When you think about Halloween, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it because of all the delicious food you get to eat? Maybe it’s the crisp autumn air and the crunch of the leaves beneath your feet as you make your way from home to house in search of your next meal (either by yourself or with your kids). Regardless of what comes to mind initially, I have no doubt that everyone is considering the best approach to enjoy the vacation to the fullest possible extent. It’s usually a terrific time of year for frightening movies, eerie events, and haunted houses. How about visiting a haunted house without having to leave your house for the thrills and chills that await you there? That being said, let’s get this party started!
Preparation
The most crucial component of any home improvement project is to make sure that everything is planned out thoroughly. The first step in planning your first do-it-yourself haunted house is to have a number of items in place before you even begin. Before you begin preparing, here are some items you should have ready and prepared:
Your outdoor space’s size and dimensions
Consider your budget for materials and decorations.
A list of people who can help with the construction, maintenance, and operation of the haunted house.
In order to minimize duplication, make a list of the decorations and materials you already have.
Not all of these elements are necessary when designing a haunted house, but they are the most crucial. Afterward, you may begin deciding on the remainder of it once those are in place.
Decide On a Theme
The driving element behind each Halloween effort is its underlying concept. This is one of the most critical tasks you should do before deciding what to do with your available space and money. There is no need to worry about what sort of Halloween theme you choose. Just make sure it can be completed within the time limit before October 31, is within your financial means, and has enough room in your house for it. To get you started, here are some themes I’ve used in the past:
A frightening, haunted castle with a moat included.
At night, the cemetery is deserted.
The crash site of an extraterrestrial invasion.
For those who find it difficult to choose a topic, it is possible to experiment with many distinct ideas and develop some early designs for each one. Decide on a few standout details for each theme and then see which elements are the most practical or, more importantly, which ones you’ll enjoy putting together the most. In this case, you’re constructing something for others to enjoy, and if you’re doing something you don’t like, it will show in your work. It’s important that your visitors have a good time, so plan an event that you’ll enjoy as well.
It’s time for the fun to begin after your theme has been chosen!
I’m Hiring Assistance
Whether you’re not sure if you’re up to the task of putting on a haunted house on your own, it’s definitely best to get some assistance from professionals. Make a list of everyone you know who would be interested in helping you build the haunted house and see if they have any free time. You’ll want as many additional hands as you can find when it comes to putting things together and working in the home on Halloween!
Choosing the Right Décor
To complete your Halloween concept, you must determine how to decorate your yard and “haunted dwelling area.” Setting the tone and establishing the right frightening environment are critical to the success of a Halloween event. There are a number of factors to consider when selecting decorations: what you already own, what you’ll need to purchase, what you’ll need to create yourself, and how much money you have to spend on all of it.
In order to progress with building your haunted house, each of these is critical. While it’s important to keep your theme in mind while making your selections, you shouldn’t feel compelled to forgo something you’d enjoy or think is nice just because it doesn’t completely fit your theme. As I previously said, the most essential aspect of creating your haunted house is having fun while doing it, so by all means, include eerie gravestones and aliens in your design! Also, make sure you have a budget in mind so that you don’t run into any financing issues and end up short on decorations or other preparations.
Make sure your yard or space has at least one significant element, like a wrecked alien spacecraft in your yard or some large spiders crawling over the edge of your roof, that will draw a lot of attention surrounded by smaller thematically relevant decorations. This is just a matter of taste. It’s all part of the fun to do anything you want in your area!
Zoning Your Home
As soon as you have an idea of what decorations you want to utilize, this is a critical step that should be taken care of as soon as possible. To maximize the amount of area you have available for your decorations, plan everything out in advance and make the most of it! Measurement tape, a notebook, thread, and yard pegs are all you need to get started with zoning your yard. It’s critical that you use a notebook to record your decorations, such as the size of each yard feature and the overall location in your display where you’d want them to go. Make a list of where each decoration will go and how much area it will take up in your yard, then use the thread or tape to mark out where each item will go in your yard.
Leaving some wiggle room when zoning your available area is important. You want to make the most of your available space, but don’t overcrowd it to the point that, in the event of an error in construction or an incorrect estimate, you are unable to complete your display. If you’re going to zone the area in the first place, you may as well leave yourself lots of wiggle room in case anything goes wrong.
Organizing Your Decor for the Big Day
It’s time to have some fun! Once you’ve settled on a theme and specific decorations, the fun part begins. My favorite part of putting up my Halloween display has always been this step, and I’m sure it will be yours, too (short of seeing everyone enjoy the show itself). Preparing your decorations requires many processes, so let’s get started.
1. How to Pick Store-Bought Holiday Décor
One option is to buy your decorations from a seasonal, costume and decoration, or large box shop rather than craft them yourself (at least for the time being). Buying decorations from a shop isn’t a bad thing, but they’ll be a bit more costly than if you made them yourself. On the other hand, this is the best option if you want to build decorations that light up or make noise, although this might be challenging if you don’t already have the skills to do so. You should be alright as long as the decorations you buy are in keeping with the overall concept of your yard and display.
2. Purchasing Decorations-Making Supplies
It’s time to construct another list after you’ve finished crafting your own decorations (my personal favorite part). Make a list of everything you’ll need to put your decorations together. Organize your belongings in a way that makes it simple for you to locate what you need, when you need it, or even where you can obtain it. So that you can get in and out of the shops quickly and easily during this anticipated hectic season, your shopping visits will be easy and fast. Always keep in mind things like “Will this be enough of X or will I need additional in case we’re short?” while making preparations. If I don’t like how it turns out, should I get more than one color? You’ll have to go back to the shop to fix it or construct a new one if you’re not happy with the outcome of your décor.
3. Make Your Own Decorations
Congratulations, you’ve arrived! Your Halloween display may now be put together after you have all of your construction components in order. You should strive to organize your materials so that you can quickly and easily put together each decoration by having them all together in one place. Organizing your materials ahead of time provides you with the opportunity to double-check that you have everything you need, so you don’t run out in the middle of a construction project. This is the perfect opportunity to unleash your inner decorator and go all out with your Halloween decorations. Ultimately, it’s going to be your spectacular exhibition, so put up an effort that you’ll be proud of!
Tips for decorating your home
Some of my favorite decorations that I’ve produced in the past are included in this list if you’re still undecided. If one of these ideas fits your theme, go ahead and use it. If not, I hope they inspire you to come up with some more!
Spider-like creature
It’s time to pay homage to the terrifying black spider, which has been a Halloween emblem for decades. The greatest aspect is that if anything goes wrong, I can quickly and cheaply fix my enormous spider.
Some black trash bags, heavy-duty tape (ideally transparent or weather resistant), old or new newspapers (recycled or new), thread or twine (preferably weather resistant), paint, colored construction paper, and glue are all you need. Black foam or plastic tubing is optional.
The spider’s body is the initial step, and it’s rather straightforward. Toss two garbage bags to the brim with your newspaper and toss them in the trash. Make balls out of the newspaper, but don’t pack it down too tightly lest it seems squished or become very heavy. Assemble the spider’s “rear” bag by cutting a piece of tape to a size slightly bigger than your front bag and attaching them together in the center. After that, you’ll need to create the legs, which may either be done with the black tubing (if you choose to buy it) or with extra rubbish bags and newspapers. which you should then connect to the body in the appropriate locations. To complete your frightening spider face, you may choose from a variety of methods. If the weather is going to be great while your spider is outdoors, go ahead and glue or tape on some fangs and eyes using colored construction paper. Otherwise, make sure the spider’s face is as flat as possible and paint on the fangs and eyes. After that, all you have to do is make sure he’s put together and ready to go! Setting him up on your roof with his legs and face dangling over the edge is a terrific idea since he’s guaranteed to grow rather large. Store-bought imitation spiderweb works well, but you can also construct your own out of spare rope and twine as a decoration.
The Alien Ship That Crashed
Replica flying saucers are great for sci-fi and horror fans, but this one takes more time and effort to put together.
Make a huge flat disc (I used an old plastic tabletop that I had laying around) with silver spray paint and flat Styrofoam sheets for the outer saucer; white flashing Christmas-style lights; tape and glue are all you’ll need to complete the project. plastic half-bubble (a bit difficult to locate, but well worth the search effort!)
To begin, assemble the main structure of your extraterrestrial vessel. Measure out how many foam sheets you’ll need to cover the exterior of the craft with your flat disc (I used an old plastic table, but any strong alternative at least a few feet wide would work). Cutting a flat edge off a piece of paper and placing it around a circle to form a circular shape is all you need to do to construct this. Each foam sheet should be glued to the one next to it as you put the edges down. The alignment of the edges of the pieces will result in a flying saucer-like object. Even if it isn’t flawless, most people who see it will be doing it in the dark. Use your spray paint to coat the whole saucer after it’s finished being constructed. It’s your spaceship, therefore you may paint it any color you choose! You can now complete your “ship” with lights running around its perimeter, making it seem like a saucer at night when you plug them all in. The only thing left to do is display your “crash-landed” vessel for everyone to see. With the help of a plastic half-dome, you can make your foam sheets into an alien cockpit (and even add an alien doll or prop if you’d like!).
These are just two of my personal favorites; feel free to use your own creativity and have a good time with your topic.
4. Until Halloween, keep your decorations in a safe place.
If you’re like me, you’ll be putting the pieces of your display together weeks or even months before the event. It’s a good idea to plan ahead of time, but if you don’t properly store your decorations, the downtime between finishing and putting up your display may be a genuine nightmare. As long as you have a place to store your belongings, you’re already a step ahead of the competition. The only thing you have to worry about is making sure your decoration is placed carefully where nothing will fall on it, as long as you have a weatherproof storage location (fall is notoriously damp). If you aren’t sure, keep any sensitive items in a container or plastic wrap if you aren’t sure what to do with them. Anything that can be disassembled and then rebuilt is better for storage and transportation since it gives you more alternatives for storage containers and is simpler to store.
Check the Zoning
Despite the fact that you may have already completed your zoning, you may be hit with a bolt of inspiration for something else you’d want to add to your decorating list. A mental or even a physical note of the addition should do so that you’re not left scrambling when it’s time to put up your display and discover that you’re short on room.
Your Costume should match the theme of the House
You’ll want to be a part of this spooky mansion since it’s yours! Once you’ve chosen your theme and decorations, it’s time to choose the ideal costume to go with it! A witch or an alien invader would be appropriate for a haunted castle or a frightening Area 51. Have as much fun as you want; this is your chance to shine.
Taking a Breather
In the meantime, let’s take a minute to review our accomplishments. So far, you should have decided on a theme, mapped out your yard space, and planned out your decorations (if you haven’t already built them). Once you’ve made it this far, it’s time to start putting your great do-it-yourself haunted house together. This is when the actual labor begins.
The Haunted House construction
It’s a given that you won’t be constructing a separate home, but there’s going to be some construction or at least setting up involved. Creating a “haunted labyrinth” for your Halloween visitors is the foundation of a memorable haunted house. Within this “maze,” you may set up numerous scares and decorations for your guests to experience. It’s a bit of a challenge in reality, but even in a small place like a side patio, yard, or driveway, it can still be done! Now that we know how to build the “home” of your haunted house, let’s get to work.
Creating a Sense of Place
Zone your yard as you would for decorations, but this time you’ll be planning out the layout of your haunted house instead of zoning the locations where you’ll be placing them. The visitors to your home will need to be able to wander about comfortably, but not so much room that it seems like an open area or detracts from the frightening atmosphere. In a perfect world, there would be enough space for one or two people to walk side by side without obstructing any of the decor. Start with a clearly defined entry and exit point, with good flow between the two ends. Once you’ve completed your floor plan, you’re ready to go on to the next step.
Putting Up The Walls
The tough issue now is how to construct walls in the open air. In fact, it’s a lot easier than you would imagine. In the event that you have a fence or arbor in the area where you’ll be holding your haunted house, you’ll want to set up supports between the two structures and then run heavy rope or cord across the top to make a sort of faux wall that you can place heavy black plastic sheeting or some other similarly dark, heavy material over that will give the illusion of walls. In order to make something that you can use year after year, a basic wooden frame is a great option, but you’ll need some carpentry skills (or a buddy with some instead) to put it together. You’ll want to start putting up your “walls” as soon as possible so that you can have a better sense of how much area you have to work with.
Decorating for a Party
Now that you’ve put in the time and effort, it’s time to put your decorations on show! A good day for this might be one of the days just before Halloween. This way, your guests won’t know what to expect, and you’ll have a decent sense of the weather when the big night approaches. At this time, your yard and home decorations should only be receiving final touches or last-minute repairs and restorations. If you follow your zoning plan to the letter, you won’t have to deal with issues like empty space or cramped decorations that are too close to one another. You should walk the route of the haunted house a few times on your own and with a buddy or two to ensure that there are no clutter concerns and that there is enough room for everyone to safely go. The last thing you need is for someone to slip and fall or be wounded in the dark.
Setting the Stage for the Horrors
If you’re anything like me when it comes to Halloween, you know that the whole purpose of visiting a haunted house is to be terrified! Your haunted house shouldn’t simply be decorations; your visitors will appreciate a few “surprises” along the way. Motion-activated decorations that move or make noise are one option, but you could also use an actual person lurking in the shadows, ready to jump out and scare your unsuspecting victims. This is a list of scary concepts I’ve used in the past that have worked quite effectively.
Take something that they’re anticipating and offer them something entirely different! This is the bait and switch. If you’re doing a haunted house labyrinth, this would be perfect for yard decorations. Start by placing a mannequin or inflatable stand-in dressed in a costume somewhere along the walkway so that visitors believe it’s just a decoration. Let me get this out of the way right now. Replace the dummy or decoration with a real person (ideally, someone who helped you build the haunted house and is familiar with the layout) and make them come to life while no one is looking! A tiny spook may be as subtle as turning their head and watching people pass by, or it can be as loud as leaping out and making a noise (excellent for older kids who say that inexpensive decorations will not frighten them). It’s a good idea to replace the individual with a dummy if you have repeat customers or folks who return and bring their buddies who will ruin the surprise!
An easy way to obtain them is to show them the Hall of Masks. Rather than lining the whole wall with Halloween masks, create a little opening in the middle of the divider material so that someone may peek through. It’s the ideal opportunity to produce a creepy noise and scare the living daylights out of the unaware victim as they pass by what they believe to be another mask. For more of an effect, the person wearing the mask could give a quick tug on an elbow, touch a shoulder, or pull on a candy bag while wearing gloves. The gloves could be monster hands or just regular black gloves.
Creating the Right Ambience
Once your “maze” is constructed, your decorations are in place, and your scares are ready to go, you must be finished, right? Wrong. There’s nothing wrong with it, of course, but what’s the point? This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so go all out and create an appropriately eerie Halloween atmosphere. A minimum requirement for your night of terror is that you get a CD titled “Spooky Halloween Sounds” or load up an MP3 player with frightening soundtracks so that speakers may be placed near or behind scenes and between the walls.
Next, it’s time for you to focus on your vision. Keep dry ice on hand to create scary rolling fog for those who like the more conventional approach. The other alternative is to use a prop shop fog generator that can generate a good volume of fog at the press of a button, allowing you to have as much or as little fog as you’d want. Alternating strobe lights are an excellent accompaniment to the fog. The flashing lights not only make it difficult to acclimate to the darkness, but it also makes it difficult to see through the fog and have a clear view of what’s ahead.
Safety in Haunted Houses
In order to ensure the safety of everyone engaged in the event, it is important to ensure that the event is both entertaining and frightening. If you want to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable Halloween, here are a few tips:
Weather – It’s important to keep an eye on the weather, especially if you live in an area where it’s raining or icy, since these conditions might pose concerns, such as sudden showers or slipping and falling on ice. No amount of hard work is worth putting yourself in danger of harm simply to save time and effort in the future.
You must not allow any tripping hazards, such as running wires or low-hanging decorations, in your maze’s walking route. To avoid putting anybody at risk, it’s best to forego adding a feature or decoration if you can’t figure out how to do it securely.
Lighting – You want people to be able to see where they’re going, not simply ambient lighting. Make sure that your haunted house is well-lit, whether that means decorating the walls with red, orange, or any other Halloween-themed lights or using an overhead light to offer enough lighting for the maze. In the event of an accident, you’ll want a powerful flashlight nearby so you can see what’s happening and assist anybody who is harmed as fast as possible.
Observe the Ages of Your Guests – Even while older children and adults like being afraid, it’s safe to say that smaller children and the elderly may not. Make certain that you and the personnel that assist you in running your haunted house are capable of identifying visitors who do not want to be frightened. This is the first time I’ve utilized a non-glow wristband to identify those who are more intrigued by the experience than those who are becoming frightened along the route. You should make sure that everyone helping you understands that whatever the signal is, it signifies being kind to the group or individual concerned.
Make sure you have enough illumination and a basic first aid kit on hand in the event of an accident and ensure that the wounded person receives timely treatment based on the severity of their injuries. In the case of a life-threatening situation, always have a phone nearby to dial 911.
Spread the word
Your time and effort went into getting things flawless. Don’t you want it to all go to waste? If you’re worried about how to get the word out about your unique Halloween event, don’t be. There are plenty of excellent options available. Simply telling your friends and neighbors about your plans and inviting them over to see the finished product this Halloween is the most effective and simple way to do it. It doesn’t take long for news of a do-it-yourself haunted house to get around, especially when it’s as fantastic as this one is. Your haunted house can also be advertised on signs in the neighborhood, such as those for a garage sale, as well as on social media like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, if you’d like to attract as many people as possible. Don’t be shocked if you have a lot more guests than you expected in your second or third year of hosting a Halloween party!
Concluding the Discussion
The spooks and scares are over, and everyone has had a great time at your do-it-yourself haunted house, so what’s the next best thing? There is still a lot of work to be done, depending on how you put it up and whether or not you want to maintain your decorations for next year.
In order to get your haunted house back in working order, you’ll first need to deconstruct the labyrinth. Prepare for storage by ensuring that nothing is damaged or missing and dismantling everything that can be dismantled. In order to avoid digging and looking for little pieces and accessories in the years to come, arrange all of your decorations in bins that are labeled with the same label color and size to prevent them from being mixed up. Use masking tape or labels if you have them to mark all of your boxes and containers. Not everyone will respect your space, so be sure to pick up any candy or treat wrappers left behind by previous haunted house guests as you tour the regions. As soon as you’ve finished cleaning, packing, and storing everything, you may take a deep breath and celebrate your first-ever do-it-yourself haunted house success!
Thank you for reading!
I hope you had fun and learned something from my how-to on building and hosting a haunted house on a budget. It’s a custom my grandmother handed down to me when I was a child, and I’ve loved it for many years now. There were always smiles on my neighbors’ faces when they saw us hard at work setting up the decorations for the Halloween event that year, and if you enjoy doing the same, you’ll likely see the same reaction from your friends and neighbors when the season comes around again and again. Do something that will be talked about for years to come and get out there.
