# Lighting a haunted trail??????



## drail14me

I'm looking for some inexpensive ways to light a haunted trail that we are working on for this Halloween.

The trail is just over one mile long and meanders through an 80 acre block of thick woods. I have no power source except for at the beginning of the trail. I don't think I can run a mile of extension cord.

Last year, we used small brown paper bags with a tea light candle in them for light. These worked great giving off just enough light to find your way in the dark. The only problem was that the tea lights burned out after about an hour leaving us in the dark. I've thought about using bigger candles but really want to stay away from open flames.

Any ideas on an inexpensive yet visually appealing way to light the trail?

Thanks for any help,

Dennis


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## Decrepit Desecr8shun

2 double A batteries,a battery holder(radio shack),4 LED's per bag(use white bags for maximum visibility). Or use C-cells if you want to do groups of more LED's. Do not use LED simulated candles as LED's are highly diretional in output angle(usually 15 degrees of so for the focused beam). If you want more even lighting,then get diffused bulbs or scuff water clear led's w fine sandpaper for a brighter effect than the diffused led's... Have fun & happy haunting!


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## beelce

I used the $5 oil lanterns from Walmart to light my Haunted Trail....They last about 3 long nights on each filling of fuel....Problem is, they are still an open flame....I know have gone on to use the mile of extension cords, and have no more open flames
Good luck and have a great haunt


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## Devils Chariot

you can even make single led spots, just tape a fencing wire to a 9v battery and then run the led up to the end. They last for about 5 days continuously and you can bend the wire to point the light where you want it.


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## drail14me

Thanks for the notes guys. I'll look into the LED's. I'm not sure what fencing wire is though??

What about the flameless tealights like these: 




or these: http://www.flamelesscandles.net/led/Flameless+Tea+Lights.html

I wonder what kind of light these would put off? Anyone used them?

We actually thought about carving about 200 small pumpkins and using these to light them with and line the trail with the pumpkins.

Thanks for any more comments,

Dennis


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## Hallowennie315

Small LED tea lights are good, however I don't know how much light one LED candle will produce. You might have to use two, or you could use these:
http://haunttheyard.blogspot.com/2009/08/led-spots.html
You could make your own LED spotlights. From one of the pictures, they look pretty bright, and can be run off battery. Another cool thing would be floating candles. I can't remember where I saw them, but they were just battery operated candles with fishing line hot glued to the top. You could attach them to the trees.


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## KStone

I know you were trying to stay away from flames, but tiki torches are on sale this time of year. If you put the wick down low, the citronella should last a lot longer and your flame will not be as high. Just a thought...


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## Decrepit Desecr8shun

What about the flameless tealights like these: http://www.amazon.com/Operated-Reali...=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

Not a good idea as they are dim and directional in light output(see my 1st post)

"just tape a fencing wire to a 9v battery and then run the led up to the end"

also not an idea I would use as 99 1/2% of ALL led's are rated @ 4.5 volt maximum voltage,and some as low as .5 volt for surface mount types(the kind in your cellphone used for back lighting your screen & keys). The ones that are rated @ 12volts include a resistor built in that wastes power(the byproduct of resistance is heat) which will substantially reduce your available battery power and life span.

On the other hand you can also use lower rated batteries (like 3 LR-44 watch batteries or N type)batteries to provide 3volt output in a really compact package. And they will last all night long and sometimes well into the next week. Hope this helps. Feel free 2 PM me if you have anymore questions.


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## drail14me

Thanks for that link to make the LED spotlights. I think I'll give that a try. That will be a GREAT way to illuminate some of my scenes. I also like the floating candle idea.

I found some neat battery powered UV (Blacklights) today on the net. I ordered a couple of those too to test along with some Wildfire UV paint.

As for the batter powered tea light. I picked up some today at the dollar store for two for a $1. Pretty good deal. I also ordered a couple mini funkins to carve and put the tea lights in. I'll test those on the trail as soon as they get in. I only need enough light to mar the trail. Basically like runway lights. Just stay between the lights, walk and scream. LOL

I'll be posting scenes as we start building. For now, it's all cutting and clearing in 90 degree heat with 90% humidity. The things we do for the haunt. 

Thanks,

Dennis


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## Revenant

The dollar tree is the best deal for flickering tealights I've seen anywhere. And you can order them directly from their warehouse by the case.

If you want flickering light that's stronger (say, a bank of hi-bright LEDs), you can make a high-power flicker circuit that can drive a homemade LED spot. I bought a bunch of the IC's from a Hong-Kong outfit on eBay:









and then with the help[ of some of the electro-whiz-guys here on the forum I put together this circuit:









I needed the circuit because the flicker IC's won't support the amperage draw of more than one hi-bright LED; but by adding the transistor you can drive the IC with it's own wimpy current and let the power source power the lights.

You can ask Pyro about how well they work/last; I made a set for him for Secret Reaper last year.


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## drail14me

Hey Guys. Checking back in with some updates. I made five of the PVC/Superbrite LED spots. They were SUPER EASY to make. Going to test them on the trail tonight.

Another idea I had goes back to open flames. I took and empty quart paint can and stuffed it with heavy duty paper towels. I then poured it full of diesel fuel and lit. It's been burning steady for over three hours now. The bad side is the black soot it releases. I'm thinking I might take some post hole diggers and set the cans just below the surface of the ground. This will give the effect of fire coming out of the ground. I might use these to light a few of my scenes.

Getting pumped up for the season!!!!

Dennis


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## spinwitch

A _mile???_ I thought I was doing good with a quarter mile trail!!

Open flames in nature make me nervous--not only is nature flammable, but frightened people might step on them, bump into them, knock them over . . . (OK--grownup moment has passed).

Last year our power became very iffy because we had rain and it kept shorting out and blowing the circuit. What saved us was an armload of little LED tap lights (can also get them at Dollar Tree).

We have found that you need a lot less light than you think you will--people's eyes adjust to the darkness pretty well.

I'm curious to hear about your trail--how do you fill up a *mile*??


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## drail14me

*Thanks for the note Spinwitch.....*

I to don't like the open flame. Last year, the tea light candles worked great until they burned out. They only lasted a couple hours. I've picked up three different brands of battery powered tea lights that I'm going to test. As you say, eyes adjust. We want just enough light to mark the trail no light the trail. So, I think these will do just fine.

As for filling the mile (actually 1.4 miles), that is going to be the fun part. We've got some great ideas, just we just have create them. Our crew of haunters is coming out this Sunday afternoon for a brainstorm/planning session. We've got scenes planned out for a good bit of the trail but we won't "Fill" the trial. To me, one of the scariest things is just being in the dark in the middle of the woods. So, we'll leave some very dimmly lit stretches of nothing but maybe just sounds. Maybe someone about 25 yards off the trail in the dark snapping sticks???? Just enough to mess with the mind.


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## spinwitch

When we started doing the trail we were still in a "haunted house" frame of mind, and tended to keep the scenes small--room sized. Now we realize that we can have scenes that stretch out for 20-30 feet (or more) if we like).

You can also go up--big things are intimidating. We made a huge "fishnet" tent out of landscaping cloth (that stuff that looks like really big burlap). The logistics got a little crazy--we took long poles and nailed plastic bucket lids to the top (because the holes in the landscaping cloth were so big). We sewed three long lengths of the cloth together. Then we dug some post holes, laid the poles on the ground, laid the cloth over that, and then lifted the whole thing. The uneven draping of it made it look even creepier--and it was about 15 feet high. People piled up outside, not wanting to go in.

But I digress from lighting. As Trail Boss, I spend my night walking the trail trouble shooting. Part of my costume is a pack with spare lights and batteries, so when something goes out I can replace it (for a mile you'd want a few trail walkers).

You could hang some bodies or hanging heads or big spiders just off the trail (maybe 10-12 feet) and have a hidden person with a strong flashlight light them up for just a moment--your "victims" can see for just a moment that something is there--but then it's dark again. Heck--you could have your actor just shine the light on him/her self for a moment (they should close their eyes so they can see afterwards) and then off again. He's there, you know he's there, but you can't see him . . .


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## caligirl

we use glow sticks . cheap and easy. buy alot some get stolen by people trying to be cool! Good prices at our vendor glow works. www.gloworks.com


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## Phil1979

I also am making some of the led spotlights for our outdoor haunt I think they will go over very well.


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## Just Whisper

What about small candles (slightly larger than tea lights) in small bowls (like little globes)? the glow stick is a great idea. I think dollar tree has them right now.


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## spinwitch

I can't remember where a friend saw "witch jars" (probably somewhere on this forum). But you just take empty jars, swish a little tempera paint in them to dirty them up, and drop in a tea light (the real ones are way cheap). Looks so good--we'll be using them this year.


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## darkrosemanor

I'm not certain who originally started the Witch Jars, but Pumpkinrot definitely has them on his site. I just finished making a bunch of them for this year.



spinwitch said:


> I can't remember where a friend saw "witch jars" (probably somewhere on this forum). But you just take empty jars, swish a little tempera paint in them to dirty them up, and drop in a tea light (the real ones are way cheap). Looks so good--we'll be using them this year.


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## Turbophanx

Spend a little more, rent a generator and light as much as you want.


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## psyko99

last year we made these from the Evil Mad Scientist Laboratory.

http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php?story=lantern

They're quick and easy to make.


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## Psyc0 Walrus

beelce said:


> I used the $5 oil lanterns from Walmart to light my Haunted Trail....They last about 3 long nights on each filling of fuel....Problem is, they are still an open flame....I know have gone on to use the mile of extension cords, and have no more open flames
> Good luck and have a great haunt


yes the oil lanterns are the best thats what my aunt used at the haunt she helped with when i was 10 and it worked great


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## spinwitch

Just playing around with ideas last night, and my husband took a post hole digger and made a small round hole about 4 inches deep--then dropped in an LED tap light. It looked amazingly cool for something so easy--the green light just coming out of the ground. We had painted it green (you can get transparent acrylic paint at hobby stores). Gonna try it again with red.


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## Nightwing

How about solar landscape lights? Don't know if there's enough sun on the trail, but you could put them where they get sun during the day, then line the trail later with them. I bought some at Walmart a month or so ago, they are actually quite bright.


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## tot13

I run a haunted trail and we use every kind of light source imaginable. For electric lights, we'll have 5-6 generators spread over about 1/2 mile of trail. We build "doghouses" over them and put them up on plastic pallets. They stay in the woods all month, just don't forget to check the oil every week.

Several of our areas use a lot of tiki torches, but they are a hassle because of refilling.

We do something similar to what you described previously, that I call a smelt pot. I use a metal coffee can and add about 2-3 inches of cat litter. I buy the WM brand firelog and cut them into thirds use a miter saw. Add a 1/3 piece of firelog and fill to within 1-2" of the top of the coffee can with diesel. I get approximately 6 hours burn time out of these. The best way to extinguish these is just to smother them. I keep scrap wood like a 6" piece of 2x8 with each one. It takes about 5 seconds to smother a smelt pot.

All of our stations that use actual flame have a least one fire extinguisher. Seems like they cost about $15 at WM. Small price to pay considering the possible alternatives.

We've also used candles and campfires - depends on the setting. Hope this helps or encourages you in some way.


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## bozz

*Spots and Tiki's*

We use Tiki's and spots for our backyard cedar wooded trail. The Tiki's don't really give off much light but are great for atmosphere.I just set these lights up out back last weekend.







THIS IS THE MAIN ARCH ENTRANCE TO THE TRAIL.







AND HERE'S OUR BACKYARD LAY-OUT.


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