# Lewis House 2022 Hauntoween



## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

Ok, I couldn't think of any good titles. Figure I'll make my own little post here, for my own remembrance sake more than anything but feel free to chime in with suggestions or whatnot!

I grew up rural, in Southern Central NY state (an hour and a half South of Syracuse), but because of my desire to not be around people, I've never been in a position where I could enjoy kids coming around for candy and enjoying decorations. This year, that changed with a purchase of an old 1838 house at an auction. Abandoned and neglected, it does have a bit of a creepy vibe to it. So much so, in fact, that I decided against a paint refresh this summer, because it'll look a lot more Halloween-esque with dingy paint! To be fair, there's a ton of work to be done but in the meantime it's right in the middle of town, great visibility and certainly looks the part. So the long and short of it is that I get to decorate and host trick-or-treaters!

So here's the house as I purchased it:











I did clean up the bushes on the front of the house and all that, but you can see the Gothic Revival porch that was added on in the mid-1800s.Experimenting with a green light gives us...










So, that's the starting point.

Onwards to the plan:

Obviously we need to have some outside decorations, so the plan is to create a simple PVC fence using many of the great DIY tutorials out there. Tombstones, and a few props. But given that I don't live in the house and there's no power or wifi available, I can't really do a lot of outdoor decorations ahead of time for fear of something getting ruined. While the neighbors and people in general have been very receptive of my purchasing the house and intending to fix it, it IS a major walkway for kids. So, planning first before deployment.

DIY PVC fence, tombstones, and then trying to decide where to load props into. I have a Jack Stalker, Cauldron Creeper with fog to hopefully spill down the yard a bit (might need a separate machine/chiller for that, or to Y off some tubing to get both), Mr Dark, maybe a jumping spider or two in there, and an HD Inferno Scarecrow to fit amongst the fence.

Inside:

This is an on-the-fence thing, in that I'm waiting for the final green light from Code Enforcement - will detail that below. IF all goes well though, when the victi--guests come up to the front porch for candy, I'll be there waiting with <costume> adorned. They will then have the option of walking through the house (down the first hallway, into a room, into a second room, and out the side door) to get some bonus candy. You can see the path they'll take here:






You can see how there's definitely a creepy old house vibe inside being continued. Before you scream out all the things you see wrong, as I said, will outline those below. So, inside, there's going to be another handful of animatronics, static props, and at least one other helper. The idea is that they'll walk into the hallway, with a prop or something in the room immediately to the right. Room will be chained off but can look in and see it. Don't know anything about decorating so that'll be something to figure out. It'll be a small space, since I'll have a hanging divider in that room with a projector in the other side playing on a front window, hopefully. Down the hallway, something else under the steps. Into the first room, a little scene of sorts, with another prop. Old Philco radio playing...sounds? Still also deciding on ambient music for the two main rooms too. Possibly another projector projecting into a doorway (on the far left as you walk into the room in the video). Barry hanging in the right, perhaps? Then another room to the right to walk into, with another scene in there, coffin maybe, etc. We've got a lunging reaper, witch, Harvester of souls, Hauntress, spirit twins, Barry, the Lowes girl, and who knows what else I'll end up with to try to fit in.

Vibe of the 2nd room:










When you leave out the side door, you go down some steps to the driveway and then have to make your way back along the fence to get back front to the sidewalk so some of the things will be waiting there versus being front and center at the beginning. It's also why I'll have at least one other person - to hand out the 2nd handful of candy at the end, but also to keep people safe going out the stairs at the back. 

Anyway, that's the plan in a nutshell so far. Next post will outline more details and such on the code guy, etc.


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

I know there will be people screaming at their monitors in hopes I hear, about safety this, and regulations that. So, to address what I'm sure will be brought up:

There is no live power in the house. All props will be run off battery adapters, and all lighting will be battery operated LED lights/candles with no live flame. Projectors in the house will also be run off a battery box directly for each. All this minimizes as much fire risk as can be done from my side of the spectrum. Fire extinguishers front, rear, and center also, because I can't control if some 8 year old drops his cigarette.

There will be emergency LED floodlights in the corners of the rooms on a remote switch, charged and ready to be activated in the event that something happens and people need to get out. 

Speaking of, 4 exits available through this short walk - front and side that are the entrance and exit of the walkthrough, as well as a rear door and a basement door that leads down and outside in case of emergency. While the rooms people will not be allowed in will be chained off, we will have access to get through those to exits if need be.

Still in the process of cleaning everything up, but there will be no exposed nails left in the walls, or anything like that. Floors also will be cleaned with some low-lying lighting to light up the path. Walls that are open, will have coverings on them, one side or the other to keep people from sticking their hands through, or worse trying to walk through to where they shouldn't be. In the video above, also is evident that there are still places on ceilings and walls with debris that will be removed (drywall/plaster/paint). No loose paint will remain or be accessible for anyone to think should be eaten.

A second person to help if not a third, will be stationed in the house to direct guests into the rooms, and caution them on their way out about watching the steps. Kids like to jump down stairs, we need to minimize that. Likewise, any "scare" props outside on the side of the house will be positioned AFTER they have reached the bottom of the steps safely.

Guests will only be going in a few at a time, and will be given the 'standard' warnings and rules before entering (no running, no touching, no smoking, no functional particle accelerators, etc). Should only take a couple minutes to go through.

I will also extend an invitation out to any parents or others that want to come walk through ahead of time, at least on the inside, for peace of mind when it comes to letting their kids and loved ones walk through. The floors and joists have been in some places, or will be in others, reinforced and I have no problem taking folks down to see for themselves that it's perfectly safe (though I WILL leave a couple of the warped floorboards as they are, because if you don't know better, it does feel a tiny bit unsettling if you think the floor could cave in - they won't, but it'll feel that way)

I had e-mailed the mayor who forwarded my plan and message to the Fire, Police, and Code Enforcement offices. Fire Department just reiterated having extinguishers due to guests being out of my own control, despite above mentioned rules. Police I expect will be equally as receptive, since I can't think of any laws to be broken, unless kids disappear... Code is the outlier right now, and not sure how that'll go. On one hand, it's my own private property, and I'm not charging admission so on the surface it should be no different than the people that have come up while I've been working on the house and asking if I'd show them around (lots of people interested and curious to how bad it had been in the decade+ since anyone had lived in it before my purchase). On the other hand though, because strangers - and more importantly KIDS - will be involved, they may have other things they want to worry about. My biggest guess is just worry over if any exposed paint is lead or not, or maybe having more exit signs. To that, I'm hesitant to put exit signs on the other two extra ways out, to avoid people seeing it and deciding to go THAT way through chained off areas instead of following the path. I do want to make my own lighted spooky exit sign for the intended exit though. We'll see if Code wants other stuff that way. Again, I'm speculating since I've never done it before, and don't know for sure what could come about.


For now, I'm kind of in that spot of wondering do I continue going full plan for the inside and hope that all goes well and no one takes issue? Or do I pause and wait and then end up rushing to get things done if I get the green light later? Continue with the inside even if red-lighted, and just do private friends and family walkthroughs after? Try to relocate things to outside and not make a jumbled mess? I've opted to continue with the plan of fitting out the inside, and keeping my fingers crossed.


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## DarkOne (Oct 16, 2012)

First of all, congratulations on your purchase! I love old homes. I had a 1876 Folk Victorian myself. I think everyone here will be excited to see what you come up with, and probably a little bit jealous of the awesome opportunity you have ahead of you.

I think you'll want the green light, but it sounds like that may not be a problem. I personally would keep props to a minimum and use more sound and shadow to create the ambiance of an actual haunted house. If you could rig up doors to move on their own, cabinets to open and close, lights to flicker, that would creep me out more than animated props. This is something I've thought about a lot, but will probably never have an old house in this PERFECT condition.


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## DandyBrit (May 23, 2013)

Oh I would love to own that house myself. It just looks fantastic.


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

DarkOne said:


> If you could rig up doors to move on their own, cabinets to open and close, lights to flicker, that would creep me out more than animated props. This is something I've thought about a lot, but will probably never have an old house in this PERFECT condition.


That's a great idea! Where the rooms are this year won't pass through any rooms with cabinets or anything but if things go well this year, I can definitely expand next years walkthrough to the rest of the downstairs area where there are, and can be more!


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## Wildcat (Nov 3, 2007)

Very cool idea and space.

Hope to see more as you progress.


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

I am drooling over that house. Can't wait to see it finished


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

Perfect beautiful house for a haunted house.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

That is a fabulous house that will definitely be a long term labor of love. You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into your approach and anticipated a lot of the potential issues.


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## Scary Larry (Sep 14, 2021)

Oh man I would love to have that house. I would turn it into a haunted attraction for sure. You’ve got the look you’ve got the Age… all you need to backstory. You know something along the lines of: baron von XYZ built this house for his beautiful wife in 18 whatever. They soon had a son… Here’s where you’re add in your story… grows up to be a mass murder Or wife and child leave him he’s so depressed he commit suicide haunts the house forever… You get the idea. And you start spreading that story around in the neighborhood believe me it’ll spread like wildfire.

I know someone who did exactly what I’m describing except for the house actually already came with that story when he bought it. True or not I don’t know but He turned it into a haunted attraction charge $25 a ticket and did very well.

Please post updates as you go, would love to follow your progress


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## Daphne (Oct 18, 2006)

Wow! What an incredible house! Love it! Wish we could all do a field trip!

I would agree with what’s been said, have a creepy story and DarkOne nailed what I was thinking. If you have tons of store bought props, it kills the vibe because people will recognize them and some of the magic will be lost plus you would need a ton of batteries unless you can run a generator out back. Noises that can’t be explained, flickering lights, distant human or animal sounds periodically, fog and general atmosphere type things like chairs moving, doors creaking and that type of thing are key. People are more frightened by what they come up with in their heads with you leading them down the path because they will imagine what scares them the most. Let their imaginations help out.


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

That is true.. I do have an entire second story that I can have things making sounds in, even if I have to bribe someone to just sit in the dark and drop things on the floor once in a while. 

It's funny you mention the batteries, I've been doing testing with that now. So I have a couple dozen battery operated LED flicker candles, and have been purchasing rechargeable batteries to use. Since rechargeable don't always pack the same punch as an alkaline (Lithium rechargeable batteries probably are closest but pricy for small batteries), I wanted to make sure I test duration. The last thing I want to happen is to have something shut down halfway into the night. 

The candles are easily going to last even with two little AAA batteries. I've tested those to 10 hours before I said that should be fine, and turned them off. I didn't test voltage but by the relatively short time it took to charge back to full, I'm sure there's plenty more beyond that. I don't anticipate needing more than 6 hours worth anyway.

I do have a generator that will be out behind the house. I've already tested for noise and there is minimal. Can barely hear it even 50' away, which is well out of earshot of the main sidewalk and even if people were walking behind the driveway, almost not noticeable unless you're listening for it. Inside the house, nothing. That will power outdoor lighting and props, and some positioned lights at the exit to make sure people can exit safely (before Mr Dark catches them halfway down the path to the sidewalk again). It's a small genny, rated for 1700 watts continuous, but the props draw very little, LED floodlights aren't bad. Main draw will be the fog machine out front. I have to do some testing, to see if I can get a little 400 watter to handle the cauldron creeper's cauldron fill as well as spilling down the front yard (not big, only about 10x20'). I also have a 2nd machine for the Harvester inside, so that might take some creative placement to makework. Lots of testing for those to come though.

As far as the inside goes, I have...5? I think? So I have a bunch of the Spirit battery adapters that take 4 D batteries per. Not the cheapest way to go, but for reference, I've had the cauldron creeper here in my office with me running non-stop off a fresh set of batteries in one, and I'm currently coming up on the 6 hour mark. He'll actually be the only one that'll be run continuously outside the house just because he'll be placed higher up on the yard away from motion distance (unless I get around to extending a trigger to the fence before then). And he'll have generator power anyway. Every other prop will run off a battery pack. There are a couple that have built in AA compartments, that'll be the next test, seeing how long those smaller sizes run. I figure if I can get 3-4 hours continuous, then intermittent triggering for guests should easily extend that life outwards. Or, again, I know the D battery holders will last at least 6 hours non-stop (so far), so I can always just run those instead). I have enough adapters for the inside props, and the outside ones will run off the generator. Logistics, I tell ya.

The biggest obstacle I have right now I think, is just the lighting. LED Candles, while neat and safe, don't exactly put off a ton of light. I have plenty for spookiness, but I also need fill lighting for the rooms and things like that. So currently still trying out different LED/RGB lighting options that I might enjoy (I did pick up a few solar-powered flood lights that have a remote as emergency lighting. Basically to fully charge them in the days leading up, take the lights over and just put the lights up without the panels, and if need be, we can trigger the lights with the remote to light up a room in case it's needed. 

Still need some lighting for floor level, and the overall room lights. I have some smaller RGB flood lights that are normally AC powered, but I'm going to do a draw test to see how long they'd last off a battery box instead. They're smaller, I think the 15 watt versions that are popular, so my 500 watt battery station should easily hold those up for long enough. 

It all seems simple and easy enough but I know that time is going to sneak away a lot faster than expected, so that's why I'm trying to test what I can during work hours in the meantime. 

Stir, Stir, Stirrrr the pot... all the live-long day... lol


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## DarkOne (Oct 16, 2012)

Since you'll have power, I think a dim ghost projection down a hallway or across an inaccessible room would be a nice touch.


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

DarkOne said:


> Since you'll have power, I think a dim ghost projection down a hallway or across an inaccessible room would be a nice touch.


I do have a doorway with a projector cloth to do a rear projection onto it with a Sprite player for a trigger with AtmosFX Manor scenes. My battery box will handle powering that for the evening. I just have to figure out what I want to dress the room behind it in, with lighting to give a good hollusion effect. But, definitely can be tweaked with different variations. 

I spent today over there trying to do some more logistics. I have a couple pairs of BT speakers that I like the sound of, but singly they don't put out enough volume for a single room's ambient sound. Sadly, I can't get them to run as a pair unless I'm using Bluetooth, and rather than having multiple phones/devices running the BT tracks, I decided to test out using an SD card in each instead, and just start the track together on each. Surprisingly, it works well, and having each pair in each different room should be a lot better. Now to find another pair (or three) for the outside sounds, and some in between effects.


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## DarkOne (Oct 16, 2012)

What is your long term plan with the house? Fix it up to live in it or haunted attraction?


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

DarkOne said:


> What is your long term plan with the house? Fix it up to live in it or haunted attraction?


The plan is to fix it over time, but I really don't know what the end goal is going to be. I already have a house, and I really don't know if I want to get into the renting game, at least not having a lot in place in regards to a maintenance guy available (if I were to rent it, I'd be traveling a lot more and would need someone to take care of issues).

Another option was to finish off all the rooms and rent out space for creators - photographers, etc. But, I have entertained the idea of making it into a more full-time attraction, something that could encompass both floors and all the rooms. There aren't a lot around my area that I've run into, so maybe this year is what sparks that interest and I go more into that. A lot more involved but could be very rewarding too. Who knows!


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## DarkOne (Oct 16, 2012)

Maybe this year will help you decide. I watched the walkthrough again and I think light coming through the lath walls, or if a projection could be seen between the lath would be a nice touch. I couldn't tell if a lath wall opened up to a doorway where maybe a ghost could walk from behind the lath and be seen through the doorway. A shadow coming down the stairs as they walk in could be a creepy beginning.


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

Lots of recent rains have kept me stuck not doing much, but I've been slowly plotting courses. I did manage to sell my boat over the weekend (not much, but saves me having to pay for winter storage), and treated myself to a few extra goodies. I ordered a Chauvet 1200. I have two currently - one from Spirit which will be used for my Harvester of Souls since it's only for a small space, and a short duration - no point having anything larger for that. I also had a cheap Walmart one I bought a couple years ago that I never ended up using. But since that one has no good triggering options (it's their cheap one with a built-in wireless remote that's just a push button), I decided that I would just buy another larger one to handle my cauldron and yard coverage. Still need to build a chiller, but at least the big part is coming tomorrow. Also ordered another round of batteries for candle use, and stopped and found our Home Depot had some pitted and decayed skellies so grabbed a couple there too. 

I also managed to score these hanging lamps at a local store, kind of digging them. They do work, in spite of the spliced wiring, but I'm going to find some bright tea lights, and make a little shelf to sit in the bottom of the frame to hold. Will probably need a few per lamp to be bright enough to shine through the glass but I could also test using some clear plexi instead, with a single candle. 



















If the weather holds, tomorrow I'll pull out the generator and fire up everything that I'm anticipating having plugged in, to make sure I'm not somehow over my wattage limit, even if everything fired off at once. Pretty sure I'll be good, but don't want surprises on the big night.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Those are cool little lamps.


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

My Chauvet Hurricane 1200 came today, so I took the generator outside, hooked almost all of the stuff that I'm anticipating having plugged in, and made sure it would handle everything. Unfortunately the 1200 means that I'm a little over budget power-wise for one other thing I had planned to run off it, so I'm going to keep my eye out for a slightly larger genny. This one is a nice little inverter unit that can handle 1700 watts continuous and isn't so loud that it can be heard. But I also didn't have my projectors hooked up, which draw about 90 watts each. My genny can peak to 2000 watts, so in theory it will be bouncing up and down between that when the fog machines re-heat but I much prefer not being at the limit. Plus, a larger unit would be able to put out the same output at less effort, so-to-speak which could also decrease noise and fuel consumption, in theory. We'll see what I end up with I guess. But at least the big pieces are in place and workable it seems. 

Oh, and the JW want to stop by on Thurs for a chat. Not sure what they're going to think about having to share the couch with a few skeletons while all the props in the corner are leering out over the room. It might be a short stay...


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

You may actually give it a try. I think fog machines are typically a bit over rated on the advertised vs actual wattage. Plus it would be a pure resistive load, so no worries about excessive inrush current like with a motor starting. The generator will actually be most fuel efficient near the max load because the throttle is nearly wide open so minimal 'pumping' losses in the engine.

On the noise, I saw a guy set up some plywood panels around his generator - sort of like a sound baffle - it cut the noise considerably. So if noise is an issue, you might look at something similar. Even a couple of acoustic ceiling tiles could make a simple baffle or if you have any sort of structure to sit it behind - anything so there is not a 'direct line of sound' between the generator and house would help.

Overall this looks like a really neat project. Looking forward to seeing it progress!


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

The noise of my current generator isn't much of an issue. Where it'll be sitting is just outside the basement stairs in the rear of the house, but sheltered on three sides by stone walls, so there's not a lot of spillover to the neighbors or into the house itself. There's one door inside that leads to the basement that I just have to put a blanket over and then there's almost no sound inside, and the neighboring houses don't hear anything either. I'm just leery of having to step up much in size (if it comes to it), since that comes at an increased noise level.

The genny was running at near max throttle the first test, but it's hard to say what overhead there was on it. I don't have a reliable amp/watt meter to put inline to test the output with everything loaded up, but I'll probably hook it all back up again tonight and add projectors and see what I can do about it. I mean, when everything is first turned on will be the biggest test of it. If it can survive that test and keep everything lit and heated, then in theory I should be good for the evening. I do want to get a couple backup lights though, and worst case if it's too much, I can drop the projectors. In fact, I'm gonna go do that now...

Edit: Well, as it would have it, it DOES hold all of them at power. I was a little nervous about the first power-up since that's when everything including both fog heaters at the start. I think the other big thing is my RGB floods, the two claim to be 100W but I'm pretty sure they aren't anywhere near that. Plus, they aren't RGBW, so if I'm only using one of the three LED colors (green), then in theory it's using less wattage than trying to run it as white with all three lit. I think. Whatever. Either way, I think they're only drawing more like 40ish or so, if that. 

So, between the fog machines only cycling when needed (other than initial power-on), and the lights being less draw than anticipated, I think I'm fine. I'll need to get the cords out this weekend, take everything over to the house and put them in their layout positions and then test again to be sure, but.. I think it'll work. 

Granted, I'm sure I'll have to refill it once at least, so hopefully I have a gap for that. I should be good for about 3 hours easily before needing to fill (I ran a lot off it when I was out of power, and it was running basically full tilt in March keeping heaters going in the house and was getting close to 4 per tank). I feel like I'm losing time in a hurry for the rest lol


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

Did some more testing of goodies, and my "100 watt" RGB floodlights pull.. 20 at max brightness. So that's a nice buffer that I don't have to worry about lol. I did get the roof sealed up last weekend, and it's rained quite a bit the other day - inside has now stayed completely dry, so other than just drying out the damp floor over time, it's doing much better. Does take out some of the musty smell without all the water, but that's probably healthier even if it loses some atmosphere. But since it's been dry in the house, I've been moving all the props over. I have one left to move, and then everything will be in the house to position. A couple are set up, and I started doing more in-depth cleaning today after picking up a casket from someone locally that was selling one:










Granted, I had just made a shiny pine box, but that can go outside instead. 










I have a pretty hefty Amazon order coming tomorrow, which should get me to about 95% completed. All that will be left will be the final cleaning and vacuuming the first room and then getting to work on the rest of the nettings, and coverings, and all the little details. I still have three fence sections to make and paint, a couple of 2x4 crafted handrails for the stairs front and side, and then getting the tombstones figured out and placed. People have started asking when I'll have it ready and open, so I might just have to do some weekend private showings starting this weekend, though without the two outside animatronics. Or maybe take them inside each night afterwards. Feels like a lot of moving things around though, so I guess I'll see what happens.


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

Pushed through a long Saturday and Sunday worth of work, and managed to get to what I would consider 95% completed. Enough so that I was able to put a walkthrough video together without seeing too many tools and things in the way. There's a few things left to do on the day of, and I need to fine-tune volumes for props and music and things - and my helpers are absent, but I'm happy with how it turned out. Once I started putting out the yard decorations on Saturday I started getting a lot of excited interest from the neighborhood, which is a great feeling. Anyway, for those curious:


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Good grief!!!! That is amazing!! Love the atmosphere, lighting, jump scares, layout, everything! Great job - that must have been a ton of work. Hoping you get a ton of scared ToTs for the big night!


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## The Haddonfield Slasher (4 mo ago)

Wow! That's excellent. So, let me say one thing. Some folks [email protected] on using mass produced props, and props from Spirit, HD, etc. Your haunt is the perfect example for my argument. The use of mass produced props is not an issue... it's how they're used. Don't get me wrong. Most people just set up common props on the front lawn and call it a day which is very uninteresting. And I've seen people make completely unique excellent homemade props, but your use of some of the darker and cooler props is fantastic like the Soul Harvester and your hunched over dude holding the jack 0:30 in. (I can't remember the name of that guy.) You took some somewhat common (but expensive) props and made a very unique and awesome haunt for everyone to enjoy. Btw, you have several props, the 2 mentioned above included, that I've been considering getting for the last 2 years. I've just not pulled the trigger yet. Your display might have made a sale for some future seller. 😁 I'm sold on those 2 props now. I don't do the cutesy props. I gravitate to the ones that creep out even adults.

If you were within an hour drive of me, I'd absolutely come visit your haunt. 😁 You wouldn't happen to be within an hour of the Chicago area, would you? 😎 

One last thing... please tell me the black, real coffin you bought that's above is not "used". That'd be really creepy. 🤣 I've heard of people using "used" coffins that were displays in a funeral home, but the thought of someone rotting inside that box if it was "used, used" is kinda gross.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Holy crap, that is one impressive set up! Well done, dude!


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

The Haddonfield Slasher said:


> If you were within an hour drive of me, I'd absolutely come visit your haunt. 😁 You wouldn't happen to be within an hour of the Chicago area, would you? 😎
> 
> One last thing... please tell me the black, real coffin you bought that's above is not "used". That'd be really creepy. 🤣 I've heard of people using "used" coffins that were displays in a funeral home, but the thought of someone rotting inside that box if it was "used, used" is kinda gross.


Unfortunately, not really close to Chicago, more like... 12 hours lol. And no, it's not a genuine used coffin. It was purchased locally from a family that's done a haunted house for the last 5-6 years I think they said, but needed the space, and they got it from a haunted house prior. There's actually a couple places nearby that do prop coffins that style, but I got lucky to find one in my own town. Unless someone's lay in it joking around in the past, pretty sure it's never been used for anything but props. 

And thank you for your encouragement. Once I bought the house I knew I wanted to do Halloween there but wanted something spooky for the front lawn. After Jack Stalker (the pumpkin holder) and the Cauldron Creeper, I just kind of kept buying more in the same genre. I do have an Inferno Scarecrow new in box too but he doesn't really fit in anywhere. I just wanted them to seem at home!


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## The Haddonfield Slasher (4 mo ago)

CharlzO said:


> Unfortunately, not really close to Chicago, more like... 12 hours lol. And no, it's not a genuine used coffin. It was purchased locally from a family that's done a haunted house for the last 5-6 years I think they said, but needed the space, and they got it from a haunted house prior. There's actually a couple places nearby that do prop coffins that style, but I got lucky to find one in my own town. Unless someone's lay in it joking around in the past, pretty sure it's never been used for anything but props.
> 
> And thank you for your encouragement. Once I bought the house I knew I wanted to do Halloween there but wanted something spooky for the front lawn. After Jack Stalker (the pumpkin holder) and the Cauldron Creeper, I just kind of kept buying more in the same genre. I do have an Inferno Scarecrow new in box too but he doesn't really fit in anywhere. I just wanted them to seem at home!


Well, you did it!

Okay, I was just watching the video again, and I gotta know. Is that your house front door you're walking into? Are you letting people walk through the first floor of your house?


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

Yes, into the front door where the Hauntress is lurking. Down the hallway, into the skelly room, then through what used to be a closet and into the red room, then out the side. I didn't buy the house SPECIFICALLY to make it spooky, but it did come that way as a bonus  (there's a looong restoration ahead in it's future)


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## The Haddonfield Slasher (4 mo ago)

Excellent! I appreciate you adding the part about the looming restoration. I didn't want t say anything, but it looked like a truly haunted house and was wondering if that was as-is, staged, or built. If I had the money, I'd want to buy that house solely for spooking in October. 😁 No resto. It reminds me of the Myers house when Michael comes home in the original. It's pure perfection. Everything looks just perfect for Halloween.


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

The Haddonfield Slasher said:


> but it looked like a truly haunted house and was wondering if that was as-is, staged, or built.


That's precisely why I didn't paint it this year  well that, and the ridiculous number of hours that it's going to take to scrape down all the detail work! But it does look much more appropriate with flacking, peeling, scraped, dingy paint!

Funny you mention it though, I had a gentleman stop the night before last (I think, or last?) and was commenting how he drove by and decided he had to stop to find out more, said it reminded him of a movie set with how the house was, the flickering light, etc.


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

So after my initial setup Sunday and taking last night to get things kind of figured out, I gave my setup a "regular" night's activities. Happy to find that after 3+ hours, the generator was only a little below halfway remaining so I should be able to get nearly 5 hours per tank. Even though it was a bit breezy today, I made sure the outside fogger timer was still active to make sure there was an accurate load on the generator for a good baseline. Speakers last as well, so basically everything that I would've been concerned about lasting the duration of Halloween night has proven that it will soldier through, though I imagine my battery box might peter out at the tail end of the night after running the projector in the front window. Everything else though, all good, so that is a relief.


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## CharlzO (7 mo ago)

The big night has come and dwindled. The town officially had times listed from 5-8 PM, so I was set up by 4 with everything powered up, and stayed until about 9:30 to make sure no one missed out. At that point, I decided it was a school night, and I was dead on my feet. I did learn things; the shoes I grabbed are NOT comfort-focused. My old contact lenses are definitely out of prescription (I really need to stop deciding on costumes that involve masks...). And my old house can hold a lot more traffic than I expected! We had triple digit candy handouts, and at least double (if not more) traffic overall when considering we had many repeat guests going through the house. No drama (other than the occasional couple of kids that would over-dramatize their reactions, but hey, it's Halloween, so it's allowed). Everyone was very polite, understanding even when it was a good line going through, no damages, everyone was respectful towards the displays and props. I was told my multiple people that it was a great thing that I had done for the people in town, bringing all the spirit back to the holiday and was told I was the talk of the town. 

For the technical side of it, everything went off perfectly. I did end up running extra extension cords to both The Hauntress and my Lunging Reaper. The battery packs worked, but the Hauntress especially seemed to be a half second slow on the take when triggered, you'd hear the sound and then a half second later, she'd pop out instead of it being smooth. Functional but not ideal, so the dedicated power fixed that. The Reaper, ok, I was just lazy. I could've just changed out the batteries in the battery pack (it was actually the same pack that I had originally been testing, so by the time it got to where it was losing the oomph to push motion, it was probably close to 24 hours of total run time on that set of Amazon D batteries) but it was just as easy to run a second cord to it. I set my yard fogger on about a 10 minute timer, since it's a pretty small yard and right next to the road. Using frozen bottles in 4" drain pipe with holes drilled every 9" or so, worked well enough that people liked it. Though, I think they just liked that it was fog in general but I'll take the win. I did refill the generator once, around 6ish I think. Overall though not bad. It was running the 1200 watt, and 400 watt fogger, my outdoor light, my two indoor lights, a projector, and 5 of the animatronics (the creeper ran non-stop, the others on triggers). I'm sure if I was more aggressive on fog dispersion it would've needed a 2nd refill but I was happy with how it went. My speakers all lasted the duration of 6 hours which was right at the point where I was pleasantly surprised. Granted they were on a low enough volume so I'm sure that helped. Zero issues with anything, all props worked flawlessly even after a couple small sessions of sprinkles that passed in the early afternoon. No failures, no hiccups, I couldn't have asked for a better debut. 

I did get asked by quite a few people if I'll be doing it again next year. Pretty sure at this point, I'm gonna have to! I might take a day off before I start planning though. My feet hurt, and my vision is still blurry back in my glasses. 

Happy Halloween all!!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

So happy to hear things went well for you! It was an ambitious undertaking and the Halloween gods rewarded you.


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## SCEYEDOC (Aug 12, 2007)

Wow! Most Haunters would be thrilled to just have an outside setup like yours...let alone all the impressive props inside. That took a lotta, lotta work and the details show. Great job. Good luck topping that next year, hahaha. Thanks for sharing the video.


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Hot Dang!!! Fantastic!! Loved the creature breathing in the "soul" of the human, haven't seen that before


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