Ideas for Making Haunted Yards

Lighting

• When creating a haunted lighting scheme, it needs to be dim, but with enough light to see the props and decorations. Using pumpkins with electric lights is one option. Scary jack-o-lanterns are a good choice as well as tiki torches, which can be decorated with spider web. Candelabras are always a good haunted lighting choice, and electric ones are available for purchase. Strobe lights can also be used in pumpkins or under a ghost decoration.

Graves and Tombstones

• A haunted yard isn't complete without a freshly dug grave and some tombstones. If you don't want to dig a hole, use a large piece of plastic and add some potting soil or dirt from your yard and create a small pile. Add a tombstone at the top of the pile of dirt. A tombstone can easily be made with some styrofoam. Paint the styrofoam grey and use black paint for the epitaph. For added effect, shine a small spotlight on the tombstone. You can also use glow-in-the-dark or fluorescent paint and shine a black light on it.

Ghosts and Goblins

• Other decorations that are a necessity are ghosts, goblins and any other scary entities. If you have trees in your yard, hang a ghost or a hooded creature from a branch. Plant a scarecrow. Decorations that pop out and make a scary noise are always a good way to create the mood. Skeletons, bats, vampires and witches also make good yard decorations, along with body parts, snakes, spiders and anything else that might evoke a scream from an unsuspecting person.

Other Decorations

• There are other necessities to help bring your decorations to life such as spider web that can be strewn throughout the yard to give everything a "spookier" look. Silly string is another fun item that can be sprayed on trees, decorations and even unsuspecting people. Crime-scene tape can be used to create a "dead body" scene somewhere in the yard. Other items to have on hand to make the job easier are duct tape, scissors, hot glue, super glue, paint and markers.