1993-1996

Here is a picture of the haunted house we built from 1993 through 1996. This design had its ups and downs but the cool thing about it was that you could walk through it and it was like walking through a passage way in a haunted house. Each year it changed significantly but it always kept the same scene areas. You would first walk in through the big set of double doors, upon entrance you would pass a graveyard on your left that had your basic tombstones and a shallow grave that was lit with different colored lights and filled with dry ice. You then would pass under our spider victim and spider (which most people didn't see) and turn left. In this chamber you would have a main scene on your right and on your left we had another scene that started out as an operating room but then over the years turned into a display case for our pumpkins. You would then proceed forward to a intersection where if you turned left you would be confronted with a skeleton in a coffin recessed into the wall and an area where we gave candy out. We did have a pretty cool effect that some of you may want to try. We built a small room (approx. 4 X 4 and maybe 5 feet high) and for the ceiling we built it out of peg board that we bent into an arch way. We then mounted a few red lights and a fogger above the arched ceiling and as the light peered through the small holes onto the person handing out candy it gave an earry effect, but when the smoke filled the small chamber no one knew what was in the small room and that led to quite a few startles. After getting your candy you would turn around and proceed down the last hallway and out another door. That was about it. The disadvantages to this design were that people would touch everything and it turned into a traffic jam inside with people going in every direction.

1997-1998

Well after a few stolen items and the hassle of tenting in the top of our old design, I decided that since the cemetery in our old haunted house was the biggest hit, that I would change the design and build a cemetery instead of a house. I figured that with a gate no one would go inside and therefore we wouldn't loose any more props to theft or curious people pulling on them to see how they work or what they were made of. I also liked the idea that I could better display my props and hopefully could spend more time building new props and less time constructing a house.

Well the first year was pretty interesting. We had built a gate on the right hand side and a walkway that would lead you into a mausoleum and then down another set of stairs into our backyard. Well we had everyone opening the gate and wandering into our display as well as into our backyard. Not exactly what I hoped for but all in all it turned out pretty well. The second year with this design worked exceptionally well. We 86ed the gate idea and built a secret door on the side of the right mausoleum. No one that wasn't involved in the production ended up in our backyard and no props were destroyed or stolen. If your wondering how we built up the cemetery floor, it was first constructed out of chicken wire, covered with black plastic, sprayed with glue then covered with dirt. This didn't work very well so the next year we tried again. We built it the same way then covered the chicken wire frame in wet newspaper then covered with plaster of paris. After it dried we covered it with moss and compost. I really really really wouldn't recommend this to anyone. It took almost 8 months for all of the plaster that spilled onto our driveway to erode away. The 3rd year worked pretty well but I'll explain that in the '99 design.

1999

 

Well here is the latest design. I started alot earlier this past year which gave me time to go into more detail on my fence and mausoleums. This was also my first year working with pneumatics so it was alittle more exciting. I was able to design and or create a cemetery sign, wall plagues, a "flying crank ghost", a skeleton that continuously rocked in a really cool rocking chair, and a few other props that are listed in my props section. I also figured out that if I cover my cemetery ground with chicken wire and dark brown burlap, I can simulate dirt mounds without the messy clean up as well and year to year use. The only problem was tat I couldn't find dark brown burlap so I had my brother dipping 50 yards of burlap into brown clothing dye. It didn't turn the color I hoped for but I have a while to dye them again.

2000

Well this was the first year that about 75% of the haunt was computer controlled. We incorporated X-10's products to run our newest props as well as foggers and a few lighting effects. Unfortunately mother nature didn't want to be cooperative, and she provided us with rain for the first 2 weeks of construction. Other then having to skimp on detail as replace a great deal of electrical products, the haunt was a success. We learned alot and will hopefully have an upperhand next year. Maybe for once we'll actually finish before the 31st. Yeah right.
Here are a few more pictures of the actual building process.

Here are a few pic's of what we did for the 2000 DC Cemetery.

Here's is the first night of construction.




Good old mother nature really didn't want us to finish building the cemetery this year.
These were the conditions we had to build in for most of the time.


This was the final day of construction, I believe about 8am on the 31st, far from being done.

Click here for 2001 pictures.

Full Instructions for most of our props available in the DC Prop Builders Handbook
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