# Show us your garage!



## Skullea (Sep 1, 2009)

I have been doing a great job (if I do say so myself!) of creating a kind of "sophisticatedly spooky" haunted house indoors for Halloween to entertain guests. Since my party guest list is at least doubling this year, I'm going to need to utilize the garage for extra space. 

Please post your garage haunts/decor here for all to see, and for me to unabashedly get some great ideas! 

I just found this guy on craigslist - a 9-foot tall Frankenstein that I plan on fixing up and incorporating into the garage theme somehow. (Ideas about how to plan around that would be appreciated as well!)


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## JahRah (Oct 23, 2009)

I haven't done a haunt, but if you got a Frankenstein, then you could do a whole Mad Scientist's Laboratory. You could have Monster Parts, eye balls, brains, Electric shock machines, test tubes, fog or dry ice in beakers, dead things coming to life, etc.


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## Drayvan (Sep 22, 2009)

I used my front porch greeting area as a dungeon. for the walls I went to a local Badcock and asked them for all of the old cardboard boxes for refridgerators, washers, dryers etc. I opened them up and stapled them onto the exisiting walls then painted them. It turned out ok without ruining my exisiting walls here are some pics. 
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=2109&pictureid=29004
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=2109&pictureid=29003
http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=2109&pictureid=29010


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## kittyvibe (Oct 27, 2008)

I want to do a garage "something" this year at my new house. The garage is in tandem, meaning its long for one car to pull in and another to pull in behind. So I wasnt sure how well this would pull off with a walk through. Sounds simple enough though, right? lol. 

I thought to put up a walkway in the middle with my "scenes" on either side behind some kind of sturdy railing. Im still researching an appropriate way to buy/build something to keep people away from my props when walking through the garage. There wont be any "scares" just scenes to look at, where at the end I imaged coming out the back and walking a short way around through the gate to leave where they receive candy. This gate is smaller (a single) so a funnel effect could happen if anything gets disorderly.

For the hour I got to hand out candy last year my tall stoop was just way too much trying to toss candy in the really little TOTS bags. 

Now that I wrote out my thoughts on it here, Im wondering if its a problem to have guests walk the longer way to leave?(theres a double gate on the other side).

The issue I have is the backyard is slightly downward sloping and Im afraid of a person possibly falling. I know I can fall over my own 2 feet on even ground so its possible on slightly sloping to fall or trip. 


Is there something I can make to balance people out? Like a staked and sturdy railing or rope railing to hang onto , plus it acts as a barrier and a flow through to leave the right way.In addition something for the ground to walk on?

Then I could make use of my pack porch (like a blacklight setup with FCG- I need one) and my pumpkin patch, not to mention I could decorate the shed and do it up as well. 

Any ideas to my dilemma?


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## Trinity1 (Sep 5, 2009)

Drayvan...you did an awesome job! I love the idea of using the cardboard boxes!!


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## MsMeeple (Aug 21, 2004)

We dont have a garage so we use the space under the carport and the patio in the back for extra space. We use a tent to close it off and also a terrace heater.

A facade in front of the carport:










On the other side of the facade, which leads to the covered terrace


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## Trinity1 (Sep 5, 2009)

Ms. Meeple I love it! It looks amazing! We don't have a garage either and we've thought about trying to set something up in the back yard. Well, we have the back yard set up for our Halloween party...but I'd love to do more of a walk through. We just don't get the foot traffic to warrant doing something like that. 

I've thought about putting up signs for a Haunted Cemetary (since the whole backyard is done up cemetary style) and just having the kids come into the back yard to get their candy. That way we would see if there was even any interest. We'll see...there's still time to decide on that.


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## Skullea (Sep 1, 2009)

JahRah, great idea about the lab. Especially since I'll likely have a bar set up in that area, as well. Maybe I'll have a bartender dressed as the mad scientist, mixing up some crazy concoctions. Love that.

Drayvan, that wall is awesome! Cardboard...great, sturdy idea. Is that black electrical tape you used for the stone? Looks realistic. I've got a roll of the grey stone wall "scenesetters" that looks very similar. I'll use that...I think it would work perfectly.

Kittyvibe, how many TOTS do you expect? The funneling at the gate doesn't seem like it would be a problem unless there are a ton of them. Maybe you could slow things down in the walk-through with something that people would stop to look at for a longer period of time, like a short horror video or something... I don't think there's anything wrong with having people leave out a longer path, either. They're TOTS who will be eating candy all night...a few extra calories burned will do 'em good! I'd post a sign up as they approach the exit warning TOTS of the impending slope... "Beware of the Slope to Hell." Okay, whatev. I came up with that in like, 2 seconds. Think on it and you'll have much better ideas.  I like the roped off walkway idea...cheap and easy.

MsMeeple, since I started lurking around these parts some time ago, I've come to really love it when I see you contribute to a thread. The facade is spectacular! And is that a REAL coffin? I don't think I've seen a real one on the threads anywhere before... Always amazed. 

And Trinity, HECK YES have kids go to the backyard to earn their loot! I've seen some terrific signs created for haunted cemeteries and otherwise, typically out of the same styrofoam stuff used for tombstones, of which I'm sure you have plenty. Do it and post photos!

Great ideas, guys! Looking forward to hearing about more garage-awesomeness...


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## Drayvan (Sep 22, 2009)

Ty Skullea. It is actually black paint it is shiny due to being gloss paint that I had around the house.


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## MsMeeple (Aug 21, 2004)

Skullea said:


> MsMeeple, since I started lurking around these parts some time ago, I've come to really love it when I see you contribute to a thread. The facade is spectacular! And is that a REAL coffin? I don't think I've seen a real one on the threads anywhere before... Always amazed.


Thanks for the kind words 

The facade needs to be creeped up some more. Still looking for ways to do that.
Hubby made the coffin from scrap wood and I painted it black and made the lining for it. The guy inside is our long lost, but dearly loved, and so very rich uncle who was the main character in our party theme last year


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## Skullea (Sep 1, 2009)

Welp, Ms Meeple, now I feel I need a coffin somewhere. I also need a carpenter to make me one.

Frankenstein's lab is such a cool idea, and so now I'm trying to figure out how to do that. I love realistic props...so check out the radical awesomeness that is Frankenstein's lab here:











Found that at http://www.steltercreativewoodworks.com/STELTER1/Frankenstein_x.html. 


Here it is with the lights out: 












...and now I'm drooling. I might just venture over to a junkyard to find old scraps to glue together and distress to make into something like this. 

Sigh. Might need an electrician now, too. This could be an expensive and highly technical venture.


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## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

Drayvan said:


> I used my front porch greeting area as a dungeon. for the walls I went to a local Badcock and asked them for all of the old cardboard boxes for refridgerators, washers, dryers etc. I opened them up and stapled them onto the exisiting walls then painted them. It turned out ok without ruining my exisiting walls here are some pics.
> http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=2109&pictureid=29004
> http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=2109&pictureid=29003
> http://www.halloweenforum.com/picture.php?albumid=2109&pictureid=29010


Great pictures!


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## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

MsMeeple said:


> We dont have a garage so we use the space under the carport and the patio in the back for extra space. We use a tent to close it off and also a terrace heater.
> 
> A facade in front of the carport:
> 
> ...


Yours is always awesome!!!


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## MsMeeple (Aug 21, 2004)

Skullea said:


> Welp, Ms Meeple, now I feel I need a coffin somewhere. I also need a carpenter to make me one.
> 
> Frankenstein's lab is such a cool idea, and so now I'm trying to figure out how to do that. I love realistic props...so check out the radical awesomeness that is Frankenstein's lab here:
> 
> ...


Pay for his ticket and I'll send you my carpenter/electrician lol

Looks like a really cool idea. Will be interested in seeing how you do it so be sure to post!


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