Tips for Creating a Super Spooky Haunted House

By B. E. Conrad

Creating your own haunted house is a great way to get into the Halloween spirit and have lots of fun at the same time. Whether you are hosting a huge Halloween costume party or just handing out trick or treat goodies to the neighborhood kids, creating a haunted house is a great way to increase your enjoyment of this popular holiday.

A do-it-yourself haunted house can be as simple or as elaborate as you make it. It can be as basic as placing a few scary props at strategic locations throughout the house, or as complictaed as a Hollywood movie style haunted house, complete with all the chills and thrills one would expect of a commercial haunted house.

Indeed, part of the fun of creating your own haunted house is choosing the right props. Some of the props do-it-yourself house haunters may want to consider include fog machines, smoking cauldrons, coffins, sound effects, spider webs, prop tombstones, wigs and masks, black lights and of course plenty of jack-o-lanterns. Halloween themed lights and candles are a great touch as well.

Perhaps the most important part of planning your own haunted house is finding a suitable location. If your own home is large and roomy enough to hold all the props you need, so much the better. If not, it may be worth your while to move the haunting outdoors, perhaps in the yard or a nearby rented building.

After the location has been determined, create a plan by drawing a diagram of the proposed haunted house, including where each of the props will be placed within the house. After the plans are in place, it's time to start building all those great large props, including such haunted house standards as coffins, headstones and guillotines. This is also a good time to place those fog machines and other such props in an unseen location.

It is also important to set the proper mood for the haunted house. There are of course many different ways to set the proper mood, including using lighting, candles and candelabras, music and more. In addition, common food items can be given a new and scary look with just a little bit of ingenuity. Peeled grapes can quickly become scary looking eyeballs, while humble gelatin molds can become brains and other organs.

Dressing in costume can of course make the whole haunted house experience a great deal more effective, and more fun as well. Hosting a costume party is a great way to show off all your hard work, and everyone will have lots of fun trying to guess who's who while reveling in all the frightening action.