# Stuck on Theme - Need help



## Chuck (Oct 10, 2009)

For the past few years I have always done a graveyard in the front yard. However, I want to change things up this year and turn the house into a safe house that has been over-run by zombies. Think of a house that was commandeered by a local militia group for a command center and was eventually overrun by a zombie horde.

It would be easy for me to do this and just not use all my cemetery stuff, but I really put a lot blood sweat, and money into them and would hate to not use them somehow. The main ones that I am most interested in is a toe pincher, mausoleum, fencing, large monster mud reaper, and a haunted organ. Not sure what, if any I can use.

So my question is, how do I change themes to what I described above, yet still be able to incorporate some of my other props.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Shy of some trashed signs, and broken windows in a deserted house, I think you would have a tough time trying to convey that story line in the short time you get TOTs or visitors. You could have a survivor, or maybe a sign that a survivor scrawled as a warning to others, but if it's too complicated people won't be able to follow or remember it as they go through the haunt.
As far as incorporating existing props, without knowing what you have it's difficult for us to guide you.
For the props you did mention, shy of this facility having been a mortuary, I don't see how you could tie some of that stuff in, and even then it would be limited to some of the coffins, and maybe the stones.


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

Chuck that is the same exact issue I ran into this year which is why I put off doing the zombie thing for another year. I have started to collect tons of zombie stuff, signs, posters, zombie caution tape, etc etc, fake weapons, I even have the official CDC posters the government made last year for the zombie outbreak. I just havent had the funds to really do what I wanted to for a zombie theme


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## Lord Homicide (May 11, 2012)

Maybe this will help out?
http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=31721


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## MapThePlanet (Nov 12, 2010)

You might could also do some hedgehogs like Terra built last year


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Giving some, or all of your listed stuff a year off lets them seem all the fresher for next year. Just because you have a lot of stuff doesn't mean you have to use it all, all of the time. I know some will argue with that because of the labor and or money they put into buying or creating their props, but the bottom line for your haunt or display is to tell a story, be thought provoking, and or be entertaining. If having all of your stuff out gets in the way of that then you need to rethink your priorities.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Couldn't you combine the two themes for this year and slowly transistion over to mostly zombies in the next few years? You could set up your graveyard and have open graves where zombies are crawling out of the graves, tombs, mausoleum, etc. And then maybe by next year you could have it more "zombie friendly". Just a thought...I know what it is like to get tired of your theme, but maybe you could just 'tweak' this year a bit until you go full tilt on the zombie theme.
P.S. Graveyards just SCREAM Halloween to me....but zombies are nice as well...but I am a graveyard girl....


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## Chuck (Oct 10, 2009)

Since I do have a lot of graveyard stuff, I was thinking maybe the house used to be an old abandoned church. One of those that has a graveyard off to the side or in back of it. Then once the apocalypse hit it was converted into a stronghold. That way I can use Pumpkin5's idea of the zombies coming out of the graves. 

Fontgeek, you are right, I don't plan on using everything that I have because it will interfere with the storyline too much.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Just keep in mind that by your or Pumpkin5s plan, you will end up facing this same question or problem next year rather than this year. I think it's wise that you are understanding and accepting the fact that the story line is important.
I know there are a large number of haunters who put everything out every year, as more of a show of what they have rather than presenting a spooky facade. They like the building and the showing off of the props more than any of the other aspects of haunting.


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## Chuck (Oct 10, 2009)

I am definitely all about the story line, that I why I posed this question. I want to use some of the props that I spent a lot of time building but not at the expense of them not fitting in the scene.


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## wandererrob (Aug 8, 2007)

I'm not sure about the reaper or organ, but the rest could pretty easily be repurposed to fit a scene for zombies rising/risen from the grave/mausoleum. Throw in a couple of groundbreakers, maybe actors. But they could fit the theme to a point. Can you set the cemetery scene off to a side of the yard maybe? A nearby cemetery supplying some of the incoming horde.

Note to self: read the other posts first. I like Pumpkin5's idea


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

Since haunt story-lines are mostly, if not totally, told visually, trying to get a mixed or complicated story across is difficult at best, or a total bust at worst.


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## TheHauntedTunnel (Aug 5, 2012)

I have a Zombie theme this year for our Haunt....And I would love to see pix from some of the people who already did a Zombie theme....pretty please??


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