how to make a front yard haunted house

Awards Season
Big Stories
Pop Culture
Video Games
Celebrities

From Haunted Houses to Zombies: The Most Frightening Scary Horror Games

Do you enjoy the adrenaline rush of being scared out of your wits? Are you a fan of horror movies and looking for a new way to experience fear? Look no further. In this article, we will explore some of the most terrifying scary horror games that will leave you trembling with fear. From haunted houses to zombies, these games will push your limits and keep you on the edge of your seat.

Haunted Houses: A Classic Thrill

If you’re a fan of haunted houses, then horror games that feature eerie mansions or abandoned buildings are sure to provide an exhilarating experience. One such game that comes to mind is “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.” Set in a dilapidated plantation house in rural Louisiana, this game combines atmospheric horror with intense gameplay. As you navigate through dark corridors and solve puzzles, you’ll encounter grotesque creatures and terrifying jump scares that will keep your heart pounding.

Another notable haunted house game is “Amnesia: The Dark Descent.” In this first-person survival horror game, players find themselves trapped inside an ancient castle with no memory of how they got there. With limited resources and a lurking presence that feeds on fear, this game is guaranteed to make even the bravest players feel vulnerable and terrified.

Zombies: A Never-Ending Nightmare

Zombies have been a staple in horror culture for decades, and scary horror games featuring these undead creatures are always popular among thrill-seekers. One standout title in this genre is “The Last of Us.” Set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by infected humans turned into zombies, this action-adventure game blends intense combat with an emotionally gripping storyline. The realistic graphics and immersive gameplay make every encounter with the infected a heart-pounding experience.

For those seeking a more intense zombie experience, “Resident Evil 2” is a must-play. This remake of the classic survival horror game takes players back to Raccoon City, where a zombie outbreak has turned the population into flesh-eating monsters. With its atmospheric setting and relentless undead enemies, this game will keep you on your toes as you fight for survival.

Psychological Horror: A Mind-Bending Challenge

If you prefer horror games that mess with your mind, then psychological horror games are perfect for you. “Silent Hill 2” is often regarded as one of the best examples of this subgenre. As players control James Sunderland through the foggy town of Silent Hill, they unravel a deeply disturbing story filled with symbolism and psychological torment. The game’s haunting atmosphere and psychological twists will leave you questioning reality long after you’ve put down the controller.

Another mind-bending horror experience is “Layers of Fear.” In this first-person exploration game, players step into the shoes of a disturbed painter as they navigate through a constantly changing mansion. Delving into themes of madness and obsession, this game uses clever storytelling and visual trickery to create an unsettling experience that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Survival Horror: Fight or Flight

For those who enjoy intense gameplay and heart-pounding action, survival horror games provide an adrenaline-fueled experience like no other. “Outlast” is a prime example of this genre. Armed only with a camcorder, players must navigate through an abandoned psychiatric hospital filled with deranged inmates. With no means to defend yourself other than hiding or running away, every encounter becomes a tense battle for survival.

Another standout survival horror game is “Alien: Isolation.” Set fifteen years after the events of Ridley Scott’s iconic film “Alien,” players assume the role of Ellen Ripley’s daughter as she tries to survive aboard a space station infested by one relentless xenomorph. The game’s AI-driven alien enemy constantly adapts to the player’s actions, making every encounter a nerve-wracking game of cat-and-mouse.

In conclusion, if you’re a fan of being scared senseless, these scary horror games will provide an unforgettable experience. Whether you prefer haunted houses, zombies, psychological torment, or survival challenges, there is a game out there that will cater to your darkest fears. So grab your controller and prepare for a night of terror as you dive into these spine-chilling virtual worlds.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

How to Make a Haunted House in Your Front Yard

Last Updated: January 17, 2022

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 26 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 88,449 times.

When the little goblins and ghouls come knocking at your front door and asking "Trick or treat?", double their thrills and fun by turning your front yard into a haunted house! This article will help you to design a haunted house front yard that will make your house the highlight of the street.

Image titled Make a Haunted House in Your Front Yard Step 1

An overall design or theme for your front yard haunted house (see next step).
Areas that will be "out-of-bounds" (such as mom's favorite rose garden) and how you'll prevent people from accidentally wandering into such areas.
A color theme (if relevant).
What you'll use to provide the "house" walls - a tent, a marquee, or simply draping sheets, black plastic, or tarpaulins up as "walls".
Lighting and electrical requirements – you'll need outdoor quality electrical fittings as well as safe means for running cords outdoors without them becoming tripping hazards.

Image titled Make a Haunted House in Your Front Yard Step 2

A vampire theme : dedicate the area to coffins, bats, fangs and a general air of decay; the color theme will be dark with grays, reds, purple and black being predominant. Your surprise elements might include a grave or coffin that opens with lots of squeaking noises, dry ice smoke billowing up, a very ugly vampire effigy, etc.
A ghoul theme : have lots of phantoms, ghostly figures, and flying, flapping elements in the front yard; the color theme will have lots of white and light grays. Your surprise elements might include a ghoul that rushes out now and then (use a person for this), strange ghostly noises, things brushing against cheeks, etc.
A wizard and witches theme : include effigies of wizards, witches, their familiars such as black cats and wolves, cauldrons, broomsticks, etc. Your surprise elements might include cackling noises or thunderbolt cracks, a bubbling cauldron with some unidentifiable concoction brewing,
Try to find unique items that provide a scare, thrill, or amusement element for all ages.

Image titled Make a Haunted House in Your Front Yard Step 3

Gravestones: Get some gray cardboard, and cut them into the shape of grave stones. Write some "cutesy" names on it, such as Frank N. Stein, Zom B., Jack O. Lantern, or I. M. Dead, etc.
Spider webs: Take rolls of toilet paper, and "string" them along the branches on the trees outside of your house, in the shape of spider webs. An alternative to toilet paper is cotton wool.
Ghosts: Take white kitchen garbage bags, and fill with old newspapers. Tie up, and then, with a black marker, draw two eyes and a mouth on each of them, to make little ghosts.
Jack-o-lanterns: When raking up leaves, purchase orange biodegradable leaf bags which look like jack-o-lanterns, and leave on the lawn for the big night.

Image titled Make a Haunted House in Your Front Yard Step 4

Make sure that the entrance way to the house is clear of clutter, garden beds, fragile plants, etc. that you don't want people to accidentally tread on. Also try to close off any sides that might encourage people to wander off into the rest of your garden and become lost. Use simple props like chairs, cardboard signs, etc., to direct people away and back into the haunted house.

Image titled Make a Haunted House in Your Front Yard Step 5

Ensure that it's easy for visitors to move around.
Ensure that all electrical cords are out of the way of feet and that nothing presents a fire hazard.
A strobe light can be excellent inside the haunted house – it will add to the eerie effect.
Set up music. Scary music CDs can be purchased from dollar stores, or you can download Halloween themed music online.
Make space for standing and sitting either inside the haunted house or just outside it – this will allow you to keep an eye on the trick-or-treat bunch viewing the haunted house and to give out the treats.

Image titled Make a Haunted House in Your Front Yard Step 6

Buy a nice, big fat pumpkin, or several. On a piece of paper, draw a design of the kind of face you'd like to put into your jack-o-lantern. Once you've chosen the face you like, carve it into the pumpkin.
Light the lanterns for Halloween. The only lights that should be evident from your haunted house are those emanating from decorations, lanterns, strobes, and jack-o-lanterns, with your house kept dark. This is why it's important to ensure that there is nothing for visitors to trip over!

Image titled Make a Haunted House in Your Front Yard Step 7

Community Q&A

Video . By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube.

If you can't spare space or find the time to set up a front yard haunted house, consider whether there's a room of your house that you could dedicate to a haunted house, or utilise you garage (park the car somewhere else for the evening) or a shed. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
Beware that nobody touches your jack-o-lantern or other things with candles; keep these out of reach or well watched to prevent accidental burning or tipping over. Thanks Helpful 23 Not Helpful 2

Things You'll Need

Toilet rolls or cotton wool
White garbage bags with old newspapers
Biodegradable garbage bags (orange) filled with leaves
CD with scary music
Any other old fashioned lantern

About this article

Did this article help you.

About wikiHow
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Do Not Sell or Share My Info
Not Selling Info

How to Build a Haunted House in Your Yard

Halloween is right around the corner, so what better way to celebrate the coming spooky season than by building your own haunted house in your front or back yard? Continue reading as we give you some ideas to craft your own haunted scenes at home this fall.

Create a Maze

No matter how big your backyard is, you probably have enough space to create a spooky maze this Halloween . First, create the floor plan design, which ensures that visitors don’t miss any horrifying elements of your haunted maze.

You can use hay bales, cardboard boxes, or any other physical barriers accessible to you to create the pattern, and don’t forget to decorate small scenes in some of the corners for added fright and detail.

Some fun decorations for a haunted maze include a graveyard scene with scarecrows, talking heads, murder scenes, and mummies or zombies.

Make a Haunted Graveyard

This is a great idea for either your back or front yard, and there are plenty of DIY elements you can include to make the scene extra frightening and fill up your designated space.

With cardboard, cut out gravestones and use paint, fake spiders and spider web decor to give some added details. Additionally, you can create levitating ghosts out of chicken wire, PVC pipe, and sheets, or buy some decorative skeletons to place around your yard.

When combining all these elements with additional spooky lighting, fog, and other details, you can create a very ghoulish scene that is both exciting and interactive as visitors walk through the haunted graveyard.

Convert Your Shed

For the perfect backyard haunted house, consider using your shed to build this spooky creation. Whether you’re hosting a Halloween party for kids or simply want a place for your kids to enjoy on their own, the shed is the perfect size for a haunted house.

You can decorate both the interior and exterior of the shed, as well as its surroundings to maximize the ghoulish charm. This can be a perfect place to read scary stories, show a spooky movie, or carve pumpkins out of. So, take advantage of all the spiderweb, skeleton, and pumpkin decor available to craft an unforgettable haunted house in your own backyard.

With any of these frightening Halloween builds, make sure to cater your decor and designs to the age of people who will enjoy them–after all, these are meant to bring seasonal fun with just enough fright!

Plus, be sure to add some safety lighting or emergency exits as needed, as you want all of these to be exciting but safe. Keeping all these tips in mind, you can create the perfect backyard haunted house this fall.

Written by Bailey Schramm

How to Improve Air Circulation in Your Home

Poor air circulation is a common problem for modern homes. While striving to insulate our houses as much as possible – after all, this approach will keep us warm and comfortable while also reducing the

Managing Home Humidity for Maximum Comfort

Home Humidity – When you first move into a new home, you may be looking for that new house smell. For second-hand homes, these will not always be present. After all, the home has been

Is a Barndominium the Answer to Sustainable Living?

Barndominiums aren’t an entirely new concept, though their popularity has grown substantially in recent years. Behind much of this push is the fact that barndominiums are very eco-friendly, lending themselves to be one of the

Unlock the potential of your projects with S3DA's expertise.

Professional structural and MEP design services for commercial, industrial, and residential projects. We help architects, real estate developers, contractors and home owners.

Our Services

Structural Design

Helpful Links

111 Deerwood Road, Suite 200, San Ramon, CA 94583
8880 Rio San Diego Drive 8th Floor, CA 92108
3223 West 6th Street STE 101 Los Angeles, CA 90020
10151 Deerwood Park Boulevard, Building 200, Suite 250, Jacksonville, Florida 32256
(619) 736 3422
[email protected]

Guest Blogging Email

[email protected]

23 Insanely Scary DIY Haunted House Ideas

The Sits Girls

Some people like to decorate their houses for Halloween. Other people like to transform their homes into terrifying haunted houses. A little DIYing can help you get there, whether you want to create a full-blown experience for trick-or-treaters or you're just looking to decorate a little.

The more time you put into decorating for Halloween, the bigger the pay off as far as how memorable your home is to the neighbors. Explore these outrageously spooky haunted house ideas and figure out which makes the most sense for your home this year.

Use Chicken Wire to Make Creepy Ghosts

Wholesale Party Supplies

You can hang a white sheet and create a ghost, but this idea is sure to be more creepy. By using chicken wire, you can make the ghosts appear more lifelike in form. Also, opt for cheesecloth instead of sheets to make the entire project more spooky.

DIY Chicken Wire Ghosts from Wholesale Party Supplies

Start With PVC Pipe to Build a Grim Reaper

Print With My Pic

There's nothing quite as scary as the Grim Reaper making an appearance at your haunted house. The important thing is to take your time with this tutorial and use a foam wig stand to help make the shape true to form.

Make Your Own Grim Reaper Prop from Print With My Pic

Use Old Dolls for a Grotesque Mobile

There's not much creepier than a bunch of ragged, destroyed dolls hanging from the ceiling with weapons and blood galore. Just make sure whichever doll you decide to destroy isn't worth a ton of money first.

DIY Creepy Doll Mobile from Epbot

Make Your Home's Exterior Angry

Craftibilities

All you need to add some moody ambiance to your house is a wood sheet, sharpies, and some paint. For this project, the teeth have a lip that rests between two of the porch beams, so no nails were needed.

Make House Come Alive for Halloween from Craftibilities

Hang Some Halloween Skeletons From Your Roof

Instructables

If you want to add a touch of creepiness to your home's exterior but don't want to go all out, pick up a bunch of plastic skeletons and dangle them from your roof and windows.

DIY Climbing Halloween Skeletons from Instructables

Throw Around a Few Body Bags

This project is an inexpensive way to add major creepy vibes to any part of your haunted house. The key is to make the shape of the bags as body-like as possible. To accomplish this, stuff actual clothing with newspaper then put your dressed body inside the trash bags.

Body Bag Halloween Decorations from Craftibilities

Make This Terrifying Werewolf Head

If you love sculpting with clay , try out this haunted house idea. Werewolves are a classic Halloween staple, but sometimes they can look less than scary. Learn how to make your own and it will surely look ferocious. Hang the finished piece under your front porch or just inside your home's foyer.

DIY Werewolf Head Decor from Instructables

Float Some Candles Overhead

This haunted house DIY is inspired by Harry Potter , but even non-fans will be spooked when they look up and see the candles magically floating in mid-air.

Harry Potter Floating Candles from The Sits Girls

Construct This Scary Jack-o'-lantern Archway

Crazi Carlos

While you will need a ton of scary plastic jack-o'-lanterns to make this idea come to life, the end result will be totally worth it. The base of this arch is constructed out of a PVC pipe, so it's easy to customize to your specific entryway.

DIY Pumpkin Archway from Crazi Carlos

Weave This Giant Spider Web

My Untangled Life

No one wants to get caught in a spider web, especially not inside a haunted house. Learn how to weave a simple web and place them around your haunted house perimeter or to block off certain areas you don't want guests.

DIY Giant Spider and Web from My Untangled Life

Turn a Normal Doormat Into a Spiderweb Doormat

Delia Creates

This haunted house idea is more practical than it is scary. If you are inviting guests into your home to get spooked, make sure they wipe off their feet first. You can customize a basic black rug using white fabric paint.

DIY Spiderweb Doormat from Delia Creates

Place Some Skeleton Zombies on the Lawn

Take advantage of your front lawn space when setting up your haunted house. One way to do this is by littering the lawn with zombie skeletons. Craft a form out of PVC pipe, add some stained red clothing, and then put on a foam skeleton head.

DIY Zombies from Craftibilities

Craft an Archway Using Plastic Skulls and Chains

My Funhouse Projects

One of the most impressive parts of a haunted house is the entryway, so don't skimp on this first impression. Try to create this giant archway using carved foam boards. Next, add some extra detail using paint, decorative chains, and plastic skulls

DIY Spooky Archway from My Funhouse Projects

Paint a Spooky Halloween Subway Sign

A Pumpkin and a Princess

Signs are a great way to set the tone of your haunted house. Some haunted houses are downright scary and others might be more suitable for children. This sign works well for a more underage type haunted house. Simply find a canvas or some old boards you can stencil.

DIY Halloween Subway Art Sign from A Pumpkin and a Princess

Learn How to Build This Electric Chair

If you love building things with wood, perhaps this is the perfect haunted house idea for you to try this year. The devil is in the detail on this one, so don't expect to complete this project in one sitting.

DIY Electric Chair from Haunt 31

Add Some Silhouetted Figures to Your Windows

To add instant haunted curb appeal to your house, make a bunch of silhouetted figures using cardboard. If you aren't good at drawing freehand, the original creator included some downloadable templates. This haunted house idea is perfect if you want to make a big impact on a very small budget.

Haunted House Silhouettes from Make:

Don't Forget About Your Home's Interior

Flamingo Toes

If you plan on having your haunted house party or tour inside your home, make sure that virtually everything that is on display is creepy in one way or another. You can do this in an obviously gory way, or you can opt for a more elegant yet gothic approach with these candlesticks.

Spooky Crystal Ball Candlesticks from Flamingo Toes

DIY an Eek Marquee Sign

This is another more lighthearted haunted house idea that would work well for young children. You want to have the haunted house be whimsical, a little creepy, but not downright scary. This sign is made out of paper mache letters, paint, and a string of lights

DIY Eek Marquee from Lolly Jane

Label Everything With Creepy Words

Lia Griffith

No detail is too small when it comes to creating an absolutely unforgettable haunted house. Visitor's senses will be heightened and they will take in all sorts of creepy characteristics. If your haunted house is indoors, create a vignette of poisons and other bizarre potions using these apothocary labels.

Printable Apothecary Labels for Halloween from Lia Griffith

Create a Gallery of Ghost-like Faces

Seeing anything other than your face in a mirror can be a creepy experience. To recreate that concept in your haunted house, take some silver mirror spray paint and coat the inside of a glass frame to 60% opacity. Next, add in a photo of a creepy ghost or face behind the glass.

Hitch Hiking Ghost Mirrors from Anniemated

Scatter Glowing Spooky Eyes Around Your House

Dream a Little Bigger

Hide these DIY glowing spooky eyes in bushes, trees, or in windows to make it look like a monster is lurking around your home. To make your own, use a cardboard tube (like a toilet paper roll) and a glow stick.

DIY Glowing Spooky Eyes from Dream a Little Bigger

Put Some Writing on the Wall

From House to Home

In many cases, writing scary words on the wall in a red blood-like paint will work well. However, if you want to have a darkly lit haunted house, using glow in the dark paint is a much better option.

Glow in the Dark Party Ideas for Halloween from From House to Home

Pose Skeletons in Creative Ways

Helpful Homemade

If you're short on ideas on how to make a kid-friendly haunted house, consider ways to make the creepy seem more fun and human. For instance, pose some skeletons in creative ways doing everyday things.

DIY Skeleton Lawn Decor from Helpful Homemade

Here's How to Transform Your Home into the Spookiest Haunted House

Your neighbors will be scared—and impressed.

You're probably wondering how to turn your home into a haunted house. Where do you even begin? Or end , for that matter? How do you make it fun for all ages, without boring the older kids and adults? And how do you go all out, without breaking the bank?

It all might seem a bit overwhelming, but we checked in with a couple of designers who have been constructing haunted houses for years. Ahead, you'll find their best ideas for how to design a haunted scene in your home and backyard—nothing too elaborate, don't worry—along with recommendations on where to find props and decorations. So whether you've been hosting your own haunt for ages and want to level up or you're ready to give those trick-or-treaters a good scare for the first time, this guide will help you design and make a haunted house that's the hit of the neighborhood!

Can you make your own haunted house?

The short answer is yes! However, it helps to first decide how much money you want to spend as well as how big and elaborate you want to get before you start the actual decorating. If you want to make a haunted house kids (and their parents) will be talking about for years, begin planning it early, way before Halloween.

"I'm thinking about it 24-7-365," says Angela Colone, who's been an actor and designer for professional haunts including Screams at the Beach , in Georgetown, Delaware, and 301 Devil's Playground in Galena, Maryland. "I'm always looking at Facebook Marketplace to see if anyone is selling cheap props or things that they're getting rid of... I also look at yard sales and thrift stores. I'm always trying to pick up stuff."

Kate Pearce , an interior design blogger and content creator from Chicago, Illinois, who has long created spooky Halloween scenes based on thrift stores finds, also advises searching secondhand shops. "My biggest piece of advice would be to go to the thrift store and explore the entire thing, not just the Halloween aisle," she says. "Thrift is cheap, and therefore not a huge financial commitment, so you can really have fun and let your mind run wild."

Otherwise, you can cut costs by buying one professional prop and using it as a guide for making your own version of it. For example, when Colone was creating a barn scene with a spider's nest, she purchased one spider and fashioned the rest from papier-mâché and spray paint, hanging them from the ceiling with fishing line and on a dollar bag of Halloween cobwebs.

"It was really inexpensive," Colone says. "Papier-mâché is pretty awesome and it's disposable, so you don't have to hold on to it the next season if you don't want to. And it's the kind of craft you could make with your own kids."

How do you turn a house into a haunted house?

Let's start at the beginning. If you're building a haunted house that you want to appeal to younger kids, don't make the entrance too scary. You can set a mood with fog machines and corn stalk décor , but make sure the area around your door is open and inviting, rather than claustrophobic—it should be well-lit, too. You also want to keep the scenes you create inside of your home illuminated, so kids can see everything and the lights aren't directly focused on something scary.

"With kids, it's more about enabling them to look openly at everything," Colone says. "Usually for an adult haunt, you want it to be very chaotic. You want the fear of who's going to jump out now and what's coming around the next corner. But children need to see everything and be open to it. You want to allow them to come into your scene. You don't want to push your scene on them."

Speaking of scenes, Colone has a few ideas for sets and props the kids will love:

Cut a large hole in a refrigerator box to make a ticket booth. Dress one of your actors as a a clown and tuck them away at the ticket window. Offer carnival games for kids to try, like a bean bag toss , mini bowling , Pick a Duck or others. Bubbles drifting through the scene give it a festive feel, especially if they're scented like cotton candy !

Stock shelves with children's books you find at secondhand stores. Dress one of your actors like a wizard, who allows the kids to pick a book to take home with them. You can also make simple wands for take-home gifts. Tie twine on one end of a stick, and glue or tie faux gems on the other end of the twine.

Buy a few hay bales, pumpkins and corn stalks and decorate a room with them. Spread hay on the floor and add spider's nests in the corners of the room. Dress an actor like a scarecrow in simple makeup and a costume. You could also take this idea outside and easily make a haunted barnyard.

What are some tips for a kid-friendly haunted house?

After all, the idea is not to give kiddos nightmares, but to entertain them.

Use makeup rather than masks on actors.

"Masks can be a little too scary for some kids because they don't see a human behind it," Colone says. "If they don't see a human face, it's hard for them to approach."

Speak in a normal voice.

"When we do an adult haunt, we like to get creative with our voices and our tones, whereas a child may not like that," Colone says. "Instead, we talk to them in our normal voice, and we let them know they're welcome to come in and look around."

Give them something to take home .

According to Colone, from star or bug stickers to cardboard cut-outs of tombstones they can decorate at home, "kids like to have something to take with them that isn't just candy."

Engage more than one sense.

"What I've noticed in my years doing this is that both children and adults want to smell, feel, and even taste," Colone says. "For example, we've used cake batter , so they could smell that it was sweet, but the texture was almost like brains... and obviously things like the dirt pudding cups with the gummy worms in it."

How do you make a creepy haunted house?

If you want older kids to have as much fun in your haunt as the young ones, you're going to have to give them a satisfyingly creepy experience. Consider constructing different paths in your house, and giving your guests the choice of which ones they want to take: less spooky or seriously spooky. "Sometimes, it's nice to have multiple crossroads because the kids can say that wasn't that scary, I want to try a scarier one," Colone says. "So, that way, you're breaking it up and letting them choose what they want to see."

If you don't have enough rooms in your home to build that many individual scenes, you can construct walls with white sheets and even spray paint them with background scenery if you're feeling artistic. On the spooky path, use a bit more blood, full face Halloween masks and maybe even a ghoul or two popping out of hidden spaces. Decorate whole rooms when you can, like this killer dining room idea from Pearce, which utilizes items she found in the thrift store.

Put up a scary portrait.

Buy an old painting, poke holes in it and paint fake blood dripping from the holes. Extra points if you use the eyes for holes. "This same idea could be applied to a cheap portrait print that you don't feel bad poking some holes in," Pearce says.

Hang some doll heads.

Buy some creepy old dolls, pop their heads off and hang them with fishing line from the ceiling at different heights.

Sit a skeleton down.

If you have a skeleton handy, sit it at the dining room table. Pop off a bunch of old Barbie-sized doll heads and place them in a Halloween bowl with a spoon in front of the skeleton. It looks, says Pearce, "like the skeleton is eating a bowl of Barbie heads like cereal."

How do you make an outdoor haunted house?

Give your guests a fright before they even cross your doorstep by setting up a spooky scene in your front or back yard. We've got tons of ideas for store-bought and DIY outdoor Halloween decorations , including Halloween inflatables that will make a big scary statement and Halloween animatronics with glowing red eyes and creepy catchphrases.

And you know all those spooky Halloween party themes you've been brainstorming? They'll work perfectly for a themed haunted house, too! For her part, Colone likes creepy camping scenes. "Spray paint a sheet with Halloween scenes and toss it over an old tent," she says. "Kids can crawl through the tent and you can have an actor tell camp fire stories on the other side of it." Instead of lighting a real fire, stay safe with a faux campfire you can purchase or DIY from cardboard.

The most important thing to remember when creating your haunt is "to let your imagine go and have fun," Colone says. "It's all about how you want to make your haunted house."

.css-tr3118:before{background-image:radial-gradient(circle at 15px 0, #44ABA5 9px, #44ABA5 15px, rgba(255,255,255,0) 16px);background-repeat:repeat-x;content:'';display:block;height:2rem;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-tr3118:before{-webkit-background-size:30px 16px;background-size:30px 16px;margin-left:-0.99rem;width:100vw;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-tr3118:before{-webkit-background-size:30.659px 16px;background-size:30.659px 16px;margin-left:0;width:100%;}} What You'll Need For Your Haunted House

Fog Machine with 13 Colorful LED Lights

Hanging Posable Skeleton

Halloween Inflatable

Artificial Paper Fire

Jill Gleeson is a travel journalist and memoirist based in the Appalachian Mountains of western Pennsylvania who has written for websites and publications including Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Country Living, Washingtonian, Gothamist, Canadian Traveller, and EDGE Media Network. Jill is the travel editor for Enchanted Living. Learn more about her journey at gleesonreboots.com.

.css-13ut7j9:before{background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-size:contain;background-size:contain;content:'';display:block;margin:auto auto 0.25rem;}.loaded .css-13ut7j9:before{background-image:url('/_assets/design-tokens/thepioneerwoman/static/images/butterfly.svg');}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-13ut7j9:before{height:1.616rem;width:2.039rem;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-13ut7j9:before{height:1.9rem;width:2.5rem;}} Halloween 2023

Play These Halloween Songs At Your Monster Mash

Here's the Reason for Teal Pumpkins on Halloween

Host a Halloween Dinner With These Spooky Ideas

Pumpkin Bars With Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

25 Halloween Hairdos That Can Double as a Costume

50 Fun Trunk-or-Treat Themes to Try This Halloween

These DIY Group Halloween Costumes Are Scary Good

How to Watch the 'Halloween' Movies in Order

40 Halloween Lunches for Kids and Adults Alike

Mix Up a Bowl of Witchy Halloween Punch

These Teacher Halloween Costumes Get an A+

CREATE AN EVENT
FIND HAUNTED ATTRACTIONS

14 DIY Haunted House Props you Can Make on a Budget

Are you looking to conserve your budget with some homemade haunted house props that still send a chill down your guests’ spine? We’ve got you covered with some truly terrifying DIY haunted house prop ideas that are both budget-friendly and customizable. Check out our top 14 prop ideas for a haunted house and the materials you’ll need to make them.

1. Flickering Candles

Materials: battery-operated candles, black spray paint, hot glue

Instructions: spray paint the candles black, then use hot glue to create dripping wax effects. Watch a full instructional video .

2. Severed Heads

Materials: foam wig heads, latex paint, acrylic paint, fake blood

Instructions: paint the foam wig heads with latex and acrylic paint to create a realistic-looking face. Add fake blood for a more gruesome effect. Watch a full instructional video .

3. Tombstones

Materials: styrofoam sheets, black spray paint, white paint, hot glue

Instructions: cut the styrofoam into tombstone shapes, spray paint black, then use white paint and hot glue to add details. Watch a full instructional video .

4. Hanging Cages

Materials: 2 laundry baskets, glue or zip ties or black string, black spray paint, fake chains

Instructions: spray paint both laundry baskets black, glue them together (or secure with zip ties/black string), then add fake chains for a more realistic look. Watch a full instructional video .

5. Spooky Trees

Materials: PVC pipes or cylindrical cardboard, foam insulation, spray paint, hot glue/tape

Instructions: use PVC pipes or cardboard to create tree trunk shapes, then spray paint black or brown. Cover the trunk with foam insulation and use hot glue to create twisted tree branches. Watch a full instructional video .

6. Ghostly Figures

Materials: cloth, foam balls, glue, white paint, black spray paint

Instructions: cut the cloth into ghost shapes, use the foam balls to create a frame (or head), and glue the cloth over it. Paint the foam balls with white paint for the head and add black spray paint for a haunting look. Insert a wire into the foam ball to hang, or add thin supports like legs to set it on the ground or table. Watch a full instructional video .

7. Monster Eyes

Materials: ping pong balls, glow-in-the-dark paint, hot glue, red string, paint

Instructions: paint the ping pong balls with glow-in-the-dark paint, then use hot glue or red string to add veins for a realistic look. Then they can be added to a jar full of water or placed wherever they’ll be more effective. Watch a full instructional video .

8. Creepy Dolls

Materials: old dolls, fake blood, black paint

Instructions: use black paint to create a creepy, haunting look on old dolls. Add fake blood for a gruesome effect. Watch a full instructional video .

Materials: foam balls, wire, black pool noodles, black paint, black ductape, hot glue

Instructions: insert the wire into the pool noodles and attach them together in a row, spray paint or cover the foam balls in ductape for the body, and attach the legs. Adjust the angle of the legs as desired.

Use pipe cleaners to create spider legs, paint the foam balls black, and use hot glue to attach the legs. Get the full instructions .

10. Creepy Portraits

Materials: old frames and creepy pictures

Instructions: print out creepy images or draw them yourself and put them in old frames. You could paint the frames or give them an antique look for added effect. Watch a full instructional video .

11. Scary Silhouettes

Materials: black paper, scissors, flashlight

Instructions: cut spooky shapes out of the black paper and shine a flashlight behind them. Watch a full instructional video .

creepy voodoo doll surrounded by small lit candles

12. Heads In Jars

Materials: old jars, pictures, fake hair

Instructions: take a 180 picture of your face, add hair, tape or glue it inside a jar to create creepy decor. Watch a full instructional video .

13. Haunted Mirror

Materials: 4 picture frames, LED lights, creepy photo, glue

Instructions: place a reflective vinyl on the side of one of the glass panels, insert your haunted image behind this glass panel in the frame, then glue all the empty frames together on top of each other. Glue the LED lights to the back of the final frame and put it back in the frame. Watch a full instructional video .

14. Haunted Dollhouse

Materials: old dollhouse, paint, creepy designs

Instructions: paint the dollhouse with creepy designs and add spooky furniture and dolls to complete the look. Watch a full instructional video .

Don’t DIY Ticketing

One thing you shouldn’t DIY is your ticketing system. Let the experts like us handle the ticketing logistics so that you can focus on getting your hands messy in the blood and gore. With a reliable ticketing system, you can streamline the ticketing process, reduce wait times, and ensure that your haunt runs smoothly. Trust the experts and enjoy the spooky season.

No matter what theme your haunted attraction chooses, these DIY haunted house props are sure to be a hit and a cost-effective way to decorate your haunt. If you’re looking for more resources for building your haunt on a budget, give this blog a read: Building a Haunted House on a Budget: 5 Tips for Successful Scaring .

Click here to schedule a demo with HauntPay

All Products
Industrial Covers
Custom Covers
Solar Shades
Cushion & Pillow Covers
Custom Tarps

How to Make a DIY Haunted House in Your Backyard

February 28, 2023

It’s that time of the year again. Time for ghosts and ghouls, goblins and orcs, and murderers and psychopaths to roam freely about your neighborhood in search of candy and whatnot. One of the best parts of Halloween, a particular favorite around the BannerBuzz HQ, is the haunted house. If you’re lucky there’s a house in your neighborhood that takes up the mantle of being in charge of it every year.

Sometimes it’s in a basement, other times the garage or the carport. But with props becoming more cheaply and readily available every year, the backyard haunted house has become a fan favorite. Here are some tips and tricks for making yours a bloody successful good time.

Plan, Plan, Plan

Make a map. You don’t have to use special software or anything (though that would be cool) – just a simple drawing on paper will suffice. Will it have rooms? Is it maze-style? Are there places where you need a hidden compartment for a jump scare? See what we mean? The planning stage, as in all projects, is the most important stage of them all. Price your ideas online, get a feel for the cost – and add an extra 50% because… well, it just happens.

There’s a reason Teamsters are always over budget and it’s not just because of the graft. Besides, you can’t just go to the Backyard Haunted House Store, grab your kit, and go (though that would be cool).

Price the Materials for Your Walls

These, along with a roof if you’re planning one, will be the most expensive. Folks used to use wood: 2 x 4’s for framing, maybe cement bases for the posts, etc. Might we be so bold and suggest one of the newest darlings of the DIY world for your framing: PVC pipes. These bad boys are incredibly versatile.

Build the entire schematic for less than the cost of wood and it has a great deal more flexibility, not to mention it is easier it cut, fit together, take apart, and store. You still might need some type of wood-based product for the walls, but the framing will be so much easier for you if you use PVC pipes. For inspiration, check out Pinterest, which has a bevy of great ideas.

Read Also: 8 Ways to Bring the Multiplex to Your Backyard

Buy Online in Bulk

Gonna need a lot of black draperies. And we mean a lot. So get busy and fine the best deal online. Even if you plan on painting sections, you’re still going to use a lot of black drapery. And we mean a lot. Want to get creative? What about black plastic sheets? Or ginormous, industrial garbage bags? They could bring the price down farther and they also won’t be bothered by rain. Something to think about…

Spend $$ on the Big Scares

Just like action movies that spend huge chunks for their budgets on action set pieces, figure out what your big scares are and make them as good as possible. Put extra planning and extra resources into them. That doesn’t mean go all movie studio on the problems by throwing money at them. You still need to be creative. But channel any extra funds and energy into making these pop.

Spiders Are Creepy. Period.

Only a few deranged zoologists like spiders. The rest of humanity would rather submit to many tortures before being forced to walk through a giant hallway filled with spider webs. So, it’s always a good idea to go online and get yourself A LOT of spider web material. We found 1100 square feet of it on Amazon for $13. Then get the most realistic spiders you can in bulk, and maybe spring for a couple of the most realistic animatronic spiders you can find. Or just 1. We’ve seen them range from $15 all the way to $2,000 (that included a “dead body”).

Clowns = Scary

There’s a reason why It and it’s sequel It: Chapter Two have grossed over $500,000,000 dollars. Because a scary clown is scary. That’s why it’s not a benevolent clown. Evil jumps geometrically when you put that face paint and clown nose on it. Imagine, if you will, a killer clown animatronic at your entrance. And then another inside… except inside it’s a live person made to look like an animatronic… and that live person suddenly lunges at your guests. That’s priceless terror right there. Make sure you have a camera taking pictures in that room.

Read Also: 10 Ways to Transform Your Backyard for Hurricane Season

Accents Can Be Had Cheap – but Don’t Forget to DIY

Ancient-looking doorways. Blood-soaked executioner’s axe. Ancient chalices. Skulls, bones, skeletons. Chains. All of these are readily – and cheaply – available. Even stores like Home Depot are carrying them now. So don’t slack off on the shopping job.

What about DIY, you ask? Well, glad you did, because there are a lot of cool, easy ways to create those accents and haunted house tchotchkes that will take your backyard scarefest up a couple notches. When in doubt – YouTube.

Start Early

Put in the work. Don’t hastily throw this thing together. Get creative. Leave no gravestone unturned. Figure out your big scares and build around them. From there, you’ll be able to build and/or find a lot of cool stuff both for the big scares and for everywhere in between, from big items to accouterment, and they can all elevate your haunted house game.