# What do you do with a 200 year old Oak Tree?



## thefireguy (Aug 11, 2008)

I need some serious help. I have no idea what to do with my large oak tree in front of my house. I NEED to make it the center of my haunt but the only ideas I can come up with is provide a ton of moon lighting through the branches or put a wicked face on it out of material that can hold witch jars. What can you suggest????


----------



## Zurgh (Dec 21, 2009)

Your Oak is awesome as is! If you wish to enhance it beyond it's natural beauty (and creepiness...), then add things to it... owls, rats, ghosts, spiders, other props... It already has a face, several faces... enhance it's face's...


----------



## Drop Dead Ed (May 29, 2010)

The answer is simple. Nothing. Those of us with palm trees in our front yard can only dream of having such an awesome 'prop'.


----------



## thefireguy (Aug 11, 2008)

I'm loving your comments keep them coming. Zurgh how would you add animals?? Animatronics or just static props with, maybe, eyes lit. And I'm so glad I don't have palm trees. I wouldn't know how to deal with they except with a chain saw (creepy).


----------



## trishaanne (Aug 20, 2005)

I made faces out of plaster of paris and some from latex, stained them to the color of the tree and nailed them on, so the tree had faces coming out of it all around. Personally though, I'd leave it alone. It has a natural creepiness to it. If you wanted to do anything they have crows that are battery operated and whose eyes light up. Maybe put a vulture in the branches but I think it's perfect the way it is.


----------



## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

That's a beautiful tree. I'd have a bunch of skellies hanging from the tree.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

The tree itself needs nothing to make it part of the scene. It's a perfect backdrop in all its natural beauty for an aged cemetery. However, if you wish to gild the proverbial lily, Spanish moss could be draped on some of the lower branches.


----------



## kevin242 (Sep 30, 2005)

gorgeous tree, I'd hang someone from it...


----------



## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

A "centerpiece" in our haunted trail is a similar oak. I understand the "gotta do something to showcase this" attitude. Last year we set up our Witches station around the oak. The witches must have had 100 candles hanging from different heights throughout the tree with about 5 body bags hanging from the branches. The tree came into view as the guests walked over a wooden bridge and every group oohed and ahhed over the scene - it really was beautiful. Which really made them unprepared for the scares that followed, lol.

As a safety note, all of our stations that use any type of flame are equipped with fire extinguishers and all flames are out of reach of our guests.


----------



## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Great tree! As a forester I really love the beautiful/creepy factor that some trees have. Some just have....character. 
The only thing I would offer is that some "Blair Witch" style stick figures, creepy bottles, misc. jars might look good hanging from the branches. I also like the idea of skeletons, a body or two, and the Spanish moss.


----------



## Evil Queen (Mar 8, 2008)

trishaanne said:


> I made faces out of plaster of paris and some from latex, stained them to the color of the tree and *nailed them on*, so the tree had faces coming out of it all around.










You could try using velcro, fishing line or double sided mounting tape next time and not damage the tree.


----------



## Murdock (May 17, 2010)

RoxyBlue said:


> The tree itself needs nothing to make it part of the scene. It's a perfect backdrop in all its natural beauty for an aged cemetery. However, if you wish to gild the proverbial lily, Spanish moss could be draped on some of the lower branches.


My first thought was dripping Spanish moss as well. It's perfect as is though.


----------



## randomr8 (Oct 24, 2009)

treeface

I have this one (made out of cast iron) on our backyard oak year round. You could put many faces on it, or not. Yours is a beautiful tree.


----------



## nixie (Sep 17, 2008)

You are so fortunate to have such a glorious tree! I bet most of us would have bought that house for the tree alone! I'm thinking along the same lines as many here. Spanish moss, witch jars, a few spiders, or maybe an owl, I don't think you can go wrong. I would be careful, however, not to do so much to it that you distract the eye from the trees natural shape and lines. Whatever you decide, be sure to post pics!


----------



## Wyatt Furr (Jun 5, 2006)

What an amazing tree. I could only wish for such a specimen in my front yard. Nothing grows like that here in the rocky soil of Southern Nevada. Maybe a bit of up-lighting to accent the branches, but other than that leave it be,I say.


----------



## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

I would get some lights, go out one night and experiment to see what positions and angles produce the creepiest shadows. That knobby stuff halfway up looks like it has real potential. Look for something that resembles a face, or a skull, or a hand or whatever. Then see if you can take some sheer black fabric and accentuate the shadows. I bet something like starch would make the fabric stick nicely and wash right off when you're done. Staples or thumbtacks might also work (if they don't penetrate the bark, the tree shouldn't care, right?).

I'd consider having another circuit of low-key lighting that you can switch to the brighter creepy lighting. Throw a switch, the tree turns into a monster. Maybe add some red bulbs for pupils, or a fog chiller up in that high crook.


----------



## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

Backlighting to make it look dark or front light to cast shadows on the house.
You could drape some cheese cloth or put a face on it and then up-light it "horror lighting".

I like the idea of putting a face and up-lighting it. Would look kewl.


----------



## Rasputin (Jan 4, 2010)

If you want, there are some things about covens of witches practicing around trees, for instance in "The Scottish Play", the witches are on a blasted stump. You could have that be a backstory of sorts, witches who were burned at the stake in the late 1700's (or whenever your state was founded) only to return on Samhain (Halloween) as part of a curse of sorts. You could have a large faux-leather scroll with the curse written on it, have it say that there is a chance for them to come back by claiming 100 souls. Then you could have a projection of "souls" playing and have bodies coming out fo the tree. Build witches (or if you can, get actresses to play them) and don't put them up until Halloween (to play into your theme). This has potential!


----------



## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Hang a blue spotllight up in the tree so it shines down and casts shadows on the ground of the branches, small spotlight on the tree itself down low, a spotlight on the roof shining up into the tree to highlight it from the road. Fireflies or twinkling eyes up in the tree. Some speakers with creepy night sounds up in the branches. Spanish moss or small cheese cloth ghosts tied to strings that hand over strategically located branches that you could pull on from a convenient hiding spot to make them go up and down.


----------



## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

That tree is great - I wish I had one! I agree with the back lighting idea. That would cast some awesome shadows!

I love the pose of the hooded figure - did you make that?


----------



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Personally, I'd just use lighting to accentuate what the tree already has naturally. Just being itself is awesome; I wouldn't want to draw attention away from it's own creepy tree-ness.


----------



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

We also use our tree as it's right next to the road.

The branch facing oncoming traffic holds up a full sized Blucky I hot glued together to look like hes crawling up the trunk of the tree. He's about 12 feet off of ground at the top. I put heavy floral wire around its neck and wing the paddle of wire up & over the crotch of the branch (it takes many tosses up to get it in the right spot, but its so hi I cant use a ladder).Paddle comes down & I then wrap wire around the body...then around feet & then to ancient nail previous owners had left in tree. It looks like skelly is crawling up tree; have his head turned around so he is looking down at oncoming traffic.I highly reccomend you NOT put any holes in the tree, as it lets bugs march right in. You could use wire to wrap around tree, as skelly needs to NOT move in the wind or it breaks. I then hit wires that are most obvious on skelly with some white spray paint: done. Other branch to the side (profile to oncoming traffic) gets a hanging inflatable body figure I have wrapped in cobwebbing & beef netting....do same to hang it. Slightly above the webbed body, on side of tree, I wire up a 6 foot bendable legged spider from Target, and make a leg or two caressing the body. I dread ladders as my lawn is mushy, and floral wire seems to work great for about everything. Cheap, easy on, snip to get it off/down...no damage. I LOVE your tree as it is. You can wire a face onto it..make a big mache face....but its perfect as is. I find that Spanish moss blows away....I have to wire it on or tuck it into my props. Not easy to get it up into or to stay on a tree. Oh- I almost forgot: I up light the skelly on the tree by wiring a little shelf to the tree, which then holds a small, battery operated flashinig pumpkin light. l use a piece of roof flashing (very soft metal) (painted black) as the shelf and bend it up so light is shielded from viewers eyes. The light is low enough that I can turn it on & off. I tried rigging flood lights in/up/down the tree & they were blinding the traffic....


----------



## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

kevin242 said:


> gorgeous tree, i'd hang someone from it...


:d


----------



## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

kevin242 said:


> gorgeous tree, I'd hang someone from it...


That line should be in a signature!


----------



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

I think I had to much caffiene last night. "Blahblahblahblah"....sheesh. Shut me up.


----------



## Dark Angel 27 (Sep 11, 2008)

beautiful tree! i would add a comment to it, but everyone else already said what i wanted to say...that's a lesson for late commers like me right?

but i'll say it anyway. sometimes less is more, but i love the idea of hanging someone from it!


----------



## autumnghost (Sep 12, 2009)

Not a doggone thing.


----------



## thefireguy (Aug 11, 2008)

Wow, I wasn't expecting such a great response. I appreciate all you input and will let you know what I decided to do. Since I posted last I put 80 ft. of corrigated pipe in the ground around my tree for my fog distribution. I'll post some video it turned out really good and I can't wait to try it with the fog chiller. Thanks again for posting all your great ideas.


----------



## Aelwyn (Jul 7, 2008)

Oooo---I like the "Witches Station" idea! Hang dirty mason jars with candles lit in them, or jars of spooky ingredients, and just some good old awesome lighting! Oh, and bones, animal skulls, etc, hanging off of it!

It's a very "Hoodoo" Tree, to me!


----------



## trentsketch (Jul 27, 2009)

While not nearly as old, I lost my beloved gigantic creepy tree a few weeks ago when the town chopped it down for liability reasons. Oh, how I miss the instant ambiance.

I say leave it as is. Light the tree as part of the scene. Old cemeteries have out of control trees; it works.


----------



## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:My suggestion is from one of my most favorite books, _The Halloween Tree _by Ray Bradbury. I am actually going to try that this year with a much smaller dogwood tree in my front yard. Put as many carved/artificial pumpkins in the tree as you can afford to do or as time permits and light them with either plug in lights or actual tea candles depending on if they are real pumpkins or artificial. I think it would be a devastatingly beautiful "haunting" bow to _The Halloween Tree _and the master story teller, Ray Bradbury. Also, there is no such thing as too many pumpkins.:jol:

Also, I am a big lover of trees, and that is one gorgeous tree. No matter how long we live, that tree will always have more years on this beautiful Earth than we do. You gotta admire and honor the soul of the tree......was that too tree-huggerery?



debbie5 said:


> I think I had to much caffiene last night. "Blahblahblahblah"....sheesh. Shut me up.


Not at all! I think yours are some great ideas. I'd love to see a photo of your "skelly" up the tree. I do admire the clever haunters. :jol:


----------



## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

I've got a couple of live oaks in my front yard, that I plan to put spirits in. This thread makes me wonder if I might do even more. Hmm, time to fire up a light and examine them after dark.


----------



## randomr8 (Oct 24, 2009)

debbie5 said:


> We also use our tree as it's right next to the road.
> 
> The branch facing oncoming traffic holds up a full sized Blucky I hot glued together to look like hes crawling up the trunk of the tree. He's about 12 feet off of ground at the top. I put heavy floral wire around its neck and wing the paddle of wire up & over the crotch of the branch (it takes many tosses up to get it in the right spot, but its so hi I cant use a ladder).Paddle comes down & I then wrap wire around the body...then around feet & then to ancient nail previous owners had left in tree. It looks like skelly is crawling up tree; have his head turned around so he is looking down at oncoming traffic.I highly reccomend you NOT put any holes in the tree, as it lets bugs march right in. You could use wire to wrap around tree, as skelly needs to NOT move in the wind or it breaks. I then hit wires that are most obvious on skelly with some white spray paint: done. Other branch to the side (profile to oncoming traffic) gets a hanging inflatable body figure I have wrapped in cobwebbing & beef netting....do same to hang it. Slightly above the webbed body, on side of tree, I wire up a 6 foot bendable legged spider from Target, and make a leg or two caressing the body. I dread ladders as my lawn is mushy, and floral wire seems to work great for about everything. Cheap, easy on, snip to get it off/down...no damage. I LOVE your tree as it is. You can wire a face onto it..make a big mache face....but its perfect as is. I find that Spanish moss blows away....I have to wire it on or tuck it into my props. Not easy to get it up into or to stay on a tree. Oh- I almost forgot: I up light the skelly on the tree by wiring a little shelf to the tree, which then holds a small, battery operated flashinig pumpkin light. l use a piece of roof flashing (very soft metal) (painted black) as the shelf and bend it up so light is shielded from viewers eyes. The light is low enough that I can turn it on & off. I tried rigging flood lights in/up/down the tree & they were blinding the traffic....


I'm stealing that idea!


----------



## Glyphen2010 (Aug 30, 2010)

It would be cool to fashion a face on it and mount a MP3 player and speaker that would emit Treebeard movie quotes from time to time. "I like going south...it feels like....going down hill"


----------



## cjbmaaaaaa (Sep 12, 2010)

How about some giant spiders and snakes with some witch jars or other fake candles? I can just envision large snakes just dangling with some spiders. Last year we made a giant black widow with paper mache beach balls. This year I am making snakes out of pool noodles. You could even put a cocooned spider victim accented with a black light.


----------

