# starting new haunt.



## skullking1971 (Jul 5, 2007)

I have a chance to run my own haunt next year, and I have to start from scratch and have a very small budget.
The place I am using is about five acres and its all wood’s, so my problem is what to use as my structure. I live in Indiana 
So it can be cold and wet in October.??

I need some suggestions!!


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## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

Wood and or metal and tents.


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## Gothic Nightmare (Jul 19, 2007)

What is your haunts theme going to be? It would be great if you could use types of structures that fit in to the theme and serve a double purpose of set decoration as well.

For example, if your going for a blair-witch type thing you could build structures out of sticks, and use trees as supports. You can camouflage tarps with natural materials as well.

If it's going to be a night time only haunt you don't even have to hide a lot. Darkness does it for you.

I envy you. It sounds like a fun location and project. Good luck!


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## skullking1971 (Jul 5, 2007)

I would like to theme it like a southern swamp or a Cajon look, I also think some voodoo stuff would be kool.


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## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

This isn't posted in the right forum skullking1971.


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## Hellrazor (Jun 18, 2006)

You should start gathering old thrown out wood. Then pick up some aluminum sheds; covering them with the old wood would give you some Shacks. You can probably get some of that stuff at "Curbys" and at the Dumps around your places. Since people are changing their sheds from aluminum to vinyl these days.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Either start collecting some fake spanish moss (the real kind doesn't last long outside once it's dead, it's fragile) or unravel some twisted rope down to its component strands and spray them light grey, that makes a good fake spanish moss. Oh, and start saving chicken bones! Clean them off really well and let them dry out, then hit them with some stain and make little mobiles and hanging things with them... add some black feathers and make some chicken's claws with some wire and papier mache... wow, there's all sort of things you can just go crazy with that theme! And for not a lot of money, too.

I wish I could remember who... someone on here made a bayou-style haunt last year I think, with a facade that looked like a clapboard shotgun-style house, it looked kickin'... hopefully the pics are still up on the forum. Be sure to put a lot of weather staining and mildew, and the more warped the boards are the better (leave thin plywood out in the rain and let it dry with things under it so it warps more).

Love your idea! It could be creepy as all get out! That voodoo stuff really freaks a lot of people out because there's a lot of people who believe in it. And best of all, voodoo means.... ZOMBIEEEEEEEEEEEEZ!!!!!!!!! :zombie: :zombie: :zombie: :zombie: :zombie:


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## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

Why use a structure at all? We're about to do our second Trail of Terror and any buildings we use are props we build from donated materials.

For next year, I'm trying to find an old schoolbus, rx, or trailer. Maybe something like this could work for you temporarily.

There's definitely plus's to having a building, but if the glass is half full, not having a building is less restrictive if you want to change from year to year.


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## fg4432 (Sep 18, 2007)

*5 acre woods on a new haunt*

You could always place 4 posts with a roof to protect your props. Or if it is a low prop, could just be a roof leaning on 2 posts up front. If you had a long winding path it would be a nightmare to run electrical out there. You would probably need more actors than a place that is all next to each other like a typical yard haunt.

On a Boy Scout walk on a path one year they had a hanging man up in the air with a slip knot to allow it to fall within feet of the ground ahead of us. They used one or two people with flashlights to light the whole thing up. But without actually have a place to set it up and at the campground it was on the fly, I thought it worked well.

Your advantage would be quiet, dark, let your imagination run wild, and time to anticipate where the next scare would come from.

Just some ideas. Turn your disadvantages into advantages for your particular setup.


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## abrcrombe (Sep 18, 2007)

I wouldn't mess with many structures. How creepy would it be to walk through the woods in the DARK and just have things pop out at you. Definitely have guides with flashlights, as people may get lost if you let them roam in there alone!!


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## THeme ssaGE (Jul 16, 2006)

No I say GO with the structure. I don't think the woods are that creepy....especially when your already in the woods. If I live in a woodsy area and I go to see a haunt, I'm gonna be unimpressed if they just walk me through the woods. Of course I'll have fun and let myself be scared and all but at the end of the night production and the magic gets it done. Bring the woods to the city!


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