

Then comes the Headless Horseman.  It was a BIG undertaking but we were feeling very enthusiastic about the season and wanted to challenge ourselves. We still put the lady out but added a chandelier above her. We added a limo driver for her holding an umbrella with bones hanging from it. We lit the driveway up with luminaries and created two of the creepiest sisters you would never want to me in a the woods.  The Horseman was sooooo cool. He stood taller than our house.  We counter balanced him with buckets of covered buckets of water  (didn't want anything breeding) We used a glowing LED ball for his eye in red or green depending on his mood.  The head he was holding was a bit realistic looking.  I was afraid kids would not come close to it. They loved it. Little freaks!

The head it was holding turned out really well. Scared the wee ones.

Real candles in these bags.

These girls were so creepy with the strobe at night. But even creepier on a rainy day.

2013 BeetleJuice

Last year we did Beetlejuice and he was amazing. At this point we have started to build a following. People parking to take a picture with him was very exciting.  He stood about 7 feet tall to the tip of his highest hair spike. He was a lot of fun to do. My Dad who always helps with this stuff was so excited when the pizza delivery guy knew who he was. I mean Dad Really? It looks just like Beetlejuice. We replaced the old lady with the shrunken head scene  of Beetljuice on the couch, the hunter and the big voodoo priest.  We also used the horse one more time and put a smaller Beetlejuice riding him. It was sad to toss him but he was too large to store and so we had to put him down.
 

He was so much fun to make.

 

This picture was taken after he was placed. He was placed over a pipe that went up to his neck.  He kept him from tipping over.  I still can't believe how great he looked.  We painted a giant hose to create the sand snakes next to him and eventually filled up the yard with some fun little details like wooden signs that said Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! He also had an awesome tombstone behind him that my Brother In Law contributed. 

The Golden hour

 

She had a good run!

We got a lot of laughs from this sign

This year Four Monsters are in the line-up. Classic Horror.  Dracula, The Mummy, The Werewolf and of course the big buy Frankenstein. So off we go. Visit "MONSTERS" post.