"Give Them A Real Scare This Halloween"

Joseph Pfeiffer

How to Scare Trick-Or-Treaters

This chapter may be the reason you bought this book. It's within these pages that we discuss all the devious ways you can repay those cute little trick-or-treaters who have been haunting you for years for a handout, then trashing your yard. This chapter has two sections, tricks to play on trick-or-treaters, and spooky layout scenes that can be set up in a garage, basement, on a porch, or in the front yard. The tricks can be a part of a layout scene, or used alone for Halloween fun. If one idea doesn’t quite suit your needs, try to remodel it a little, it may become a perfect fit. We offer a lot of specific ideas, but also want to teach you to think up others by applying some of the basics we used in developing our tricks. The chapters "Haunted House Ideas" and "Halloween Party Fun" are laid out in the same format. We encourage you to read them as well, even if your interests are only in scaring trick-or-treaters. But, before we get going, we feel obligated to discuss a few guidelines you might want to keep in mind while haunting the neighborhood:

Consider your audience and how it will vary in age and background. It can get embarrassing to have a four-year-old trick-or-treater breakdown into tears. It can be painful to have a 6'8" father show his appreciation for scaring three years of growth out of his 5-year-old pirate. Try to tone things down for those under 8, and never jump out and frighten a little one. Don't kid yourself, that trick-or-treater will keep growing, and someday they’ll remember you.
Protect all exposed electrical wires, ropes, corners, overhangs, irregular walking surfaces and sharp edges from causing injury. Cover the aforementioned with tape and foam rubber, use reflective tape, or just eliminate the opportunity. Using radioactive props eliminates the need for lighting.
Don't frighten kids down steps. They lose orientation and their sense of balance when struck with a sudden surge of adrenaline. This causes an impulse reaction to evacuate the area immediately.
Be sure to have good liability coverage on your homeowner's insurance policy if you plan any tricks, or at least know a darn good lawyer.
Keep control of your haunted activities and any helpers used to scare the trick-or-treaters at all times. They should know their limitations, so if things get out of hand, be prepared to pull the plug before someone gets hurt.
Make sure that when props are rigged to jump out, fall, or swoosh by, that they do not come in direct contact with a visitor. Your casualty might be 6'4" weighing in at 240 lbs., and not have a good sense of humor, while everyone points to you saying, "He did it!"
Don't eat candy found in your yard more than 5 days after Halloween.