Just like decorating any other space, really plan it out. Pull from magazine articles or the Internet and create a theme.— Jillian Harris, interior designer for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
If you want to put a little jump in your trick-or-treaters’ step this Halloween, look no further than the blank canvas that is your front lawn.
Transforming your yard into a spook-tacular scene is one way to leave your visitors screaming and neighbors green with envy. By following a few tips and tricks, you may blow it out set-designer style and go beyond the simple stake in the ground that says “Boo!”
Go All Out
Brad Leith, one of the masterminds behind Vancouver’s famous Dunbar Haunted House, has turned his property into a full-on ghoulish maze for the past seven years, attracting thousands of people and raising money for local charities. Two weeks before Halloween, his lawn becomes a lair for vampires, goblins and other creatures of the night.
According to Leith, the first step in creating a frightfully fun front yard is to tap into your creative side.
“Be impulsive, spontaneous and slightly reckless,” he said. “If you are into planning or are otherwise grown out of your impulsive recklessness, I recommend the first thing you do is draw up a budget. Once you figure out how much you are willing to spend, then you can plan accordingly. We started out with no plan and just threw whatever we could find onto the front of our house."
A theme — such as a circus, graveyard, insane asylum, pirate cove or butcher shop — might be helpful..
“Next, figure out what free things you have lying around or you could get easily,” he said. “Free things will allow you to stretch out your budget. Depending on where you live, your budget should take into account how long you want or plan to have your display up. If you live in a rainy climate, we have found it highly desirable to cover as much of the display as we can. Covering the display requires buying tarps, canopy systems and/or tents.”
Get Crafty
Leith said he prefers finding props one would consider “junk” rather than buying cheap mass merchandise. However, he has found dollar stores to be a useful source for small items such as plastic weapons, cheap masks and barbed wire, as well as animals such as rubber snakes, crows and owls. He suggests channeling your inner Martha Stewart when possible by taking existing items and turning them into what you want.
Jillian Harris, a former "Bachelorette" and now the interior designer for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," agrees. She said antique stores, second-hand stores, hardware stores and local markets are all great places to scour for Halloween props. It can be easy to load up your cart with all sorts of nifty items, so Harris points out it’s best not to go overboard when shopping. Simple is always better.
“Just like decorating any other space, really plan it out," she said. "Pull from magazine articles or the Internet and create a theme. I also like to use items around the house and try to go green, especially these days when that rustic reclaimed movement is so big. A rugged, rustic yard would be classic and current.”
Graves, Fog and Scary Sounds, Oh My
Harris said one ghoulish way to glam up your yard is with a realistic grave.
“Those things freak me out,” Harris said with a laugh. “I’d do a combo of reclaimed wood, which is burned safely at the edges and embellished with verbiage as well as stained, and carved Styrofoam. Add a few hands coming up from the grass through some moss."
If you're looking for something a little less gory, Harris suggests making hand-made witches' brooms.
"Its easy to make vintage witches' brooms with straw, a large stick and twine," she said. "Perfect for at the front door or hanging from a large oak tree."
Leith said you also may add a realistic gravestone to the scene simply by purchasing hard foam insulation. Paint it gray, spray it with black accent tones, cut out a stencil for your gravestone name and use it to paint on the name.
Creating a mist that wafts across your lawn might be a bit trickier, as it requires spending a bit of money on a fog machine or mister. Leith said dry ice also can do the trick, although it has to be replenished at regular intervals.
When it comes to adding creepy music, try searching the Internet for various sounds, such as creaking and screaming.
“Try to keep your speakers at least a few feet above the ground and where possible try to position them as close as possible to the scene or action being displayed,” Leith said. “ If you can have multiple speakers running two or three separate sound tracks, you will greatly enhance the sound experience.”
A-Maze Your Visitors
You also may make your visitors work for their candy by creating a maze-like path all the way to your front door. Harris is a fan of using hay, old wine barrels and apple crates to carve a path.
“I feel like I could do anything with hay,” she said.
Leith said he created a maze, or "ghost walk," using the existing features on his property.
"We used planter boxes, fences, the side of our house, etc.," he said. "Make sure that whatever you build your maze out of, it is strong enough to withstand the elements and human contact. Our second year, everything, including part of our maze, was blown down by a windstorm."
A maze also makes it easier to give your visitors a good-natured scare. A predetermined path forces people to pass by your set-up, which could consist of a costumed friend ready to spook your victims.
“To scare people, you need a diversion or decoy," Leith said. "It could be a scene, or a dummy figure, to draw your visitors' attention away from you. You want to spook people when they least expect it. The second year we did a display, (my partner) Gideon threw on a biker's jacket and brandished a shovel and was able to spook nearly everyone. His diversion was himself. He was able to stand still without any movement for up to 10 minutes at a time. Most people can't do this, so I recommend you find a decoy.”
Lastly, Harris said to have fun with the Halloween experience and to keep the environment in mind.
“I say keep it whimsical and not offensive,” she said. “I really, really am passionate about keeping waste down and using as much from around the home as possible. Budgets are tight these days. I think you’ll come out with a very vintage, spooky, rustic yard that the neighbors will shriek over.”
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