A couple of questions

[rhauntprospect]

Hello! I'm sure we're all stoked about Halloween coming up this year! I usually start decorating towards the end of Sept. but I cannot wait any longer!!! Normally, I don't build a complete haunted house. I usually just put PVC pipes on the gates (We have a front patio leading up the front door which is enclosed with gates) then cover them with black plastic so that you can't see in the patio or out, then of course decorate the inside with strobe lights, black lights, fog, music, decorations, and me + friends/family dressing up & scaring people. This year, I want to do the same thing but expand a bit. I want to put a few Plywood walls up inside the patio so that when they enter, they turn right, then left, then left, then reach my front door. I'm turning 16 this September so I can't spend too much money. Some of the questions I have are:

- How would I build sturdy walls out of plywood? I know that I can just put a sheet of plywood up and hope it balances, but if somebody (and this does happen) gets scared and jumps into the wall, won't all of the walls fall down, and of course, hurt somebody? Please recommend cheap and easy options.

- Music. Background music is so hard to find. When I type in scary background music in YouTube, I get all sorts of results but none of them are what I'm looking for. I'm not looking for the classic haunted house music with creeping doors or dark melodies played on repeat on a piano. I'm looking for creepy, dark, and eerie ambient background music. Any recommendations? (No, I do not plan on buying any tracks)

- Lighting?... I have many strobe lights (5 I think?) and they do add an eerie illusion to the haunt, but I've used them every year in my haunt and I want to switch it up. I've been to professional haunted houses and I haven't seen much strobe lights being used... What kind of lighting do professional haunted houses use?

- Cobwebs are a halloween decoration classic, but do you guys use cobwebs in your haunt? They seem a little childish to me. They don't really add a creepy effect. Opinions?

- Last but not least, I don't think that I can explain it properly, but you know when you go to a haunted house and you feel wind (or mist) hit you & you hear that LOUD air whoosh noises? I want to add that to my haunted house, but I don't know how to build it. Is it cheap and easy? and what is it? compressed air?





If you don't want to read the entirety of the above, here are the questions I asked... but in one line.

- How would I build sturdy walls out of plywood?
- Where can I find free, creepy dark eerie ambient music. NOT classic haunted house piano music.
- Any better options for lighting rather than strobe lights?
- Do you find cobwebs a scary/eerie element in a haunt? Do you think they're too childish and should I get rid of them?
- What is the element in a haunt where you get hit with wind/mist produced by and how do I build it?

Thank you guys & have a great halloween!

[haunter1313]

Lots of questions there bro. I'm actually heading to bed or I'd take a stab at a few. You know there are a lot of how to videos on youtube that deal with these subjects.

[poison]

Poison props ambient soundtracks

POISON PROPS AMBIENT SOUNDTRACKS!
I think I have what your looking for.
You can listen to samples from every CD on the website.
Many to choose from.
http://www.poisonprops.com/audio-cds/

[Grey Lady]

youtube is a great resource

I use YouTube almost daily for research and for a learning tool. There are some great very inexpensive techniques for building walls outside.
Regarding cobwebs, yes, the dollar store bag-o-webs can be really cheesy but a good web gun works for me.
Lighting, you might try some up lighting vs strobes. For instance, use a construction clamp work light under a table this will produce more shadows increasing the creep factor. Also try lighting upward into a tree, nice shadows
Music, when I was doing yard haunts, I looked in clearance bins for Halloween cd's. You can find them really cheap. Check the dollar stores in October.
I suggest checking out stilt beast studios YouTube videos and this will lead you to even more.
Hope this helps,
Jan/grey lady

[shawnc]

Do a search on here for Panels, which is the common term for plywood walls. Lots of ideas for building walls and getting them to stand up.

Poison Props has a lot of great music and sound effects. So does Gore Galore.

With lighting, less is sometimes best. Do a search on LEDs and see what some haunters are doing with them to light up individual props or scenes rather than a whole room or hallway.

I think you're referring to an air cannon in your last question. You can find instructions for making them or buy one already built. Or go low-budget with an Airzooka.