# Ever startle yourself with your own props?



## NickG

So... just getting into Halloween this year (yeah, I know, I'm late) and I've got my spookysam zombie grave escape torso sitting on the coffee table in the living room... went to go prep the 3-year old's bed to plop her in it (she zonks out on ours, and I have to move her to make space for me...) and well, I came around the corner and sorta did a bit of a stumble / double take - stupid zombie! 

anyone else?


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## MistressWitch

Oh no... not a stumble.... mine totally scare the crap out of me. I know, I know, I'm stupid. I KNOW they are rubber, latex, FAKE!!! but I can't be around them in the dark, in the light, if one tips over I scream like mad and jump out of my skin and then I'm totally freaked out for hours. I even have trouble with the pictures on the boxes of the store bought stuff.

I *HATE* haunted houses. I *HATE* being scared. I *HATE* scarry movies (I can't even watch the trailers for them). I'm a giant chicken at heart... and yes, for some odd-ball unknown reason *I LOVE HALLOWEEN*!!!

So I totally get where you're coming from.

MW


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## nixie

I'm so glad I'm not the only one! 

All of my undead props have black, hollowed our eye sockets. I painted a little beady glowing "eye" in the middle of the hollowed out portion for the "eyes following you" illusion. Boy am I sorry I did that when it's 2am, I've been watching ghost shows, and I'm the only one still up. Sometimes I have to turn them around so I can wander through the house at night without them watching me...


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## LairMistress

When I first built the 7 ft tall skeletal executioner, I had him put together (minus robe) in the kitchen just around the corner from the stairs. I put my boys to bed, came down to get a drink and just about woke up the whole house again! Of course partly because I was laughing so hard, I had to sit back down on the stairs so I wouldn't fall over...

They don't "get" me anymore, because I leave the heads on the PVC forms when I put them in the garage, I just lean them against the walls and push stuff up against them. It's easier than trying to figure out which pipes go with which bodies during setup. So, they "live" in my garage year-round, sans "clothing" (don't look!).


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## tot13

Earlier this summer I was "weather-testing" the first version of my Grim Reapers, so I had him standing on the patio. My daughter and I both get up about daybreak, and every morning one of us jumped as we walked by the back door and caught a glimpse of him standing there.


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## Zurgh

I keep a few "zombie" dummies I been working on in my "courtyard". More than one time (OK, Many times!!) Me, my wife & the kids have been startled by the presence of a 'person' there. It is quite disconcerting & downright upsetting to see a person when one doesn't expect it.:googly: The worst part is I put them there!!!!


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## GothicCandle

the only time I remember being scared by a prop i wasn't scared by it per say, but more so scared by the fact that some stranger had been in my backyard and moved my props up against the living room window. My props don't scare me, though if you watch my Halloween 09 preview video on you tube which I filmed in September you see I moved my Michal the vampire prop away from my window in case I saw the shadow in the night, since he is as tall as a man and looks real in the dark.

my mom however yelps almost everytime she catches a glimps of one out of the corner of her eye lol


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## cerinad

Yep... its happened to me, usually its when I'm setting up outside because it seems the only time I can set up it's after dark. You turn around or get distracted and forget they are there.


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## jdsteel82

The linkage on my kicking hang man likes to bind with the legs up when the motor is off. I come walking out of my parents house one day as his legs drop, and it scared the crap out of me!


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## Glockink

Yeah...had a few freak outs. Worst one was a few weeks ago when my wife bought a lifesize Edward from Twilight cut out for her younger sister and set it in out game room...
Edward almost received 2 shots, center mass from a Kimber 1911. I would not have been happy repairing bullet holes over that one.


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## GhoulishGadgets

Yup, I've been caught out, but only once really.

Way back, well several years ago, when I first started decorating the yard, I made a stirring witch prop.
It was very basic, a mache on chicken wire cauldron (first attempt, lasted about 3 years tho !! ), then just a wood frame witch, with all sorts of stuffing and cape made from weed control fabric, shop purchased hat, mask and gloves for hands.
It did look really good, specially for a first go and before I'd found all the stuff on the 'net, sadly no pics tho...

somehow I managed to get the posture and size of the hunched witch just right, not on purpose as I had no idea of much back then,but to the point you expected her to move and even out the corner of your eye, sometimes you could've sworn she did.

I never have quite hit 'that mood and character' since....

Si


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## remylass

I inevitably scare myself at least a few times a year. I consider it a good freebee scare. Husband, however, tries to scare me at least once a year as well. The other day, I got up for work, went into the bathroom to shower, pulled back the curtain, and came face to face with a giant spider egg with a spider the size of my hand sitting on it. I didn’t scream, but I did jerk back pretty fast. Didn’t need caffeine that morning. 

At my old house, we had one of our zombies, Harold, right outside of our living room window. In the morning, I would run down the stairs to check on the display, and he startled me more than once. He was this man, over six feet tall, standing right by the window. He was always further back than I thought, too. He actually startled me once on the way to my car, too. You would think since I put him there, it wouldn’t scare me. Oh well.


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## Haunted Bayou

yep....forgot my Donna the dead was in the other room..opened the door and she was back-lit. Scared the crap out of me.


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## The-Haunter

Worked at spirit a couple years ago, at the end of the season our hanabal lector prop quit working so they gave it to me. Went home set him up in the garage plugged him in ( out of habit) and started working away. Walked by him and he spoke ,jumped like crazy. Come to find out the try me button was shot not the prop


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## MistressWitch

Last year we had our zombie people props (spirit purchases- the farmer couple) at church for the high school youth convention. The convention was interrupted by a funeral so all the decorations had to be hidden in the back of the church where the funeral guests would be wandering around. (go figure the church leadership didn't think zombies were appropriate for a funeral) 
ANYWAY- They are a bit shaky on their feet so we leaned them against the wall, put the room set I built to go with them against them (it folds flat with 8'x4' walls) to help hold them in place. Put the other stuff out of the way, turn the lights off in the room, shut the door- go about funeral business. Several hours later after the funeral guests have left, and the kids are returning to the church my husband and I head back to the room to get the zombies. They freak me out just as is mind you, as I said in my earlier post. Well, I grab the wall to get it moved out of the way and the zombie lady falls forward onto me- looking at me as she's attacking me- I SHREAKED and couldn't stop shaking, had to leave the room, couldn't help get them moved to the sanctuary for the rave as planned, I was laughing and shaking and flipping out!! I went back to the kitchen where I am most at home to get dinner done for the kids (yeah, I catered the whole weekend for about 90 people- 4 full meals plus snacks for high school kids). Everyone else took care of the set up for the rave.

Earlier in the morning aparently one of the kids was freaked by the woman zombie because they laid her down under a sleeping bag. Not a problem other than we have to keep a check on who is in what sleeping bag. My turn to check the rooms to make sure everyone's hands are visible (cough cough) and without thinking & realizing the female zombie isn't where she was left I pull back the sleeping bag and freak out again. Fortunately none of the kids were around when that happened or else someone would have gotten it into their heads to keep screwing with me with the zombies. 

Don't even think about getting me into a haunted house. When I was in high school I went to one with a bunch of my friends and they ended up having to turn on the lights, remove masks, etc. to get me picked up off the floor (literally- I was in a fetal position puddle in hysterics, crying, screaming- quite the scene) and taken out to the car.

Halloween freaks me out. I'm Wiccan so it's a religious holiday for me. And I love it all- well, except for the getting scared part- that part I really really HATE!

MW


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## Mistress of the Abyss

Oh yeah! I've seen myself jump a few times from my own props. Especially when it's dark and you see them in the corner of your eye. Funny how the mind plays tricks on ya!


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## TheOneAndOnlyKelly

Two years ago I made my dead bride, Jessica, and had her standing in my front room. One evening I came downstairs at time, intent on getting something, when I caught her out of the corner of my eye and freaked. I'm sure she got a good laugh out of it...


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## RoxyBlue

Our dog barked at our Elvira-like full size prop the first time she saw her, and used to be very cautious about going anywhere near the buckies in the basement. Now she pretty much takes it all in stride:


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## Lunatic

NickG,

It's funny that you ask if anyone has been startled by their own props. Typically I do not flinch but I certainly have been creeped out working on props very late at night well after midnight.

Before I moved to my new house I used to live in a 170 year old farm house with a huge barn attached. The barn is where I used to build my props. There was a few times very late at night where I felt like I wasn't alone. I always shrugged it off and continued. Perhaps there was something lurking around or just a little freaked out from hanging around my own creations in a dark barn. I guess I kind of deserve it though. Oh well.


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## stagehand1975

Not myself but my wife has screamEd a few times.


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## spinwitch

My house is on a slope, so the crawl space underneath is high enough to stand upright in some areas. Lacking a basement, it's a good place to store the monster mud statues.

One day in mid-summer, one of my cats escaped and ran under the house. I ducked in after him--and then screeched at the group of "People" standing there. Why I thought a band of gypsies had moved in under the house . . .


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## Howlinmadjack

Does'nt happen very often, but I've startled myself a few times when walking into the garage to get something and forgot I'd set one of my props out to work on, and jump and curse myself for forgetting it was out. Have to laugh and feel a bit foolish!! My wife loves the props when they're in the yard on display, but refuses to go into the shed, garage, or attic at night because the props have startled her so many times, she says one day her heart is going to just stop!!


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## Haunted Bayou

When I first got my Jason prop I put him on my front porch next to the door. He looked really creepy and approaching him gave me the willies. One night I was staring him down to go into the house when a couple of cats got in a fight across the street.
I bolted into the house....couldn't get in there fast enough.


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## hedg12

I usually set up my graveyard about a week before Halloween, & will put out a few props each evening & put them back in at night. A couple of years ago I was doing this & couldn't fit our Edwardian butler back in the storage shed for the evening, so I set him inside the door to my barn. My wife opened the door to the barn the next morning, saw 
Ed standing there, & pretty much freaked. I heard the scream from the house. It took a while to live that one down...


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## nixie

I got my sister today with, of all things, the White Rabbit! I had him sitting in a chair in the living room for a costume fitting when she stoppped in to drop something off. We were all in the back of the house, so the first thing she saw was this human-sized rabbit in a derby hat staring at her! She freaked out a bit, but laughed about it.

I don't like packing and unpacking my props from the gypsy wagon where they're stored. Their packed in like sardines, and they all have those darn following eyes, so when I'm in the back, I feel like they've got me cornered and they're all staring at me. It's a bit unsettling.


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## She_wolf

That's a daily issue with me...since I am working on my props I keep them in my room with me. The only problem is when I wake up in the middle of the night, I get a little weird about them staring at me. I guess the nightlight wasn't such a great solution....lol


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## Pumpkin5

:jol:Okay, okay, you guys may be embarassed by being scared by one of your own props, but most of those are 3D characters... I have to admit I freaked out over a cardboard skeleton. I had hung a full size cardboard skeleton on my french door that leads into our sunroom and pretty much every morning in October I'd come downstairs bopping into the kitchen and forget the stupid thing was there and I'd scream when I saw it. You would think I would move it, but I have to admit, a little scare in the morning starts you out on your toes. Kind of sick and twisted, huh?


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## Eeeekim

A few week ago I got one of those talking pumpkin inserts from radio shack. I had purchased it on my lunch hr. and Thought it would be fun to try it out on my co-workers so i put it in the corner of a window in the bathroom. Will it worked great, Made a few people pee on the wall and a we all had a few laughs about it. Then I had to excuse myself from the conversation because Nature called, and somehow between the the break-room and the bathroom i forgot about the lurking pumpkin insert.


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## LairMistress

Eeeekim said:


> A few week ago I got one of those talking pumpkin inserts from radio shack. I had purchased it on my lunch hr. and Thought it would be fun to try it out on my co-workers so i put it in the corner of a window in the bathroom. Will it worked great, Made a few people pee on the wall and a we all had a few laughs about it. Then I had to excuse myself from the conversation because Nature called, and somehow between the the break-room and the bathroom i forgot about the lurking pumpkin insert.


That's too funny! I have a battery-op laugh box that came out of an old stuffed troll that I got one Halloween (1989). The poor troll got ruined, but the box still worked, so I kept it to make an imp with it someday (still haven't done that yet!). I guess I must have been testing it once to see if it still worked, and I forgot to remove the battery when I put it back. Some things shifted in the box when I was in the garage by myself one afternoon, and it went off, scared the heck out of me, I nearly dropped my groceries. I forgot all about that!


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## Regions Beyond

I have done it to myself a few times, with the "voodoo lady" as I call her: very creepy human sized rubber prop.










My girlfriend has freaked out at her too, if we have her out in the backyard in her spot and you see her in the morning, lurking in the bushes facing the house...


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## Eeeekim

Regions Beyond,
Yes I would pee my pants if I say her before I had my coffee.
The hole set up looks awesome by the way.


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## nunyabidness

*Almost shot one of my creepers once,...*

...staggering out of the house at 0430 to go to work and had kinda forgotten that I had started setting up the yard. Needless to say, wasn't really awake enough and had this looming shadow with a upraised machete about 4 yards away, silhouetted by the street light, had my pistol halfway out before I realized what it was. Safe to say, I didn't need any coffee that morning.


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## TroyO

*Scared by your own prop?*

I'm just wondering how often it happens... LOL.

One I managed last weekend.... in the "storage" pit of the garage we have last years halloween decorations still stuffed in a pile. I lean over to grab some wood that was hiding behind the pile and about jumped out of my skin when the bright flash and lightening hit........

Yep, what I was stepping on was a 'Step here" pressure switch from last year, still hooked up to the battery powered LED thunder/lightening sound thingie.

So, what's your 'Doh, I can't believe I spooked myself with ______ story?


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## pensivepumpkin

Walking through the dark house, middle of the night. Go upstairs, and on my way back down- eek! I have a 4ft bucky hanging in a half-molded pod. The back of the pod didn't stand out, but that bony face sure did...


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## Rod Zombie

Last year my wife bought me a new hanging mask with arms and flowing cheesecloth for the body without me knowing about it. She hung it in the middle of the doorway seperating our two garage halves. I was heading out into the second half of the garage and didn't turn on the lights. I walked right into the prop. I had no idea what I had just walked into. All I knew was something was in my face. Totally freaked me out.


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## fick209

This was a fun thread to read through. I can only think of one instance right now when a prop made me jump. It was this last winter and a 4' tall store bought clown kind of lost his footing in rafters of garage and was hanging upside down and I met him face to face when I walked through the door from house to garage the next morning. Yup, there was a good scream and the coffee mug that was in my hands shattered on the garage floor. I've never looked at that stupid clown the same way, he kind of scares me all the time now when I look up at him back in place in the garage rafters.


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## Buzz

Not me, but they sure have spooked my wife and son. I always apologize, but secretly I chuckle.


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## scareme

Buzz said:


> Not me, but they sure have spooked my wife and son. I always apologize, but secretly I chuckle.


How naughty! 

I had a 6 ft Frankenstein I had standing just outside the garage door. I don't know how many times he made me jump as I would turn the corner, not remembering he was there. He suprised hubby a few times too. I kept thinking I'd get used to him there, but I finally moved him from the high traffic area. Hubby said he was glad Frank was moved too. Too many surprises too early in the morning.


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## trishaanne

Just last night one of my props made me jump. My animated Hannibal Lechter is ALWAYS in the living room, most of the time year round (unless I have a meeting with a client..they don't always understand ) My granddaughters wanted to see him work so I plugged it in. We went out and forgot that is was still on. Well, being motion activated, when I came up the stairs I must have broken the beam because Hannibal started talking to me...almost making me fall down the stairs...lol.


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## Bone Dancer

My wolf/dog out in the shop gets me every once in awhile. Sometimes twice in the same day.


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## wicKED

I forget about storing my life size Jason in the guest bathroom.... gets me every morning.


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## Death Wraith

This has been a good thread. The prop I'm working on now is the first one that has me edgy. I don't jump, but I don't like being alone with him. I have to turn him facing away from the basement stairs so he isn't looking at me when I go down to the workbench. I'm gonna finish him tomorrow I think, post a thread about him, then stick him hidden in a corner until the big night.

Hope he stays there.


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## aquariumreef

It's always dark by the time I get to setting up stuff, and those dummy's really freak me out! Not moving or anything, but I swear they're planning to kill me! :lol:


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## Howlinmadjack

Had to rearrange the garage in order to be able to work on my current prop, and moved my witch by the door. Went back to work, and forgot to reset the garage light which is on a timer. So the lights go out, and it gets pitch black in the garage. So I'm fumbling around in the dark trying to find the light switch, and find a flashlight. Turn it on and the witch scared me witless. I about fellover from laughter at the the thought I put her there not five minutes before!!!


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## ScreamingScarecrow

YES!!!
Those props are the best! 
That's how I know I'm heading down the right haunting path!


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## Victor

Intense urges to run from my garage sometimes surface when I am working at night and one of the props goes off.


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## wicKED

*Don't you just hate it when you startle yourself with your own props!*



















They get me every time!


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## Skarez

I have a 7' tall witch in my basement that scares my "blank"less all the time!


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## Chuck

Just startled myself today. I made my haunted organist today and had him sitting at the dining room table. Not only did I startle myself once, but twice.


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## Buzz

He looks cool.


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## Eric Striffler

We've got a room full of mannequins in my haunt and I have to look around and count them every few minutes to make sure none of them ran off or something...


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## kallen

While the props themselves don't bother me, I think it's the level of life we as thier creators breath into them that gets to us. I know while i am out working in the shop at night and look at the darkness outside across to the house. there is always a sudden thought of creepy-ness that raises the hair on the back of your neck.... That's when it's time to shut down for the night i find.


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## Manon

I haven't yet freaked myself out but I regularly freak my husband out with the crows I have around the house. Especially in the dark when they're silhouetted against a window....


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## tcass01

I have an undead skeleton who stand on his own two feet about 6' tall (Bob). He lives in my mud/utility room where my wife goes through to go on the patio to smoke. She gets up at 4:30AM for work the other day and I hear an abrupt "Oh Sh*t!" from downstairs and without hesitation she says, "Bob, tried to attack me again" Now laughing to myself and giving myself a mental high five. My job here is done...


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## tcass01

Just a side note: When your better half starts to call your creatinos by thier names and gets them correct, you must realize that they have started thier journey to "the dark side".


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## dtjurbs

It never fails. Every year I begin working on props in the garage and forget that I leave some sort of prop right by the door. I'll forget about it and a few days later when I open the door, I nearly crap myself.


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## RandalB

I've come around the corner and startled myself with the props on the front porch more than once...


RandalB


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## gooffy87

*Anybody scared of their own props? lol*

Funny, i made a "the Ring" Samara well popper and a Jigsaw doll and at night they are creepy as hell lol. (that is why they stay outside  anybody else have this same issue with their home-made props that they spent hours laboring on? lol


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## Yeeha

We made a tape/mache copy of my hubby (Jestor) and when we put him away in our storage shed we set him right in front of the door looking out. Several times when opening that door we have gotten a freaked.


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## Manon

Ha ha! Just did!!! I was coming in from finishing up my columns. I'm exhausted (and probably dehydrated and there was an extra hand that must have fallen out of a box. Scared the crap outta myself!


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## Hairazor

I used to always put a scenario on my front porch and one of the things was Ichabod on the porch swing. My mail comes early and one morning when expecting something in the mail I went running out just as the mailman came up the steps. We both saw "Ichi" at the same time, I yelped and he just stared from "Ichi" to me.


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## GhostMom

Oh yes!! i know the feeling! I have a graveyard on my 1/2 acre front yard and I have a static grave popper...I have ALWAYS had this creepy thing about zombies... so I live in a rural area, really quiet, let the dogs out late and go look at the display...green light shining on it, gentle REAL fog rolling in and I can feel those little hairs on the back of my neck rise. All of my little kid fears come to life! BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!! I love the heck out of Hallowe'en!!


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## Ramonadona

I have soooooooo enjoyed reading all these posts! I too have had a scare or two. My props usually bring a smile to my lips every time I see them when I come down to my basement to work, but there have been times when I've gone into the bathroom to wash out paint brushes and forget that I have something (someone) standing in the middle of the room and it scares the bejeebees out of me when I'm not expecting to see someone standing there. My husband is worse though...cuz most of the time he doesn't know how I moved things around and they "get" him every time! lol.


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## Copchick

*Yes!!*

I just can't seem to get the last of my CHRISTMAS, yes, Christmas yard decos put away in storage so they're on my back porch for now. I have a life size Grinch wearing the Santa suit just across from the back door. Soon after putting him there, I walked into the kitchen and glanced out the door saw what I thought was a large person wearing a hat and scared the crap out of myself! Yes, the Grinch did it to me! Ha ha ha ha!!


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## lisa48317

I can't believe I don't have a pic of this in my album! 2010 was my first time making life-sized figures. PVC forms with skulls & regular clothes. I took "Tom" (aka Peeping Tom) and stood him on the patio so he was looking in the kitchen window. I swear every morning I heard my daughter (12 at the time) yelp when she went in there. She was happy when he finally moved out into the front yard! I never saw the hubby freak out, but he told me he was glad that Tom got moved. Guess he was less dramatic.


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## Plastic Ninja

My full sized zombie was in our den one night and scared the **** out of me at 4 in the morning with all the lights off.


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## VampyTink

*Last fall was the first time I did a haunted maze in the basement. The evening before last thing I set in the maze was Franky. The next night The first thing I did was take more items back to set teh scene where Franky was. I about dropped everything when I rounded the corner and jumped because Franky startled me so bad. I'm 5'0" and he's about 6' 5-7"*


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## scarrycher

I wasnt around to see it, but my husband must have got the you know what scared out of him by my jumping spider, because it was on the table when I went to work and and 10 feet across the room and on the floor when I got home... I asked him about it and his response I cant repeat in this fourm...LOL


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## diggerc

Oh yeah. More than once, when props are set up in the house waiting there turn to get put out, mornings are the worst. WHAT THE F**K ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE DOING IN THE LIVING......oh. oh yeah. nm


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## wandererrob

Yes, just yesterday I got tapped on the shoulder by one of the props in the shed. Startled the poop out of me.


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## baedden kole

*Have you scared yourself?*

I thought I would pose the question, how many of you have scared yourselves, be it with your props, or just watching a movie, etc?

I was just got done watching boogeyman and then thinking in my head about my scarecrow project.

The scarecrow moved.

I haven't even started the project yet, just envisioning it. It sounds a little dumb, but thats what just happened.


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## baedden kole

I do like to get scared every once in a while. Makes me feel like a kid again. What might be around the corner, or in the closet? Trying to get down the hallway to get to the lightswitch as soon as possible, because something "might" be in the doorway right before the switch. 

Has anyone else done this? Do any of you enjoy being scared like this?

We all know there is nothing there, or is there?


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## Dr. Maniaco

One time I was working in the basement with my headphones on, and my son came down without me noticing him. He moved one of my props directly behind me and left. When I finally turned around ... well ... fortunately I keep extra pants down there.


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## Death's Door

My scare was a couple years ago when on Halloween I was just finishing up setting up the moveable props (this was around 7 a.m.) and I didn't realize that my 94 year old neighbor who came out to retrieve her morning paper decided to come over and check out my yard. My back was to her and I heard "you're up pretty early". I just froze and the funniest though that came to mind was "which one of you said that?" (meaning my props!). I turned around and saw Eleanor looking at me and laughing. My heart was pounding but both of us were laughing.


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## baedden kole

I love these. Keep 'em coming. Anyone else?


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## redder

I made a Santa hack prop and had it in my garage, every time I went in there he scared me. Finally had to put a blanket over him.


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## Hippofeet

Not really a prop, but...

I was making a 12 inch bowie knife, and I had it in the vise on the workbench. I had the primary bevels ground, and was doing the secondary's with a hand file, it was basically a finished blank. Sticking flat out from the vice, away from the workbench. Where the light switch was...

lol went back down later, went to turn on the light switch, and sank the blade in about a half inch deep just above my short rib. Bled like crazy, and scared the crap out of me. 

I moved the vice onto it's own pedestal.


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## Lunatic

Damn! Being impaled is a different level of fear.


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## xxScorpion64xx

Yeah, when it gets close to Halloween I move lifesize props to living room, forget they are there and yikes! I get a reminder, lol.


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## NickWaka7

I always get freaked out when im building my haunted house alone. I feel like all the props are looking at me! This stuff can definitely get scary, even though its completely fake. Quite funny actually!

One time I was working on a spider scene. I have one of those jumping spider props from Spirit. I HATE spiders, but i can tolerate the fake stuff. So there I am, deep in thought and construction on this scene when i sneezed. Gotta love sound activated props!.That sucker lurched at me and I got so scared, my scream wouldnt even come out; i literally froze in fear for a good 15 seconds before coming back to reality. I now know what true terror feels like..... its not that fun haha!


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## Copchick

Damn Hippofeet, I agree with Lunatic. Impalement is a whole different level.


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## DrHannibalLecter

I always forget that I put my skeleton (the Costco ones) Charles in the closet and when I went to grab a coat he was there looking at me. Scared me to death. I left him in the bathroom one time too and it scared my folks! He was a hit when we had him in the car.


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## drevilstein

A couple of years ago I was working on a "big scary guy" prop in our living /dining room, which is my wife's special room that we don't really use, the one room in the house that stays nice for company and the dogs are not allowed in. (except I junk it up with prop building every year) So, I finish up the prop and I'm bringing it out to see what it looks like in the front yard. I open the door to the kitchen and have the prop in front of me and I hear this frenzy of snarling and barking. My shepherd mix, Abby, is frantic and keeps changing her mind between running away and attacking. Just as I get into the room to calm her down, she pees all over the floor and takes off, downstairs, peeing as she goes. So, I'm both proud that my prop is scary, laughing and feeling bad for Abby's reaction, and ticked that I have a huge puddle and trail of pee to clean up. From then on, I have made sure that she has a chance to see the props in progress and we've never had another problem.


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## drspookymuffins

HAHA, YEP! did it today as a matter of fact,. walked around the corner and my scarecrow ive been working on is on my deck in the crucified pose. gave me a little jolt! also once few years back I had a big Frankenstein on my bathroom door, he was on the inside of the door so he'd be facing out into the kitchen when the door was open. I was in the bathroom working on my leaky sink pipe and some wind grabbed the door and out of my peripheral vision, I just saw this big dude that looked like he was coming into the bathroom, scared the crap out of me! then after it happens you just gotta sit back and have a good laugh over it:googly:


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## kentuckyspecialfxdotcom

*Big Scare Big Poop*

We were all tired and wore out and I was so tired I completely forgot I had a giant prop I was repairing sitting outside since the weather was good.
Just so happens one of the shop guys was moving stuff around outside while I was sleeping and I was taking the night off to recoup.
He accidentally moved it ( or so he says ) so the head of this big dragon was staring right in the bathroom window, which was open as were the rest of the windows in the house.
Here's where it gets funny, he left it plugged up.
It was motion activated VIA a sensor in the head, eyes light up, smoke comes out the mouth, mouth opens and it had two internal sub woofers that were 40watts a piece.
You can see where this is going.
So I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, house is pitch black minus moon light shining in the windows ( I see extremely good in the dark ) for some reason it let me get to the toilet without activating but the second I sat down, it got me.


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## Copchick

^ Lol!! Now that's funny.


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## Hairazor

At least you were sitting in the right place for the "Whee" to be scared out of you


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## Odette

One year got an idea online to create my own potion labels for unique jars and bottles using my Photoshop. They turned out really good, and my aunt - who loved the idea and enjoys Halloween as much as I do - asked me if I would print her out some of my labels as well. One day, she comes over to my place and pulls out of her purse a fake, rubber cockroach and says, "Hot glue this on one of your potion bottles, It looks awesome!" Now...some of you may or may not know that I am terrified of roaches. I'm not even joking as I say to you that this THING looked so real it was all I could do to even TOUCH it! Anyhow, she was right, it looked really good...or CREEPY...once it was in place. 

Fast forward to the following year as I am unpacking my Halloween decorations and such. I get to my potion jars, unwrapping them one by one, well, you can only imagine my sheer terror as I totally forgot about the rubber cockroach glued ever so disturbingly on the side of the jar. Yep, I've decided not to use fake, realistic looking roaches in my decor anymore.


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## Willshire2112

My scare was the dummy I put in the basement for a walkthrough tour that I forgot was in the basement the following spring. I must have jumped back about ten feet when AI walked into the basement and flicked the light on!


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## gma

We made a packing tape mold of my son a few years ago...base for TOT-trapped-in-spiderweb. When we were done we had it on the bar in our living room and watched TV. Within 10 min my wife and I looked at each other and agreed it was just too creepy having a corpse version of our son in line of sight.


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## Spooky1

I keep thinking our animated wolf is our dog.


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## JamesButabi

This happen to me all the time. I just simply forget I have props everywhere and when I wake up groggy and still half asleep I nearly run into them. Its a good way to wake up quick!


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## Sirius

I get spooked by my haunt without any props in it at all. This year, I'm creating a maze in the tall grass on a hilltop on my family's property. The ruins of a couple of old buildings are up there and when I was little, my Grampa had me convinced the whole place was haunted. I still get the most awesome creeping feeling when I'm up there alone around dusk, and I have to fight the urge to run back to my vehicle and bail.


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## somethingwicked

Last year we had a little old manequin kid that stood in the window and used a fan to have the drapes slowly open and close. While doing a dark walkthrough of the haunt before closing up for the night I hadnt noticed our dog was outside and as I walked past the window the dog knocked the manequin out the window and right at me. I freaked out! Needless to say we made sure that manequin did not move again lol


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## jaege

Just this morning actually. I was in my car ready to pull away for work, looked over to make sure the garage door was closed and saw the scarecrow that is part of my animated "hitch hiker trio" and for a second thought someone was in my garage. I had pulled few things out of storage and use my garage as a staging area.


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## RoxyBlue

Fortunately for Spooky1, I have not yet startled myself with the rising phantom he has standing in our living room:jol:


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## lizardqueen

Happens to me everyday.. you think i'd get used to it... Lol.
i even have props in my bedroom now...at the end of the bed.... I need a bigger house.. ha!


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## Shiva

Oh yeah! 

We have one of the jumping spiders that you find in Spirit that's part of our standard Halloween display. We team it up with a huge spider web and bones and four or five spiders in the web that are attacking a body. 

Typically we pull the batteries out of these props when we put them away for the year. While assembling the spider display my wife replaced the batteries and neglected to tell me.

Since the spider's sound activated it sprang out and attacked the back of my legs which COMPLETELY freaked me out.


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