# the little touches that make a big impact



## Turbophanx (Jun 30, 2008)

I noticed in many of your photos and videos there is that little something extra. I have all the same elements...good lighting, well made props etc..

but that little extra, the sticks, twigs, dust, etc... that make the scene.

Can you guys give me some suggestions that will make my haunt feel less like a nice yard with some halloween stuff in it to a real cozy/scary yard?

Thanks,

Michael


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## Spooklights (Jul 4, 2006)

Sticks and leaves left on the ground always make it look less tidy. I always make sure that there are lots of leaves around in the graveyard scene; anything that comes down from our trees, we just let it lay there until after Halloween. I don't cut the grass either, which makes the house look more deserted. Try getting some of those plastic bugs that are used for Halloween party favors, and scatter them on your porch (or wherever you're giving out treats). 
I think the thing that really makes our house look deserted is that I hang black backdrops behind each window. That way we can have the lights on in the house, but from the street the windows look dark. This also make the ghosts and skeletons in the windows stand out more.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Do you have a couple photos of your haunt either from this year or last that you could post here? That would help folks see what you're working with and where some of those extra touches would work, if needed.


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## azscoob (Oct 6, 2010)

I stop cutting my grass, and also stop trimming the bushes, nothing looks more out of place than aged tombstones, creepy ground breakers, and cobwebs in a nice manicured lawn with sculpted bushes.


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## TeddyMadison (Oct 14, 2010)

Let the lawn grow and leave the sticks and leaves on the ground. I also spray the lawn with water in the evening to get it misty, this helps the fog to stick to it and creep a bit. Dark house but not too dark or they think your not there. Now there's an art, how to make a house look abandoned but also have tots expect to get candy from it.


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## dave the dead (Jan 31, 2007)

I save dead limbs and wire them to the fence and stick them into the shrubbery around the house as dead trees...pull tall weeds in clumps and place the clumps around your tombstones for an added overgrown look...authentic flowers from a cemetery is a great touch...most cemeteries have a dumpster where they dispose of old flowers and ground blankets...you can't get any more authentic and creepy than that. 

When placing your props, try to stay away from straight rows of tombstones...keep it a bit more random and the display will have more impact. When placing dummies, zombies, and all manner of creepy figures, try to keep them in an active pose rather than looking straight to the street with their arms pointing out..Pose them like they are in the middle of doing something.


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