First a word about having a graveyard... Second, a list a items to have in your graveyard along with how to make and use them...
I have found that the darker the better when it come to lighting in the graveyard.
By all means have low or spot lighting on items you want seen or hightlighted.
For example, writing on a tombstone, ghoul in a tree, bats, freshly dug grave, zombies,
or whatever you may have lurking in your cemetery.
Fog with using a fog chiller is great for this scene.
Fog coming out of a freshly dug grave is cool to.
Have a arch way or podeums to walkthrough. A nice fence adds a nice touch to.
Here is quite a list of things to have in your graveyard and suggestions on how to make and use them. Please click on the ones you would like to see and it will take you directly to that section of the page!
Every graveyard must have spiderwebs! What else can give you an instant creepy look that will cost you very little!?! Try hanging them on trees, tombstones, rocks, coffins, dummys, garages, the house (with permisson of course)! And don't forget to have some spiders!! Buy some plastic ones they have black, white, orange and glow in the dark-these are great if you are using a black light in your graveyard!
Or make your own by using colored pipe cleaners or Paper Mache'.
TIP- if you are using a black light in your graveyard soak your store bought spiderwebs for a few hours in "RIT WHITENER BRIGHTENER" and hang them to dry. This will make your spiderwebs glow a very bright LIGHT BLUE! Awsome effect!!
If you want more realistic looking webs you can purchase a web spinner, or make one yourself. This will "blow out" realistic webs on whatever you want, where ever you want. Movie companies use this for webs.
For more information on spiderwebs and web spinners click HERE!
Place a blacklight on the ground in front of your graveyard scene or hang one up on the side of a prop or tree.
For more information and details on blacklights click HERE!
If you are using blacklights here are a few ideas for you!!
Spray paint some leaves with fluorescent paint- this will make them show up brightly!
On your tombstones, where the writing is go over it with glow in the dark fabric paint, it will dry clear so you can see through it but under the blacklight it will glow bright green!
Soak your spiderwebs in RIT WHITENER BRIGHTENER and let dry-this will make the spiderwebs glow bright light blue!
Use florscent fabric paint or spray paint to add flare to your props or goblins in the graveyard.
If you have any props or items you want to be seen or highlighted. You can get the different sized lights with the round metal cover (spot lighting) most of these have clips on them so it is real easy to attach to tree limbs, yard stakes, fences, or you can set them up against a rock or behind a tombstone to hide them. Just attach where you can't see them but, so they are pointed at the object you want, add a colored light bulb of your choice. Then you have spot lighting in a small area and what you want to keep in the dark stays in the dark.
Yard Boys To learn how to make Yard Boys click HERE! These are great!! You can place these anywhere and everywhere in your graveyard, you can dress them up and make them into anycreature or spook that you want! Weither you need a vampire, witch, or a grim greaper, this will give you one and quickly!! I use alot of these guys in my haunt!!
TIP
If you are using yard boys try this... place a fan in front of your yard boy this will make it look like it is moving for even a stronger effect try placing a strobe light also in front of it!
Fluorescent Leaves A really cool, easy and cheap effect for your graveyard or somewhere in your haunt if you are using a black light is to get the biggest leaves you have laying around in your yard and spray paint them with flourscent paint, let dry and then scatter around your ghouls or tombstones and when you turn on your blacklight -PRESTO- your leaves will glow brightly and you'll actually be able to see them!!
Entrance I usually have a couple of podeums at the entrance of my graveyard. With either flaming pumpkins or flaming cauldrens on top. One year I made an arch that was attached to both podeums that said ENTRANCE and lit up. Try a few fake trees or bushes around the entrance. (see pictures below) to learn how to build podeums click HERE.
Fog Now, what graveyard would be complete without fog? I started out using dry ice in warm water inside a bucket or cauldren. Make sure to only let ADULTS handle the dry ice DO NOT TOUCH THE DRY ICE! This method will give you fog but, you have to keep attending to it, adding more warm water, all the time.
I now use fog machines. You can get these at halloween stores, prop stores, raido shack, spencers, dj stores, around halloween at kmart, walmart, shopko, target, online web sites etc. Click HERE to goto my fog page to learn about using fog and making fog chillers
Pumpkins To set off the halloween feel you can't leave out the pumpkins! You can use real -can't beat the warm pumpkin smell- or you can use fake ones you buy at stores that come with a c7 light you plug in. Also, you can buy funkins and carve a simple or complicated pattern into it to keep forever. You can place a battery powered pumpkin light into these to illuminate. Click HERE to goto my pumpkin page! Learn tips and tricks, and ideas for pumpkins.
Strobe Lights Got Ghouls? get strobe lights! This is the best way to light up your ghouls weither they move, pop up , or not. If your ghouls don't move place a fan (hidden of course)in front of your ghoul with the strobe light and it will move now! Click HERE to goto the strobe page for more information on strobe lights!
Sound Through out your graveyard you don't have to have sound but, it really does add to the feel. You can find many different sound clips on the internet of crickets, owls, wind, ghosts, whispers, footsteps, ghouls saying various things. Take these clips if they are not copyrighted and burn them onto a cd in the order you would like them. Then hit the repeat button on your cd player and presto! Custom sound for your graveyard. Click HERE to goto my sound page to learn more.
