# Eerie Manor, creeping to life



## kallie (Dec 4, 2007)

Nice. That looks great and like a lot of work!


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## Nevergoback (Sep 13, 2009)

Fantastic use of the corn. Stalks are really creepy at night. ..and the rustling when the wind blows is cool effect too.


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

It's fun work. Love the smell of the corn stalks and old wood pallets. The time consuming part is feeding the stalks evenly through the slats so they're somewhat uniform. The pallets were free and plentiful. I can't finish the walk way until closer to Halloween as I still have a lot of stuff in the garage to come out and I need the room to maneuver. The rest will go up the week of Halloween but it was nice getting this piece done. We'll use a compressed air scare, some actors, and a few other surprises to startle our visitors. Fun times!


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## Rumsfield (Dec 8, 2011)

What a great idea using the pallets, with a little creativity on the boards they could be made to look like a fence on a farm. I bet you just solved a bushel basket of "how do you's" with this posting.


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## Saruman of Many Colours (Sep 8, 2010)

Looks great so far!


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## Guest (Oct 2, 2013)

Looks awesome!


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## Bella LaGhostly (Aug 10, 2009)

jdubbya, it looks fantastic!

Tonight I'm going to show your photos to my husband as a friendly reminder that he hasn't mowed in over 3 weeks.


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## Nosleep4thewicked (Sep 26, 2012)

looks great cant wait to see more!


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Nevergoback said:


> Fantastic use of the corn. Stalks are really creepy at night. ..and the rustling when the wind blows is cool effect too.


Definitely creepy! With the right lighting they really cast good shadows and as you said, the moving/rustling is very unsettling!



Rumsfield said:


> What a great idea using the pallets, with a little creativity on the boards they could be made to look like a fence on a farm. I bet you just solved a bushel basket of "how do you's" with this posting.


The pallets are just a cheap/easy way to get the stalks to stand, plus they double as walls. I cut the tabs off on the horizontal slats so the sides are flush, then screw them together. I can toss some paint o nthem, or hang shredded burlap or jute netting off them to layer them a bit.



Saruman of Many Colours said:


> Looks great so far!





Childofthecorn87 said:


> Looks awesome!





Bella LaGhostly said:


> jdubbya, it looks fantastic!
> 
> Tonight I'm going to show your photos to my husband as a friendly reminder that he hasn't mowed in over 3 weeks.





Nosleep4thewicked said:


> looks great cant wait to see more!


Thanks for the kind words! It should look pretty neat when it's all done!


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## HallowweenKat (Sep 29, 2010)

Great idea & definitely creepy.


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## Ween12amEternal (Apr 15, 2006)

Whoa that looks really cool. Always look forward to your videos of The Night - can't wait!


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

I envy your ability to come up with corn stalks.


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Nightfisher said:


> I envy your ability to come up with corn stalks.


There are fields of them all around us. What I have so far have come from suburban gardens. I have to hit up a large farm next week and go out and cut down another truck load to finish. Funny that farmers markets and roadside stands charge 5-6 bucks for a small decorative bundle! I can get truck loads for free!


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## annamarykahn (Oct 4, 2009)

definitely will b killer!

amk


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## mystic manor (Sep 28, 2009)

What a great idea with the corn stalks/pallets


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## xxScorpion64xx (Oct 15, 2011)

I was just about to inquire about the cornstalks, they are scarce around here and when you find them they are $5 for a bundle of 6-8, mine had some bugs


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

xxScorpion64xx said:


> I was just about to inquire about the cornstalks, they are scarce around here and when you find them they are $5 for a bundle of 6-8, mine had some bugs


No shortage of them here and a lot of farmers are glad to get rid of them. I took some loppers and cut a truck load of them down by hand. I found my share of bugs too, mostly some gnarly looking spiders! After Halloween, I'll take them to a friend's place and dump them for compost, saving a couple nice bundles for our own outdoor Thanksgiving decor.


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## Rumsfield (Dec 8, 2011)

Bella LaGhostly said:


> Tonight I'm going to show your photos to my husband as a friendly reminder that he hasn't mowed in over 3 weeks.


Awesome he is three weeks ahead of you in decorating , an unkempt / overgrown yard is scarier. I wont mow mine again until November - and let me tell you the grass grows like crazy here.


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

I cut my grass two days ago and the mower is put away now until November 1st.


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## shadowwalker (Jul 8, 2009)

jdubbya said:


> Funny that farmers markets and roadside stands charge 5-6 bucks for a small decorative bundle! I can get truck loads for free!


Yep. I paid $6 per bundle. There have been years here and there where they couldn't be had for any price, due to crop failure. Last year was one of those years. They really do add that extra dimension and I hate it when they aren't available. 

Your set up looks fantastic!


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## The Crow 1994 (Sep 18, 2003)

Awesome as always, jdubbya! Your attention to detail is what makes your display so great, not to mention the perfect house to use as a canvas. Can't wait to see the final outcome!


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## crazy xmas (Dec 30, 2008)

Cool idea Jdubbya looking great!!!


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Very spooky and ingenious!


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## creeeepycathy (Jul 12, 2011)

Love everything about this! Have always wanted to do the corn thing; it's super creepy. 
Jealous it's all free.   

Wish I could set up my yard along the side/ back, too. Someone made 2 attempts to break into my asylum last night by trying to climb over the razor wire. ugh. Didn't get anything, but I hate that they even tried. For the next 26 nights, I'll be waiting; & for the next 26 days I'll be doing my sleeping.

Again, LOVE IT!!!


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Got some more of the "infrastructure" up today. The fence and columns are up, Also staked in some dead tree branches for the witch forest scene.


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## oaklawn Crematory (Jun 25, 2010)

Looks good JDubya!


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## Immortalia (Nov 2, 2009)

Looks amazing!!!! I just asked my coworker about her hobby farm.....they let their cows in to munch on the spent stalks last week and already chopped them.


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

oaklawn Crematory said:


> Looks good JDubya!





Immortalia said:


> Looks amazing!!!! I just asked my coworker about her hobby farm.....they let their cows in to munch on the spent stalks last week and already chopped them.


Thanks! It's a work in progress. Adding a little here and there, but most of the good stuff goes out on Halloween night.


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## creeeepycathy (Jul 12, 2011)

LOVE it!!!!


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## Nevergoback (Sep 13, 2009)

Awesomely Good Stuff!


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

That looks awesome! I love your corn and pallet walls...what a clever idea! I can get pallets for free, but unfortunately, I have to buy my cornstalks. ($4 a bunch....ouch!) Maybe I should find a nice farmer or two and beg for 100 stalks. That idea is just so clever, and I love your front fencing. Those columns are amazing and such a good look with the gargoyles on top.


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## osenator (Nov 3, 2009)

Looking good! take vids!


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

creeeepycathy said:


> LOVE it!!!!





Nevergoback said:


> Awesomely Good Stuff!


Thanks!



Pumpkin5 said:


> That looks awesome! I love your corn and pallet walls...what a clever idea! I can get pallets for free, but unfortunately, I have to buy my cornstalks. ($4 a bunch....ouch!) Maybe I should find a nice farmer or two and beg for 100 stalks. That idea is just so clever, and I love your front fencing. Those columns are amazing and such a good look with the gargoyles on top.


Thanks Jana! Appreciate it. I filled a pick up with more corn today so I can finish the pallet walls. I have a friend who has 350 acres, mostly corn and it's in varying stages of "browing up." The pallets are so simple and work great for supporting the stalks and I cram them in pretty tight so it's pretty much a solid wall of corn leaves. No one can see what evil lurks behind them! The columns are holding up well after several years and luckily came out pretty much to scale with our house. Once I get these and the fence up, I get really motivated to keep working on stuff.



osenator said:


> Looking good! take vids!


Thanks! I plan to take some day video of the whole thing once it's all set up and then, of course the night pics/vid.


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Picked up another load of corn stalks this morning and got a few more pallets so was able to finish up the corn wall section. The first two were taken from the garage roof looking down.


















Patron will be walking towards the garage where there will be a cage façade spanning the door opening and a maniacal guy in a straight jacket running back and forth reaching for them.

Looking from the garage door down where people will be walking










One of the little alcoves where we'll have a scare actor to keep everyone moving and screaming










Another scare zone with a boxed in area for an actor, right at the exit to the corn walk and as the start through the back yard.










The narrow space they have to walk. The patio will have cage bars and two lunatic guys who will be reaching through the bars at them. They only have about 2 feet to back up!










One or two actors will be in this area, behind the patrons as the make their way through the corn. They can reach through, whisper, scream or whatever. We'll also have a compressed air scare in here somewhere



















You can see how dense and narrow the walkway is. We played around with some strobe lighting the other night and it is really creepy. Glad this piece is done. On to other things.


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## creeperguardian (Aug 22, 2011)

where do you get the cornstalks???


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

creeperguardian said:


> where do you get the cornstalks???


We have friends who have over 300 acres outside of town. Much of it is corn. I've been able to get three truck loads.


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## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

This looks absolutely amazing!!! SOOO creepy, well done Sir!!


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

offmymeds said:


> This looks absolutely amazing!!! SOOO creepy, well done Sir!!


Thanks friend! Appreciate that. It really is a small space. Our houses are close together. Thank goodness for understanding neighbors! The pallets worked perfectly and when screwed together make nice sold walls. It is VERY creepy at night! I took the dog out a couple nights ago and the breeze was rustling the corn stalks. The hair on my neck was standing up!!


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## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

You really NEVER know what's lurking in there.......It's a damn good haunt when it even freaks you out!


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I'ma gonna have to steel the whole pallet/cornstalk idea one of these years. 

Question, from one who also cuts down truckloads of corn and/or reed grass...

How are you doing your cutting?

Also, minor point: Are you concerned about that border in the one pic, and what appears to be a step onto the porch in another becoming a tripping hazard in the dark?


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I'ma gonna have to steel the whole pallet/cornstalk idea one of these years.
> 
> Question, from one who also cuts down truckloads of corn and/or reed grass...
> 
> ...


I cut them all with a pair of garden loppers. Took a while but worth the effort. The rise onto the patio will be lit. There will also be a cage façade across that threshold with a couple of "inmates" behind it. They will be reaching through the bars and likely forcing patrons to back up as far as they can. There is no way for anyone to trip on it as the façade will be flush with the edge. The other border will also be lit enough and there will be scare actors at every little opening to keep folks moving through. I walked through it a few times the past couple nights and didn't have any problems. Hoping no one else does either!


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I panic every year about tripping hazards, and agonize about how to light the 2 steps I have in our path. 

That's A LOT of lopping to do. 

I've been using this beast I picked up at a flea market. sharpened right up, and just put it on a shovel handle. 










Once you get the motion down, it can go real quick, but it does sometimes break the stalks instead of slicing them.


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I panic every year about tripping hazards, and agonize about how to light the 2 steps I have in our path.
> 
> That's A LOT of lopping to do.
> 
> ...


That's a formidable tool you have there! The lopping is a back breaker for sure. Wish I had a scythe but it's all good. The juice was worth the squeeze!


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## Immortalia (Nov 2, 2009)

...........and if you decide to dress as a reaper, you have a ready-made prop!


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Set up the cemetery today to get an idea on placement of stones. Will do a lighting test tonight. It's in our back yard as an exit scene to the walkthrough. We'll have it lit with all blue lights, and a ghostly figure walking through it beckoning to the visitors to join her. It looks respectable.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Oh, I like the pleurant one. Did you sculpt that, or is that one of the garden statues I nearly bought for my tomb last year?


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Oh, I like the pleurant one. Did you sculpt that, or is that one of the garden statues I nearly bought for my tomb last year?


It's a garden statue I bought through Design Toscano. It's just perfect for a cemetery.


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## Pumpkin5 (May 17, 2012)

Absolutely gorgeous stones and the set up looks great! I can't wait to see it with lights.


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## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Loving the blue led spots from Spirit. I'm using only three of them and the effect is very creepy yet elegant.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

jdubbya said:


> It's a garden statue I bought through Design Toscano. It's just perfect for a cemetery.


Thought so, I think that's the statue that got me thinking that direction in the first place.


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## oaklawn Crematory (Jun 25, 2010)

jdubbya said:


> It's a garden statue I bought through Design Toscano. It's just perfect for a cemetery.


I love it!


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