# Haunted Forest



## Aelwyn (Jul 7, 2008)

Okay, so I'm having my party on November 7th this year (Samhain ritual on the 30th, and my friend and I are going to try to win prizes at a bar with our one costume this year).

Anyhow, I want to do a "Haunted Forest" theme. Trees, man eating plants, lots of leaves, bugs, maybe a giant creepy "Alice in Wonderland" type caterpillar. These will be both inside AND out (and, of course, gravestones littered about outside).

So how do I make the indoors look like outdoors?

I'm thinking branches, vines/moss hanging from the ceiling, etc.

But what could be a SCARE inside, that I don't need a person for? (And something easy, since I'm not mechanically inclined).

HELP!


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## Warrant2000 (Oct 8, 2008)

Use black and dark green fabrics to line your walls and give it a darker forest look.

Use green back lighting in corners behind those fake trees and vines.

Play sound fx track of outside; crickets, birds, owls, wind blowing through trees, etc.

Use camo fabric/mesh where appropriate (but not too much, lest your neck turns red)

Bees nest in a corner with an accompanying buzzing soundtrack. Bats on the ceiling.

You could make some large trees by getting those large round cardboard tubes at Home Depot, cutting them lengthwise, barkify (similiar to corpsify) and make 2 half-tree facades.

Put a few Blair Witch stick figures around. Add some camping equipment in one corner...lantern, rolled up sleeping bag, small stove with a pan.

LOT'S of vines and branches. 

Hope this helps!


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## Aelwyn (Jul 7, 2008)

Thanks Warrent....I LOOOOVE the tree idea. Have to look into that. I plan on getting some camo mesh, but not TONS (LOL...let my neck go red). Bats on the ceiling sounds awesome, and I like the outdoor sounds idea...maybe mixed with growling and bat noises.


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

How about a floor fan set to move back and forth with some shredded netting draped over it add the correct lighting in a dark room with the right sound affect or it can blow around some branches with leaves with lighting.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Ooh cool... I just did a show on this lol I was hoping someone would be doing a forest scene this year. Faking forest can be mondo expensive; there are plenty of ways to dodge that by making things from scratch but they take time and space so have a project area set up and start asap.

I love that shaggy, overgrown old forest look... lots of hanging moss and stuff, like near a swamp (another great project to grow into your forest over the years). Vines, lotsa vines. And Aelwyn, I bet you already know of some fabric suppliers online who sell hemp products; if you launder regular twisted hemp rope then untwist it down to the strands, you get an awesome spanish or beard type moss that's soft, stays where its tied and doesn't crumble & make a mess.

PS: Oh, and ideas for scares -- in my experience nothing packs the bang for the buck of a really realistic nasty big spider. Go for the phobias, I say! (Hey, Mother Nature doesn't play fair, and this is YOUR natural world, so you don't have to either )


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## Uruk-Hai (Nov 4, 2006)

I love the idea of a campsite in the corner but make it look torn apart - tent in tatters, pulled out sleeping bags, overturned coolers and of course blood everywhere! make it look like a bear (or worse!) had just attacked and dragged off the campers. Play some growl sound effects in the background.


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## BadTable Manor (Apr 16, 2008)

Revenant said:


> if you launder regular twisted hemp rope then untwist it down to the strands, you get an awesome spanish or beard type moss that's soft, stays where its tied and doesn't crumble & make a mess.


Yes yes, I LOVE this tip!
Sounds like you've got a fantastic theme going, Aelwyn. I hope you post pics.


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