Gone Feral In Idaho

Ah, the LED.  What a money saver, that is, if you have the cash up front.  I do not.  I currently use two strings of 3 par 38 cans because I started all this in 2009 with zero electrical know how.  For 2010, I attempted to make three flickering flame LED lanterns that turned out O.K.  Each run on a 9V battery that lasted through the several evenings that I had them lit.  You can see the 2010 lighting in my You Tube video here .  As you can see, I had a lot of colorful light that doesn't necessarily do justice to the level of detail I put into my props.  I'm sure most of the haunters out there are familiar with Skull and Bone  who has a great tutorial on the dynamics of lighting.  If you haven't seen Pumpkinrot's  masterpieces do yourself the favor.   The Davis Graveyard  is a great example of using very natural looking lighting.   My goal for 2011, in addition to adding at least 12 more props (ooh, that's one a...

Its tiny, but I thought a lot about detail.  My small graveyard is set up and the first witch has moved into the scene.  I have two more witches and a cauldron that will go up over the next two weeks.   Compared to my first haunt attempt , this is pretty impressive. Here are the pics with the lights on: These are long exposure shots that I really like.  I wish I could make the yard look like this to the naked human eye.  These were all 30 second exposures.  

Also known as my favorite prop picture to date While one of my faves- the Frog Queen has been rubbing elbows with Rob Zombie, I've been plugging away at my three sisters witches a-la Macbeth/ Pumpkinrot .  I finally have all three heads finished except two that got weather sealed need matting so they aren't shiny and one needs sealed,... the basic heads are done.  I want matte finish skin with shiny lacquered eyes, eyelids, teeth, gums, and lips, think Alien style.    These girls will be frothing at the lips in ecstasy while they try to raise the dead.  Note: I don't plan to have any risen dead this year due to time constraints, my haunt story will follow soon.   After I got home from the morgue I tried a little "photo shoot" with the girls and an idea I am tossing around about hair.  Pumpkinrot's witches are hairless (and ear-less as are mine), but I am a big hair girl.  I like some of the photos I've found ...

This is my prototype LED flicker lantern.  I still have a lot to do, but I think I found a cheap and simple circuit that just about anyone could make, trust me, I am no electrician.  Sorry for the poor quality, but I am simply trying to get the atmosphere across.  I blocked out the base of the lantern because it is sitting on the wiring and a ton of light leaks through the bottom until I get everything the way I like it.  Please, give me some feedback.  I plan to have three lanterns, one for each witch in the yard haunt this year.  The base plan is Spooky Blue's   "Spookyfire" LED blob , but with resistors and slave non-blinking ultrabright LED's that blink in a circuit with a cheaper blinking LED after referring to an LED   circuit wizard .  

I have three strikes against me with haunting our yard.  We have a chain link fence.  We live on a well light corner lot.  We live in a little, yellow, vinyl sided house with white trim and a cheesy half round window with bad 80's style brass "stained glass" over the front door.  Don't get me wrong, I like the house and all, It's just not ideal for a yard haunt.  There is no fighting with the street lamp.  I am a "sworn" County Deputy and could never tamper with it.  So I have to look to Skull and Bone  for lighting tips, although I only have a four flood string and a bunch of little LED floods that Pumpkinrot turned me on to.  I am wiring up some LED flicker circuits for three aged lanterns as well.  Anyway, the house is very light and kinda cute and homey looking in a low budget sort of way.  It is in no way a haunted mansion, or old Boise North End sort of place.  Sill, if they could make Mary Brown's trailer look creepy in...

Hands free heat gun and a hot knife with variable heat from 0 to over 800 degrees Fahrenheit.  There will be lots of PVC bending and tombstone cutting at the Feral Haunting Grounds!  I also got my 21 red, green, and blue LED directional clip on lights, and a box of goodies from All Electronics for homemade circuitry.  Check out that heavy duty rocker switch on the heat gun.  Both have variable heat settings!  Way. Better. than x-mass.