Crashing witch

I love this idea. Dave Lowe does some amazing stuff.

Build a bigger mousetrap

This photo gives me a good idea. I'm going to build a giant mousetrap for my yard haunt. Shouldn't be too difficult. Of course, if you build a giant mousetrap like that you always run the risk of catching a nude model like this one. (I'd hate to have to explain that one to my wife!)

Tasteless Halloween

I don't know. I'm no prude, but even I found this Halloween prop to be in slightly poor taste.

Prop of the day

This amazing spider prop was built by Tracy Murphy of "Village Haunt". Using windshield wiper motors as well as pneumatics, it has the ability to chase after trick-or-treaters and spit "venom" at them. Click here for a terrific video detailing the spider's creation. (My favorite part was learning that the spider's legs were covered in eight fuzzy scarves that Tracy's wife knitted.)

More detailed instructions on building this prop can be found here.

Torture devices

Sometimes, there seems to be a serious lack of originality in yard haunts. So before you become the umpteenth person to build an electric chair or hanging cage for your Halloween display, check out this gallery of torture and execution machinery. They showcase many unusual devices that you've probably never seen before. My personal favorites are the Drunkard's Cloak and the Spanish Chair.

Bleeding tombstone

What a great idea! I've never seen a bleeding tombstone before. The folks at Mourning Cemetery did a wonderful job building this.

Cheap coffin plans

Here are plans for building a super inexpensive coffin using just one sheet of plywood. It's guaranteed to look better, last longer, and cost less than half as much as many commercially available coffins.

Delicious?

Here are instructions for creating an edible "meat head" to serve on Halloween.

Pros: It's easy to make and looks great.

Cons: Jell-O and cold cuts? That doesn't seem like a very appetizing combination.

How to make fake eyes

Here is a fast and easy (and cheap!) way to make realistic looking fake eyes.

What a witch!

That's right. I'm the lunatic with the giant witch on his roof. As promised, here are all the gorey details... I discovered the witch in Media, PA. She was created as an advertising piece for the local theatre company's production of "The Wizard Of Oz". They told me I could have her for $100 as long as I "got her off of the marquee before Saturday." Otherwise, she was headed for the dumpster. With the help of some strong friends and a 20 foot UHaul I was able to get her back to NJ. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take her lower half (which was approx. 20 feet tall!), but the torso is more than big enough for me. I like to say that we used to have a two car garage, but now we have a one witch, one car garage. The torso is approx. 12 feet tall with an 11 foot armspan. She weighs about 300 pounds, so each year I have to hire a crane to lift her into place. She is tethered to the house at four points. In the yard, I poured two steel-reinforced concrete columns (hidden in the bushes) so I could attach her to the ground with a pair of aircraft cables. I've watched her during 50 mile an hour winds and she doesn't move an inch!

More paper-mache madness

For my money, one of the finest prop builders around has to be Krough at GrimVisions. What he does with paper-mache is amazing! Check out the three trees that he has created for his yard haunt. You can see a tortured, writhing soul in the trunk of each one. Click here for complete instructions on how to build one of these props for your own display.