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Author Topic: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff  (Read 7135 times)

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DaOld Man

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Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« on: October 04, 2013, 08:14:17 pm »
Ok boys and girls, it's just about time for the haunting season!
Show us your automated Halloween projects, or haunted houses you have made or helped out with.
I figure this forum is a good place to show off your work.

darthpaul

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #1 on: October 11, 2013, 10:45:27 pm »
Don't have anything to show but the http://monsterguts.com/ website is where I purchased my windshield wiper motors for my rotating monitor and control panels. I also picked up a few pointers on linkages.
"You don't know the power of the Dark Side"
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Howard_Casto

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2013, 03:44:46 pm »
Man this thread is dead.  I've had various family situations the past few years preventing me from building anything nice, but I have done a lot of cool stuff in the past. 

I'm currently uploading all my Halloween stuff to my image shack account... when it's done I'll post a link and maybe post a couple of the cooler ones here directly.

*Edit*  Even though these are technically automated projects, I think you would have gotten a bigger response if you posted this in Everything Else. 
« Last Edit: October 29, 2013, 04:08:22 pm by Howard_Casto »

Howard_Casto

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2013, 06:23:36 am »
Ok I'm sure most people will find this thread boring, but since nobody has posted anything anyway. 

I started documenting my exploits around 07, so I'll walk you through it. 

Halloween 07:

I had done a bunch of dummies and mini gadgets in the past but this was the year I decided some horror icons need to be represented and I needed to set a "scene" for my yard.

So a few brown paper bags, some glue and some duct tape later I get these:



Which turn into these:



I also made a glove out of galvanized roof sheeting (so it could stay outside and not rust):



I went to 84 lumber, picked up a 4x8 sheet of Styrofoam, and made a graveyard:



Anyway Jason had a kicking mechanism but it never panned out so I eventually removed it.  You'll see these dummies in later year's pics so rather than clutter the thread I'll omit them until a later year when they are "complete". 

08 comes next. 

Howard_Casto

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #4 on: October 31, 2013, 06:36:42 am »
Ok Halloween 08.... some of my animated stuff starts getting introduced.

Frist off I bought a couple of boris talking skulls the last year.  I added carpet latex and a bunch of paint to one to make a talking Crypt Keeper:



I used the other one on my Reaper that looks over the graveyard:



He's mounted on a complicated rig that uses a oscillating fan motor, so he moves his entire torso back and forth scanning the graves.  The head on this guy never worked right for some reason... I think moisture got into it, so I removed it in subsequent years. 

Here are Freddy and Jason as I would display them for the next few years:





Poor old Freddy, I put him at the front gate and everybody thought he as a photo op so I eventually had to move him.  He's got real metal blades on the glove so he's dangerous.

09 is next:

Howard_Casto

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2013, 06:50:35 am »
Halloween 09: 

A few more automated props, some store bought and some otherwise.



This little guy was built with a reindeer motor and some scraps.  Peeps his head back and forth looking around the tombstone. 

I got this guy at an auction for 20 bucks:



This one has an offset motor in it, so it shakes when you get close:




Some random props I've built but never really used:



Sentinel Spheres:



And the big project.  The plan was to make a "tall man" that lunged out of his casket, but the casket took waaaaay too long to build so I made a random dummy and stuffed him in there.  I never have got back to this project due to family issues creeping up every single Halloween since, but I eventually will:



Ok 10 is up next
« Last Edit: October 31, 2013, 06:52:44 am by Howard_Casto »

Howard_Casto

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2013, 06:57:48 am »
Halloween 10

This is the year real life stuff really started getting in the way, so I didn't add anything new.  Just two pics:



As you can see, my home-made tombstone collection had expanded over the last couple of years. 

Also they casket got converted to wood because the black plastic was just too flimsy:



That's it.  11 is next, which was the last year I really did it right. 


Howard_Casto

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2013, 07:08:39 am »
Ok, not a whole lot of new stuff in 11, but I really upped the presentation of what I had.

Here is the shot of the house with my store-bought "butler" dummy and my homemade Michael Myers, which for some unknown reason scared the crap out of the kids:





I spent that summer making a jointed, *almost  freestanding joint system for all my dummies.  This is why MM stands on his own. 

The real thing that showed it off though was FvJ:



Unfortunately we had a huge rain storm the night before, and Freddy's stuffing kind of melted, which made him look a little fake.  Jason survived though. 

And that's about it.  We had a mega storm last year and the power was out, so no pics. 

Surely somebody else has done something worth posting compared to my failed attempts.

Oh here are links to my albums.  Tons more "behind the scenes" pics in there if anyone is hard-up for entertainment.

http://imageshack.us/g/1/10374283/
http://imageshack.us/g/1/10374306/
http://imageshack.us/g/1/10374325/
http://imageshack.us/g/1/10374515/
« Last Edit: October 31, 2013, 07:11:40 am by Howard_Casto »

DaOld Man

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2013, 08:09:19 pm »
Cool.  :applaud: :applaud:

Zeenon

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #9 on: November 01, 2013, 12:29:19 am »


My haunt from 2007, pretty much added a few new props for 2013.

Z

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #10 on: November 02, 2013, 08:15:37 am »
That's impressive man!

I've got a question.  Does anyone actually listen to the skeleton?  The reason I ask is because my crypt keeper works in much the same way, with a long dialogue ect and he is promptly ignored by the kiddies.  On the other hand put out a cheap piece of crap from k-mart that goes "ooooo-weeeee  ooooo-weeee" and they jump.

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #11 on: November 04, 2013, 11:21:18 pm »
Howard,

That is funny you should say that, after the party we had this year, my wife and decided it was time to retire the skeleton. The dialog was too long and most kids just walked right by. Adults are the only ones to actually stop and listen. For next year, I need quick/startling props. I added a trash can trauma and a spider attached to a cylinder that jumped when stepping on a mat which seemed to do the trick this year.

Z

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Re: Haunted Houses and other automatic Halloween stuff
« Reply #12 on: November 05, 2013, 03:23:55 am »
I did a TCT one year, this was before I started documenting stuff.  It was great, the kids loved it, BUT, after that year I stopped using it.  Compressed air is a pain in the butt because I've got to find somewhere to put the air compressor, and it's loud when it refills. 

I haven't ever tried with a self-contained canister though... I've heard that some people have had success with that, but my guess is I would run out of air before the night was over. 

Not using air makes it hard to do some of my props though.  I mentioned before that I want my guy in the casket to pop out.... I bought one of those 2 foot tall "graveyard ghoul" popups from k-mart a few years back to use as the mechanism, but it didn't pan out... the device, even with a dedicated power supply, can't handle much weight.  I'm going to try to beef it up next summer by maybe adding bungee cords or a stronger motor. 

I really want to do an axworthy ghost too.  I've tried several times over the years, experimenting with different types of line and pulleys, ect, but the line always falls on me.  It's one of those deals where if I have to get on a ladder and fiddle with it every day it isn't worth doing.