# Your graveyard THEN and NOW



## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Over the years this forum has been chock full of some incredibly talented Halloween enthusiasts who've created unbelievable displays. I can't imagine all of you started so boldly though. We have a decade+ old thread somewhere on the forum about showing off your graveyards/haunts, but I wanted to do this with a new twist on it...

Post at least 2 pics, but please limit to no more than 4 of your graveyard/haunt from where you started and year, and what it looks like now, or at least the most recent pic you have available. Some of you started a LONG time ago, so a scan of a polaroid is fine. Some of us older haunters might only have cave drawings of our first graveyard, but hopefully you've taken a picture of that cave drawing since then and can post it. And over a long time span, we realize that you may have moved. No worries if your first pic is from a different home, but try and find the earliest one you have so we can see the incredible progress.

I started with humble beginnings and my first graveyard was a bit embarrassing.  It was only in the backyard for my first Halloween party. The second pic was my first attempt at a Halloween day front yard display, so I guess that was the first official one for public consumption.  The last pic was last year with an obvious change of address, just slightly different from my 2005 efforts. 

Please post your pics, and be sure to date them. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress people made over the years!

*2005*
*








*
*2009*
*








*
*2020








*


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I wish I had some stuff from my pre-digital days. But, here is 2004, our first year in the present house. We moved in that fall. And yeah, that was it, me in a costume and a giant bowl that would get filled with candy. 










The last 4 years are kinda 'down' years for me with other concerns taking a bit of my Halloween thunder.

here's the 2020 Covid display that I lazily put up. 










2019 was my first year back to building after several years of house construction.










2015 the last 'full size' haunt. (picture this but stretched around the sides and back yard as well)


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Started out doing it for our kids when they were little and found that I really enjoyed it and looked forward to doing it the next year. I think we had 30 trick or treaters visit for Halloween 2007...










Then I gradually started putting my artistic talents to work making my own props, learned about lighting, fog and other special effects and spent the next 13 years adding a few new things each year. Now we get over 300 visitors on Halloween night. Halloween 2020...


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## oldmeat (Mar 1, 2017)

All of these are incredible transformations. I love improving my set-up each year, growing it bit by bit. Sometimes it feels overwhelming to setup, and I'm starting to run out of storage space!

Its cool to see how far we have all come.

This is from 2016:










And this is from 2020:


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

One thing I always like in these threads is it's not usually simply an increase in the talent of the haunt itself, but look at the quality of the photography improving as well. 

(my 2020 I was lazy and just snapped some with my cell, granted, having had to cancel most of it)


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## Pablo0714 (May 27, 2019)

There was a change of location from one to the next. The first was in 2011 and then 2020. Not happy that it was because of a divorce but for Halloween purposes, it was a major win for me.


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## djjerme (Oct 17, 2019)

2004. First year my wife and I started dating and also first Halloween Party (annual ever since)


























And I never got the good camera out for last years set up (wish I had, but got behind schedule wise)



















Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## nbad311 (Mar 21, 2014)

This thread is great. Love how everyone's spread have gotten bigger and better. And yes, funny about the camera/photo quality - so true!
Here is 2015 & 2016....


















And last year...


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## Haunter4ever (Nov 4, 2019)

Started the hobby when my boy fell in love with inflatables in 2017....about 40 TOT

















and here we are in 2020...about 300 TOT and people asking us days after if we still had it up!


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

nbad311 said:


> This thread is great. Love how everyone's spread have gotten bigger and better. And yes, funny about the camera/photo quality - so true!


Absolutely agree!

These are even better than I was hoping for. The transformations are incredible! I can't believe the humble beginnings of some that we see have become incredible displays! I hope this thread grows exponentially as we approach October because I can't wait to see everyone else's growth from their first year.


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## NomadMik (Jun 17, 2016)

Oak Lane Cemetery said:


> Started out doing it for our kids when they were little and found that I really enjoyed it and looked forward to doing it the next year. I think we had 30 trick or treaters visit for Halloween 2007...
> 
> View attachment 744525
> 
> ...


Oak Lane is in my opinion in the top 5 in the country of home haunts. Very inspirational!


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## NomadMik (Jun 17, 2016)

Here is Hellbilly Holler (Phoenix, AZ) in the old days.


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## NomadMik (Jun 17, 2016)

And here is Hellbilly Holler now.


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## fsanders (Aug 21, 2013)

Started Killington Lane in 2011 with a few very poorly made props and each year I have learned a bit more by trial and mostly error and seeing reading about what other haunters have experienced and built. I also have a YouTube video Killington lane 2012-2019 that shows the progression in more detail. Link below.


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## 904Houston (Jul 31, 2017)

Here are the floor plans and a couple photos for our walk through.

2016 - 144 square feet inside our home. 3 pneumatic props.

















2021 - 685 square feet, moved into garage. 6 pneumatic props and a spinning tunnel


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## MT_Grave (May 23, 2014)

Love this thread! It shows me I'm not alone with this crazy addiction! LOL So much talent and time devoted to this - and I will always say that Haunters are some of the most creative people you will ever meet.

Moved into my house in Sep. of 2012 - so didn't really have time to do anything - so the first time I did something was 2013 - probably about a dozen TOTs. The Scarcrow - Ralph - is the first prop I made. Made him with my daughter, who was in 8th grade at the time. 





















Had a neighbor move in next to me in 2015 who was also a Halloween addict. We officially named our set up Bonanza Court Haunt in 2015 and set up a FaceBook page - 

He now does a haunted house in his oversized 2 car garage. You come out his garage side door and follow a path behind his house to my side of the haunt. Here is the 2020 set up of my side - in order of your walking through - 

Pumpkin patch 








Scarecrow Row - one of them may look familiar. Ralph is still around - although he's been rebuilt a couple times. 








Gus (Pumpkin Sentinel) and his minions







Hearse








Pall Bearers - notice Death waiting for them at the side gate....








Witch and Cauldron Creep just outside the Cemetery








Overall view of the Cemetery








If you look close - the sign and brace over the cemetery entrance is the same one as 2013 - and so are some of the tombstones. We only did Halloween night this year - generally we will do 2 or 3 nights. We did Covid-19 precautions this year - enforced masks, had hand sanitizer stations and social distancing for groups. Even with all that we had about 300 people this year on Halloween night.


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## Godcrusher (Sep 21, 2015)

Very cool everybody. I will add my pics when I can dig them up.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

I wish I would take more pictures


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> I wish I would take more pictures


If this thread does nothing else, it will show you it pays to take tons of pics. 😁


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

The Joker said:


> If this thread does nothing else, it will show you it pays to take tons of pics. 😁


So fun!!! I started by just doing the front porch to now having multiple 15+ foot facades...I think my fiancé worries where it grows from there. LOL


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## Haunter4ever (Nov 4, 2019)

Does anyone else feel like if you don’t put up the display they might riot outside😂..going to hook up the radio station this year for people who drive bye... the best show I have is my golden retriever jumping up into the fog trying to bite it!


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## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

This is what my display back in 2002/2003 looked like. Only one latex skeleton.

















And this is it in 2020. Many more plastic skeletons.


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Haunter4ever said:


> Does anyone else feel like if you don’t put up the display they might riot outside😂..going to hook up the radio station this year for people who drive bye... the best show I have is my golden retriever jumping up into the fog trying to bite it!


 Gotta love dogs!

I don't know if there'd be a riot outside if the house wasn't decked out for Halloween, but I know there'd be some level of disappointment based on the comments I get from so many people throughout the season.

I remember back to the "Halloween House" that inspired me from the 80s/90s and although he sometimes puts some level of it up, he hasn't in a couple of years now. That's been really disappointing to me for sure. I even let him know if he ever planned on getting rid of any of his stuff to let me know because I'd love to have some of his old props from my childhood in my haunt.


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

@stick - Just like so many others, the transformation of your haunt is incredible! The last pic you posted is eerie and haunting! Not only a great setup, but an awesome pic.


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## MT_Grave (May 23, 2014)

stick said:


> This is what my display back in 2002/2003 looked like. Only one latex skeleton.
> 
> 
> 
> And this is it in 2020. Many more plastic skeletons.


Looks like 1 to 2 skeletons added per year on average...along with a lot of other stuff! Love it!


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## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

Thanks for the comments MT_Grave and The Joker. 
You get a couple of skeletons together and before you know it there is a bunch of skeleton kids running around and then the skeleton In- laws start showing up.


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## lisa48317 (Jul 23, 2010)

2008 
I'm still using these headstones, too! They've been repainted & DryLok'd but the same wood cut-outs!








2020 at night








2020 during the day


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## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

Great thread! I am still using most of everything I started out with way back then I did have several albums but now they are media on here.I do prefer the albums as they are dated and everything doesn’t run together . But here is a pic from 2008 my other earlier haunt pics are actual pics and not digital.2008 and 2020


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

While some have had humble beginnings and turned them into something spectacular, others started with a pretty big bang. Impressive!


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## Haunter4ever (Nov 4, 2019)

The Joker said:


> While some have had humble beginnings and turned them into something spectacular, others started with a pretty big bang. Impressive!


Did everyone hit that straddle line...if I don’t put enough tombstones out it actually looks worse then just a couple..I went from 10 to 45 in one year...now I’m slowly replacing the bad stones with better quality.


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## MT_Grave (May 23, 2014)

Haunter4ever said:


> Did everyone hit that straddle line...if I don’t put enough tombstones out it actually looks worse then just a couple..I went from 10 to 45 in one year...now I’m slowly replacing the bad stones with better quality.


I di that - went from about 6 medium size to now 2 large, about 8 medium and 4 smaller with a mausoleum eating up a good amount of space. It just looked way to bare....


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## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

I have 100 home built stones some from
Some medical styrofoam shipping boxes and others from random foam to thick foam . Just whatever I could find at the time.But I really use only 20 maybe and I have my favs so a lot have never seen the dark in the graveyard


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## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

2011, these were a few years old by then.









2020: A new house, much more room, and years of upgrades to the stones.


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## oldmeat (Mar 1, 2017)

Love that blacklight effect. Awesome improvement!


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## Therewolf (Aug 31, 2015)

oldmeat said:


> Love that blacklight effect. Awesome improvement!


Fun fact: The original 'stones' are still in there. The old plywood forms are the internal backbone for the foam detailing. Most still have the same saying on them. I love knowing the orginals are still there. Obviously added some new one, and keep making more.


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## Laurie S. (Dec 4, 2007)

The Joker said:


> Over the years this forum has been chock full of some incredibly talented Halloween enthusiasts who've created unbelievable displays. I can't imagine all of you started so boldly though. We have a decade+ old thread somewhere on the forum about showing off your graveyards/haunts, but I wanted to do this with a new twist on it...
> 
> Post at least 2 pics, but please limit to no more than 4 of your graveyard/haunt from where you started and year, and what it looks like now, or at least the most recent pic you have available. Some of you started a LONG time ago, so a scan of a polaroid is fine. Some of us older haunters might only have cave drawings of our first graveyard, but hopefully you've taken a picture of that cave drawing since then and can post it. And over a long time span, we realize that you may have moved. No worries if your first pic is from a different home, but try and find the earliest one you have so we can see the incredible progress.
> 
> ...





stick said:


> This is what my display back in 2002/2003 looked like. Only one latex skeleton.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


AMAZING!!


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## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

Thank You Laurie S. and good to see you back on the site.


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## JustaBunchOfHocusPocus (Sep 17, 2007)

Wow! What a transformation. What did you do differently over the years? Or did you simply just create new tombstones. I love seeing everyone's photos and how different they've come out over the years. This is something that I want to do and have it gradually build up over time. I love the blue light especially. I love seeing everyone's photos and seeing how everyone's creativity comes out. Where can you get the blue light at? Let me know if anyone knows. Thank you.


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Appreciate the kind words, all!



JustaBunchOfHocusPocus said:


> Wow! What a transformation. What did you do differently over the years? Or did you simply just create new tombstones. I love seeing everyone's photos and how different they've come out over the years. This is something that I want to do and have it gradually build up over time. I love the blue light especially. I love seeing everyone's photos and seeing how everyone's creativity comes out. Where can you get the blue light at? Let me know if anyone knows. Thank you.


From my standpoint, it was building on each year. The second year in the new house around 2015 I built about 130 ft of "wrought iron" fencing, and the two pillars. The tombstones were accumulated over the years. Last year I started rebuilding/strengthening the tombstones against gale-force winds (literally) that have obliterated them over the years. I also was able to reinforce them with a kind of theft deterrent. They're not completely theft-proof, but are definitely no longer snatch and run vulnerable. You actually need a tool to remove them. Aside from that I probably add 3 to 4 new props to the yard each year. The windows upstairs are simply AtmosFEARfx, and the first floor windows are different props depending on mood. Last year was Bride of Frankenstein, and Nosferatu. 







...........









Regarding the lights, they're 16-color LED lights. I have a mixture of 10W, 20W and 50W floods, plus several 10W spot lights. All are 16-color LED though, so I can go through and change the color of anything with the push of a button. If I were to recommend any of them, it would be *these* for both quality and price. I've found them to be the best overall deal, give out a lot of clean light, and very cost effective. Hope that helps.


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## Jeremy7 (Aug 9, 2020)

To say that this picture is the family's earliest graveyard is not true. At least the year before was the year I started to really get into Halloween.









That was 2015.
Here is 2020.

























The graveyard moved to the sideyard, with the added benefit of the new porch, we've added more tombstones, gained more advanced props, and new props have been bought and made.


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## Jess-o-Lantern (Aug 7, 2009)

@The Joker What is the name of your yard haunt? I think I might follow you on Youtube or other social media because your set up looks very familiar. Love your cemetery!


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## Jess-o-Lantern (Aug 7, 2009)

We still have a LONG way to go, but I was really happy this year when we moved to a town that actually has Trick-or-Treaters!

In 2019, we put up a few decorations (mainly for us) and got less than 5 ToTs. We lived here for 12 years and this was one of the first times that I actually decorated. In the past, I had always helped my mom with her yard haunt. But then she moved out of state and (even though we didn't get many kids) something felt missing without any decorations so I threw together this little set up. Plus, butterflies LOVE Halloween!










In 2020, we moved to a new house with a bigger yard (room to grow!) and despite the pandemic, we got 150+ ToTs! We added some lighting (including a Perfect Storm), two AtmosFX projections in our windows, several tombstones (not purchased at Dollar Tree), a grim reaper, a jumping spider, and a few other nifty props. We'll be adding a few things every year. My main goal for this upcoming year is to expand the cemetery. My second goal is to take more pictures!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="



" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Jess-o-Lantern said:


> @The Joker What is the name of your yard haunt? I think I might follow you on Youtube or other social media because your set up looks very familiar. Love your cemetery!


Thanks so much @Jess-o-Lantern. I appreciate the kind words. While I've given some thought to naming it in the past, I've never done so. I guess I've seen so many other named yard haunts that are so fantastic and have a following, but don't think this is anywhere close to that point. I mean, we only get about 150 ToTers each year, with peaks and valleys depending on weather. It's nothing like the homes around these boards who get thousands.

I also have zero presence on social media for the above mentioned reasons, but I also think most social media is the devil.  Excluding this devilish social media board of course.  If you want to see lots of pics, please feel free to look through my albums on my HF profile. I have lots of pics posted of the inside of the house too which is completely decked out for the annual party. Most people say they like the inside better than the outside, but I won't open the house to ToTers on Halloween. I do have some videos taken from each year, but don't post them anywhere to really share. I definitely could upload a few on Youtube though if you're curious and want to see more details. Again, the videos of inside decorations are probably better than outside. 🤷‍♂️


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Seeing a few more folks around these parts recently with Oct rapidly approaching, so just popping this thread up. Hoping more folks want to post their graveyards/haunts from "humble beginnings" to now. 😎 So fun seeing the progress our haunters have made!


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## Haunter4ever (Nov 4, 2019)

The Joker said:


> Seeing a few more folks around these parts recently with Oct rapidly approaching, so just popping this thread up. Hoping more folks want to post their graveyards/haunts from "humble beginnings" to now. 😎 So fun seeing the progress our haunters have made!


 trying to add another 20 tombstones this year...can’t wait to see just the progress this year from last year....hopefully Covid stays at bay and we can all have success this year in making TOTS remember the displays for the rest of there lives and maybe inspire them when the are able to do it!


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Some of the early years, when the kids were young.... these pics for haunters may be a bit embarassing artistically, but I love them!


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## Defenestrator (Jul 27, 2009)

It's tempting to show some of the progression between the humble turn-of-the-century beginnings and the current version of the cemtery, but I think it's funnier to just go with the stark juxtaposition. 

The process of going back through old photos was pretty fun, but it also showed me that we didn't become digitally capable until several years into the new millenium, and evidently, prior to that didn't think wasting actual film on the props / display was worthwhile. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, the earliest photo of what would eventually become 'Revenant Manor' (cemtery circa 2004):










And, an image from this past year (where the cemtery will no longer really fit into a single image):










It also makes me wonder what it will all be like 10 years from now....


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Defenestrator said:


> It's tempting to show some of the progression between the humble turn-of-the-century beginnings and the current version of the cemtery, but I think it's funnier to just go with the stark juxtaposition.
> 
> The process of going back through old photos was pretty fun, but it also showed me that we didn't become digitally capable until several years into the new millenium, and evidently, prior to that didn't think wasting actual film on the props / display was worthwhile. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> ...


Second time I get to use this gif in 5 mins...








That change over time is almost not credible. 😁 Excellent work!


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## hybrid_moments (Jun 13, 2019)

This was 2011 a few months after I bought my house...









And last Halloween...


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## oldmeat (Mar 1, 2017)

Outstanding work! You and I both started improving in the same year. Bought my place in 2011 as well. What will we look like in 2031!?


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## Yodlei (Jul 13, 2019)

Nice idea for a thread!! Didn't have a yard for a cemetery until 1993 as I always lived in 2 apartments prior & have a tendency to have crappy weather many years here in Illinois. First digital pix from 2010:









Parked my car like it was hitting the tree in my side lot...dressed up skelly ghoul behind the wheel...









Years after were either crappy weather and/or same or very similar setup.

Upgrade in 2016 (tombstones are there but my lighting game was not):









Had haybales & pumpkins on a bench in side yard. Cubs won this year so skelly donned a hat:









2017 was my first year with window projections.

2019 SNOW!! Think we had around 2".

Last year moved cemetery to side yard & used my greenhouse frame as a crypt. Didn't work out as well as I had hoped but way better at night. Have to work on my night camera skills as well & hope to get my lighting game increased this year.
Had 2 take pix in 3 pieces as you wouldn't see anything further away. Still missing a lot of details in these.




































Didn't notice until now how much better the Target skellies show up at night versus the Walgreens versions (the other 2 with blue eyes). The improvement of them lighting up the ribcage as well as the eyes really pops. Might have to rig up some blue lights in the other 2 for this year.


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## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

halloween71 said:


> View attachment 744842
> Great thread! I am still using most of everything I started out with way back then I did have several albums but now they are media on here.I do prefer the albums as they are dated and everything doesn’t run together . But here is a pic from 2008 my other earlier haunt pics are actual pics and not digital.2008 and 2020
> View attachment 744843


I'm glad to see your still displaying Pumpkin Rots original ground breakers; I'm sure he would be happy too.


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## Meadow (Apr 14, 2019)

There are some absolutely amazing evolutions and as others have stated some amazing improvements in lighting and photography. Am I the only one who gets excited when you take a picture and it’s amazing? Like such a sense of amazement and gratification.

Year #1 2017










Year #2 2018










Year #3 2020


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## GrinningReaper (Aug 28, 2019)

Haunter4ever said:


> Started the hobby when my boy fell in love with inflatables in 2017....about 40 TOT
> and here we are in 2020...about 300 TOT and people asking us days after if we still had it up!


We love what you've done. We will never have an inflatable in our haunt, they're just not our style. But we can't understand why they get so much hate from some in the haunt community. We would love having you as a neighbor. It's just another style of expressing your Halloween spirit, and in our mind, that makes it wonderful. If we have a place at the table for the gore of chopped up body parts, we can't see why there isn't one for the whimsical nature of inflatables.


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## oldmeat (Mar 1, 2017)

I totally agree! I'm not a personal fan of using inflatables in my haunt, but I absolutely love that others get into Halloween with them.


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## Haunter4ever (Nov 4, 2019)

@oldmeat @GrinningReaper we don’t use inflatables in the graveyard now...they are reserved for the other side of the driveway but he still loves them just as much.....it prolly takes me 40stakes just to keep them up 😱😱...but they definitely lead us to what we do now....we carved 11 tombstones yesterday painted/weathered and put back in storage...slowly replacing all the outdated tombstones


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## oldmeat (Mar 1, 2017)

inflatables - A gateway drug, lol.

One of these years I'll bring myself to redo the old tombstones or replace them entirely....


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

oldmeat said:


> inflatables - A gateway drug, lol.
> 
> One of these years I'll bring myself to redo the old tombstones or replace them entirely....


I can see how inflatables would be a "gateway drug".  First you dabble in the inflatables, then add some other cool stuff you come across. Then you notice other home haunters and how they build an entire graveyard and can appreciate it and think it looks cool. The next thing you know you have a shed and attic that are filled with Halloween stuff, plus two nearby storage units. 

When it comes to your "old tombstones", I like the thought of keeping your "humble beginnings" incorporated into your haunt, even if it's just a space filler in the background. I think it's cool to fix up old tombstones, or at least revitalize them and stick them back in your haunt. How cool is it to talk to someone walking by who is admiring your display, and talking about how "that tombstone in the back is one of the originals in my display from 15 years ago" or whatever. I like the sentimental value of that, not only in my display, but when I see it in others'. 

I posted one of these pics already, but if you take a look at the next two pics, two of my original stones I built in 2005 are front and center in 2020. 😁


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## oldmeat (Mar 1, 2017)

I love that idea, Joker, of leaving the originals in, even as filler. You are right about the humble beginnings and sentimental value. 

Mine are only a few years old, but always a great reminder of how far I've come.

Speaking of storage, it's time to add an addition to the house so that I can fit more props lol.


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

oldmeat said:


> I love that idea, Joker, of leaving the originals in, even as filler. You are right about the humble beginnings and sentimental value.
> 
> Mine are only a few years old, but always a great reminder of how far I've come.
> 
> Speaking of storage, it's time to add an addition to the house so that I can fit more props lol.


Your beginnings might not be as humble as others, but imagine what those original stones might mean to you in 10 years or so. My original stones are nowhere close to the quality of others, and aren't even my favorites, but I like having them in there. 😁


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## Yodlei (Jul 13, 2019)

The Joker said:


> I can see how inflatables would be a "gateway drug".  First you dabble in the inflatables, then add some other cool stuff you come across. Then you notice other home haunters and how they build an entire graveyard and can appreciate it and think it looks cool. The next thing you know you have a shed and attic that are filled with Halloween stuff, plus two nearby storage units.
> 
> When it comes to your "old tombstones", I like the thought of keeping your "humble beginnings" incorporated into your haunt, even if it's just a space filler in the background. I think it's cool to fix up old tombstones, or at least revitalize them and stick them back in your haunt. How cool is it to talk to someone walking by who is admiring your display, and talking about how "that tombstone in the back is one of the originals in my display from 15 years ago" or whatever. I like the sentimental value of that, not only in my display, but when I see it in others'.
> 
> ...


OMG...I have that same Dead End Cemetery sign you show in your first pix. Very, very old. I had to fix it multiple times & no longer have the material on it but could be easily added, even though it looks just as good without.


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Yodlei said:


> OMG...I have that same Dead End Cemetery sign you show in your first pix. Very, very old. I had to fix it multiple times & no longer have the material on it but could be easily added, even though it looks just as good without.


Yep, it's "eons" old. 😁 I don't even remember where I've stored it or maybe it even broke years ago, but I wouldn't use it anymore at this point. Some day I'll name the graveyard and incorporate it into my pillars somehow, but not yet. I'll probably revamp the pillars before naming it. I have lots of ideas on what I want to do, but it's a matter of devoting a bunch of time to a project like that. It will require a real commitment because if I tear the current ones apart to make the new ones, I have to finish it in the off-season or I won't have a cemetery entrance for a year. Don't think I'm ready to commit that kind of time just yet.


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## Hallow_home (Jul 20, 2021)

Oak Lane Cemetery said:


> Started out doing it for our kids when they were little and found that I really enjoyed it and looked forward to doing it the next year. I think we had 30 trick or treaters visit for Halloween 2007...
> 
> View attachment 744525
> 
> ...


Amazing display! Would love some tutorials from you!!


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

Hallow_home said:


> Amazing display! Would love some tutorials from you!!


Well, there are plenty of them on both my Youtube and Facebook pages! 









Oak Lane Cemetery


Oak Lane Cemetery၊ Hopewell, Virginia .နှစ်သက်သူ ၂၁,၅၀၈ ဦး · ၅၅၅ ဦး ဒီအကြေင်းပြေနေသည် · ၃၅ ဦး ဤနေရာတွင် ရှိခဲ့ကြသည် . Oak Lane Cemetery is our annual Halloween display/home haunt. We are small, but...




www.facebook.com






https://www.youtube.com/c/oaklanecemetery


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## GrinningReaper (Aug 28, 2019)

We love this thread so much we're going to try and bump it up again to encourage people to show off their haunt's progress. To us, this is the essence of why Halloween Forum exists. Those who have learned from their past willing to share what they know to help others create their own haunt history. 

The top photo isn't our first year. We don't even have a picture of that year. But it was about five or six years ago. If you look carefully at the photos, you'll notice we don't get rid of any of our tombstones. We just add more to the mix. Ironically, the only tombstone we no longer have is "Rest in Pieces" which was destroyed when a large wooden beam fell on it. The staircase has gone from festive Dollar Tree mini skeletons, glittery spiders, and scarves, to mausoleum facades made from repurposed wood, foam, and paint.


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## Detour (Oct 31, 2017)

This thread has been really cool to read through and see how various haunts have progressed.

October 2013 - a giant inflatable, some accent lighting, and on Halloween night, a fog machine.










Added a spider focal corner in 2014, as well as fence and a few tombstones. And yes, I realized he was hung upside down for following seasons...



















HD horse skeleton with a grim reaper rider, some more tombstones, and another inflatable added in 2017. Also the year I got a bit more serious about lighting.



















And had a slight renovation project done in the garage attic to add storage...









In 2020, a few more tombstones, a crypt, robed figures in a ceremony around the crypt and a pumpkin patch.




























And I made some flicker candles for the center of the ceremony -


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## Michael__Myers (Sep 8, 2019)

@Detour

Gotta say this is a pretty cool scene/setup


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## Detour (Oct 31, 2017)

Michael__Myers said:


> @Detour
> 
> Gotta say this is a pretty cool scene/setup
> View attachment 750574


Thanks! With a few exceptions of needing to straighten some out after some really high winds and rain - they were well protected by the wall and didn't compete with the rest of the yard - it was really a little hidden treat as you walked up the walk. We kept expecting to find them blown around the yard with only their cords keeping them from being down the street. Most of these are purchased, although I also got into carving foam pumpkins last season, so a few are mine. I did modify so that all used the same bulbs and did some custom wiring to run them all of off of cord. Hard to tell with the leaves, but there are skeleton mice amongst them.

If only I had acted sooner on this years 12' pumpkin skeleton to greet people at the end of the walk.....


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## Detour (Oct 31, 2017)

Yodlei said:


> Nice idea for a thread!! Didn't have a yard for a cemetery until 1993 as I always lived in 2 apartments prior & have a tendency to have crappy weather many years here in Illinois. First digital pix from 2010:
> 
> 
> Parked my car like it was hitting the tree in my side lot...dressed up skelly ghoul behind the wheel...
> ...


@Yodlei How do you like using the "no dig" fence panels for the cemetery?


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## Jennifer Person (Aug 21, 2015)




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## GrinningReaper (Aug 28, 2019)

Detour said:


> This thread has been really cool to read through and see how various haunts have progressed.


We wish we had folks like you who lived next door. Not only do you do a fine display, but it's fun to see how it grows. We are amazed at the folks who create a new haunt every year, but those who start with a single prop or two and continue to build on that theme are kindred souls. Thanks for your post.


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## kristinms8 (Sep 8, 2014)

Jennifer Person said:


> View attachment 750594
> View attachment 750596


Looks amazing & especially love the lighting!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Lots of folks are setting up their displays. Time to *BUMP *this thread to see if anyone has made any drastic before/after, then/now improvements to post.... or if anyone recently came back and hasn't seen this thread at all.


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## Keltset (Oct 1, 2020)

The Joker said:


> Thanks so much @Jess-o-Lantern. I appreciate the kind words. While I've given some thought to naming it in the past, I've never done so. I guess I've seen so many other named yard haunts that are so fantastic and have a following, but don't think this is anywhere close to that point. I mean, we only get about 150 ToTers each year, with peaks and valleys depending on weather. It's nothing like the homes around these boards who get thousands.


The number of ToT's you get is not relevant to the display quality or work that goes into it. I get 2500-5000 depending on the day we land on (and well covid) and that has nothing to do with the quality. Don't sell your efforts short over the years of work and dedication it takes to pull off a display that people can look up to!

P.S. Love this thread, gotta find some of my old pics and post it, kinda hard with the four pic cap because I have a walkthrough but I'll give it a shot when I can dig em up! Really enjoying this thread!

-K


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## Pablo0714 (May 27, 2019)

I guess technically this is part of my graveyard. I mean, SOMEBODY has to bring the bodies in.


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## Yodlei (Jul 13, 2019)

Detour said:


> @Yodlei How do you like using the "no dig" fence panels for the cemetery?


So so sorry about the no response. Must have overlooked it. Saw in another post you were making a fence. I loved using them & storage is a breeze. Takes a little time to set up but did it in about 2 hours. Using pliers to pull the support "arrows" out of the ground after Halloween is over made it easy to remove with no harm to the grass....built in aerator.

I try to change my setup every year & not sure how this year is going to work as I need to cross the driveway somehow. Will have to improvise with a different rope type section between. Going to play tomorrow after I mow.


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## Detour (Oct 31, 2017)

Yodlei said:


> So so sorry about the no response. Must have overlooked it. Saw in another post you were making a fence. I loved using them & storage is a breeze. Takes a little time to set up but did it in about 2 hours. Using pliers to pull the support "arrows" out of the ground after Halloween is over made it easy to remove with no harm to the grass....built in aerator.
> 
> I try to change my setup every year & not sure how this year is going to work as I need to cross the driveway somehow. Will have to improvise with a different rope type section between. Going to play tomorrow after I mow.


@Yodlei Regarding going across the driveway, you may be able to find a solution for posts for your fence panels using these - Enchanted Garden™ Fence Surface Mount Bracket


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## 1989 hearse (Sep 26, 2021)

Found a 2007 picture






and 2020


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Pablo0714 said:


> I guess technically this is part of my graveyard. I mean, SOMEBODY has to bring the bodies in.
> View attachment 754480


This is AWESOMELY disturbing! This is the kind of thing that causes nightmares, and I'm talking about your display, not just the scene. Fan-frickin-tastic. I'd be that guy who walks by your display and takes pictures fairly often. 🤣


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## The Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

1989 hearse said:


> Found a 2007 picture
> View attachment 754506
> and 2020
> View attachment 754507
> View attachment 754508


Excellent transformation. Also love the Amityville style house. I'd totally be playing that up with a High Hopes sign out front, a purple pig in an upstairs window... there's no end to the possibilities.


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## internet troll (Nov 7, 2014)

My first year was two scarecrows my 7 year old and I made at a halloween festival. I have pictures somewhere but not sure where.

Here are pictures from my 2nd year. Probably the only fat grim reaper you will ever see. I did fix it later. Here is a link to my 2021 haunt.


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## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

Some pictures of the yard display 2020.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Has anyone ever used Thompsons water seal on their stones for weather?


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## Pablo0714 (May 27, 2019)

IowaGuy said:


> Has anyone ever used Thompsons water seal on their stones for weather?


Well, not Thompsons but I used spar urethane instead. It slightly altered the looks on wood and foam items, giving it a slight yellowish tinge. But unless you're putting it on something that is white, it is not noticeable to make a big difference. And I'm on my 4th year of wooden headstones sealed with zero issues.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I may try Thompsons and see what happens. I just started doing wood stones this year also.


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## crazyhalloweenguy (Dec 30, 2015)

Back in 2010 ish….









and now in 2021…























L


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## blanckmortuary (7 mo ago)

Had to start over in 2016. 









2021


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## GrinningReaper (Aug 28, 2019)

IowaGuy said:


> Has anyone ever used Thompsons water seal on their stones for weather?


Just a suggestion. When you have a question that's not directly related to the thread, start a new discussion. The reason is that with a new discussion title for others to look at, you increase your likelihood of getting more responses and more ideas. This thread is to show the kind of progress we've made on our haunts over the years. I come here only when I get a notice that someone new has responded. I don't expect to see any questions about building or sustaining those haunts. You want eyeballs on your plea for help. But they're not coming to this discussion. By starting a new one, you increase your chances of lots of eyeballs all over your tombstone question. And as everyone knows, lots of eyeballs all over a graveyard is just better all the way around. So, start a new discussion with a title like "What's the best waterproofing process for my tombstones?" That will get you the folks interested in helping you out. 🎃


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