# Starting my Clown Massacre 2014 Haunt



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Clown Head (paper mache')*

This is the start of my photos. I have started 10 paper mache' clown heads. The bases are grocery bags and newspaper. My loving husband used a mask and put it inside each bag. He then did paper mache' over the bag and when dry, removed the mask. We stuffed them with paper and added a piece of PVC for me to use as a base for the application. I taped some other stuff over three that I want to make extra special. He drilled some holes in some molding a little larger than the PVC for me to put the PVC in for drying and made one the exact size of the PVC so the head would fit snug in the wood for pressing and smoothing. 

There are literally a zillion different recipes for paper mache' paste. I used just homemade mod podge from 2 part glue to 1 part water. I added extra water if needed. I found that cheap Dollar Tree glue 2 for $1 was better than Elmer's glue. Elmer's was too sticky and harder to smooth. Since mine are going outside, I did not use flour, as it will mold and draw moisture and bugs. 

I will update again as I work on them more. I have to cover them with the paper mache' clay, then do another drying stint. I will then start to sculpt the fun stuff and will give another update here for that and what I am using for eyes and stuff. I will coat them in marine sealant to waterproof thanks to a thread on this site. 

Here are the heads, please give feedback, suggestions and questions. More to come!!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Plans*

Here are a few of my plans and idea printed photos. My husband (like most men) is very visual and we communicate better if I get my idea in his head. He will go off then and just make something for me, or come up with something I never thought of. He is cool that way.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Oscillating Fan Hack*

This is my husband's oscillating fan hack. One of the fans we found on the side of the road, nasty but working. The other we bought at a thrift store for $10. I plan to use one at my BBQ/butcher stand. The other I'm not sure yet.


----------



## Dulcet Jones (Jun 27, 2013)

Wow, you're really getting into it! The whole creepy clown thing seems to be one of the "in" things lately(whether you're dismembering them or they are just being menacing).


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Corpsed Torso*

I made this torso and have the expanding foam on it. I still need to do the head, but we have had a cold snap here so I can't get outside. It is just hanging there scaring the neighbors! 

The pictures speak for themselves. I used coat hangers, duct tape, PVC, more duct tape, a stick from the yard for the spine vertebrae, several screws, and expanding foam. 

I will add more pics later as I progress. I will paint the inside and between the 'bones' black. Then the whole thing bright red. The last is to dry brush the bubbly parts (high spots) with more black to 'char' it. It is going on a spit made from PVC and turned by a motorized Christmas tree stand that I got at Goodwill for $2. 

Thanks for any comments and questions.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Dulcet Jones said:


> Wow, you're really getting into it! The whole creepy clown thing seems to be one of the "in" things lately(whether you're dismembering them or they are just being menacing).


Thanks for the comment. Clowns are so creepy even when they are just being clowns. I know lots of people who are just terrified of them. 

I think my husband thought I was just talking, and wouldn't follow through. I am having so much fun!! I think secretly he is too.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

More torso pics


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

and even more...


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

just a couple more


----------



## Robin Graves (Aug 12, 2011)

Looks great. thanks for sharing


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Our body forms*

These are 3/4" PVC that we had laying around (my husband Johnny does plumbing on his job). We had to buy the fittings, but they are not too expensive if you buy them in bags. The only part that we glued is the two 90's at the hips and the T to the pelvis area. We glued these in order to gauge the width to put the feet in the ground, and for stability. The rest are loose for now for storage. The ground stakes are 5" x 6" shelf brackets. They have a channel that fit them together well inside the T's. We hammered the 5" sides together tight inside, then ran a screw through each side. The 6" side goes into the ground perfectly. 

I packaged each 'body' in a bag together with the suit. I will paint the suits after assembling them. 

Does anyone have suggestions on paint for Tyvek suits? Spray enamel bleeds really bad. Johnny suggested that it is no big deal that bleeds because it is supposed to be old and weathered, but I am afraid the colors will just bleed all together and look black. 

Thanks for looking. As always, any suggestions are welcome.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Robin Graves said:


> Looks great. thanks for sharing


Thank you, we are having a lot of fun!


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

wow, you've got a great start and just let me say how jealous I am that your husband helps you so much! Mine could care less. 
I did the carnevil theme in 2012, probably the most fun one i've ever done
I have no idea on the paint on tyvek. I need an orange jumpsuit and was going to try using spray paint for plastic on one of those dollar store paint coveralls and see if that works. 
You can also use rebar hammered in the ground and the pvc will go right over it. (if you need it to be more sturdy) 
the rib cage looks great, an old waterhose will also work too
That first pic with all the heads in a row made me think of Motel Hell....... LOL
Keep the pics coming!!!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Some more of my charred torso/corpse (and some other stuff)*

Hey everyone! I have missed you guys over the last week or so. I didn't get a chance to post the starting of my painting on the corpse because we made a quick trip to Tennessee to see my mom, which turned into a longer trip because she broke her leg while we were there (I have posted a REALLY scary pic). She is 82 and even though very healthy, has a long road of recovery ahead. It was compound so she can't have a cast for 6 weeks, then it is 6 weeks in the cast, then 6 in a boot. Then they will talk about sending her home. Yikes! 

After all last weekend in the hospital with her and with no sleep, I finally got the sinus infection I missed over the last two winters (and how!). Double ear infection, throat infection, and sinus infection. Even my teeth hurt! 

I couldn't wait to get these out for you guys to see. I am so proud of him. I still have the charred top coat to add. I have decided to use brown for the top coat instead of black as originally planned and seen in the other tutorials. I tried a test brushing today, and it looks pretty cool. I'll get some more pics as I finish him up. On a side note, it seems the expanding foam got a little brittle in some spots and chipped off. I just slapped some extra paint in those areas!! Check out the guts and brain I made from left over foam and paint. So cool, I impressed myself. 

I also made some collars today that I will tie around the necks of some of my clowns. I still have to age them a bit. I will also paint the white ones, or maybe just age them to make them look old and dingy. 

I need to get busy if I am going to get finished before October.


----------



## frogkid11 (Aug 6, 2012)

So sorry to hear about your mom's break, D - I hope she heals up without any complications. Your work on the clown massacre is awesome - can't wait to see what ya'll continue to churn out of your "halloween factory"!!!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

offmymeds said:


> wow, you've got a great start and just let me say how jealous I am that your husband helps you so much! Mine could care less.
> I did the carnevil theme in 2012, probably the most fun one i've ever done
> I have no idea on the paint on tyvek. I need an orange jumpsuit and was going to try using spray paint for plastic on one of those dollar store paint coveralls and see if that works.
> You can also use rebar hammered in the ground and the pvc will go right over it. (if you need it to be more sturdy)
> ...


Thanks for the reply. As I stated above, I haven't been on here for a bit. 

My husband actually doesn't care either, but he sees how happy it makes me and it actually gives us something to do together. He enjoys the building part, and I get so giggly when my plans come together. 

I actually dyed one of my tyvek suits today using Rit. It actually did dye it, which surprised the heck out of me! There is an orange color that might work for you. I think I also have seen orange jumpsuits/outfits at harbor freight like a rain suit type.

I forgot about motel hell...you are right, lol!


----------



## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Wow I love seeing all the original building steps.....keep it up. Its posts like these that inspires !


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

oh, thanks for the tip on the rit dye, I'm going to try that


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Finished my charred corpse*

I finished adding the brown and black paint dry brushed over the high spots. I also added the red nose and painted the supports.

I guess I am right on trend because I was just in time for the burned walker episode of The Walking Dead. LOL

If you all have any pointers or suggestions I welcome them!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Started the meat grinder*

We started our meat grinder using a flower pot and duct work tube. The filler is a pool noodle cut into quarters and wrapped around. 

Will post more when I can get him motivated to work on it again.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Meat hooks, etc.*

Just some random pics of some meat hooks I made from plastic coat hangers and paint. 

I got this guy for a steal on Ebay. Gonna put him in the top of the grinder.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Wheel of death and Shiatsus*

Started the wheel of death/knife thrower wheel. It is 5 feet wide 1/4 plywood. Hope it is not too large for the motor to turn. Johnny is not too sure about it yet, we may have to make it smaller or use something lighter. This is an old friend that I have used for years on the porch. I'm gonna repurpose him for the wheel.

We also started working with the shiatsus. Took the large knobs off and played with some different fittings. Still a work in progress.


----------



## miles (Sep 18, 2013)

you're on freakin fire! im very jealous at the amount youre building. its been absolutetly freezing out here still and i want to start a build but temps arent helping. its coming together very nice. im digging the throwing wheel idea alot


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

It's all looking GREAT! 

Maybe add a big bow tie with some charred edges on the rotisserie skellie?


----------



## texaslucky (Feb 25, 2014)

Yuck! And by that I am complementing you on this!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

miles said:


> you're on freakin fire! im very jealous at the amount youre building. its been absolutetly freezing out here still and i want to start a build but temps arent helping. its coming together very nice. im digging the throwing wheel idea alot


Thank you so much! Johnny has forbidden me to introduce anything new for him to build. Every time I get on Pinterest, he cringes! 

I hope the wheel isn't too big. My motor is pretty sturdy, but old. It may crap out. Keep watching for updates!

We have had to work quickly between cold snaps! LOL. It will be 80 one day, then 50 the next. This particular day, it had rained like crazy all night and part of the morning. I was getting dripped on while I was painting. I had just got finished, and everything put away and guess what, more rain! It has not stopped since. What I dread is the heat!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

offmymeds said:


> It's all looking GREAT!
> 
> Maybe add a big bow tie with some charred edges on the rotisserie skellie?


Great idea! Johnny had said hair wouldn't work and I was looking for something else besides the nose and hands. I'm also thinking about a dangly eye?


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Giant candy*

I have this vision of a candy wonderland (with blood spatters of course) mingled in with my clowns and builds. I have some lighted candy canes I got for 75% off at Wally world after Christmas. I also want to make some giant lollies and wrapped candy. I got these big Styrofoam boxes from our copier place. I thought they would be easy to repurpose. Ladies and gentlemen, I have survived 3 brushes with death: 106 fever that affected my vision, sepsis from a ruptured appendix, and staff infection in my brain, but that Styrofoam kicked my butt! Maybe I didn't have the right cutting tool, but it took me about 4 hours to cut 8 circles out of that stuff! My assistant was off making actual money today painting a house, and I think I worked harder on those circles. 

Anyway, I got them cut and moved on to something else. Yay! 

This is the finished first attempt at the clown suit. I dyed four others today, two red and two orange. I think I'm gonna leave the rest white and just paint colors on them. That dye is too expensive, not to mention messy!

I hope to get some more done on the meat grinder and shiatsus tomorrow (it is supposed to rain).


----------



## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

Wow, everything is looking great. Syrofoam is so hard to cut.

Love the idea of the dangling eye.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

printersdevil said:


> Wow, everything is looking great. Syrofoam is so hard to cut.
> 
> Love the idea of the dangling eye.


I wish you had told me that this morning my friend! Haha!  I thought it would be a breeze. Glad it is over and on to the fun part. 

I like that dangly eye too, and I will probably try the singed bow tie as well that offmymeds suggested. I'll hold off on the eye until I get in another spray foam mood. I hate to open a new can until I have a whole lot of projects to do. It dries out so quickly and makes such a mess, I don't like to do the clean up more than once. LOL


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

I know its a little late now but I have a wood burning tool that I use on thick Styrofoam. 

Your set up is going to look awesome!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

offmymeds said:


> I know its a little late now but I have a wood burning tool that I use on thick Styrofoam.
> 
> Your set up is going to look awesome!


Yeah, my boss told me the same thing today after I made him role in the floor laughing at me for spending so much time cutting that stuff. Oh well, lesson learned. 

Thanks for the encouragement. It is going to be super cold the next few days, and I am off to see my mom anyway, so I won't get much done til next weekend.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

offmymeds said:


> It's all looking GREAT!
> 
> Maybe add a big bow tie with some charred edges on the rotisserie skellie?


OMM, found a big red bow at the thrift store on clearance for a dime. Painted it with black, grey and brown paint. It looks killer. I'll get a pic of it on my corpse when I get it attached. Thanks again for the tip!! My Johnny says it will look great, and he is our biggest critic.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

*Faux fire pit coals, etc.*

Hey guys, thanks to a post on this site, I started a faux hot coal fire pit to roast my corpse. Here are some pics of the start. I added the expanding foam later. I may try to paint it too this week. 

Going back to Knoxville to see my mom this weekend. She is doing so much better. The doctor says she will probably not have to wear a cast and after he takes off the erector set, she can probably just go to a boot. She is so happy about that, because she is that much closer to getting home. Our whole family is home body oriented. Glad I found a kindred spirit in my Johnny. We would never leave the house if we didn't have to go to work to make money for Halloween stuff! LOL

Anyway, the base is a yard sign from a previous election of a wonderful man and county commissioner who has sadly passed away. I know he would be happy that I could repurpose his sign. I used tops from old bottles I got from the recycle and two sets of orange LED lights. My lights are battery powered, but you could use plug lights as well. I just wound them around the bottom and up on top of the bottles. I then covered them with around one and one-half cans of expanding foam. One can was white and the other yellow, but that was just chance. I used the rest of the foam to fill my gloves I'm using for the clown hands. I turned the lights on after it dried and it looks super. You can see in the foam pics where my battery packs are hanging out. I will build a base from stones, bricks or something. 

I'll paint the whole thing in brown and black where the lights are not showing through. I'll post pics of the finished product later. Let me know what you think!! Suggestions always welcome.


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

Good to hear Mom is doing better! 

Can't wait to see the tie and your fire is going to be killer!!


----------



## doomngloomgirl (Apr 14, 2014)

People like you make Halloween the best time of the year!! Keep up the great work, cant wait to see it all done!!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

doomngloomgirl said:


> People like you make Halloween the best time of the year!! Keep up the great work, cant wait to see it all done!!


Awww shucks, thanks doomngloom. That made my rainy day! I have been slack recently with my photos and posts. I actually have some other new stuff I haven't had time to post. I will post this one of my new baby Abby. She is a 3-year-old Chihuahua mix. We got her yesterday at the shelter. I've already ordered her clown costume!!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

offmymeds said:


> Good to hear Mom is doing better!
> 
> Can't wait to see the tie and your fire is going to be killer!!


Thank OMM! My mom just found out today that she will have the surgery for the removal of the erector set May 6, then go straight home with a boot. 

Hope to get some of my details done this weekend, since we finally are going to have some nicer weather.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

offmymeds said:


> Good to hear Mom is doing better!
> 
> Can't wait to see the tie and your fire is going to be killer!!


Hey OMM, check out the tie. I think it looks super. Any other ideas are always welcome. Thanks again!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Finished the fire pit. I'll show you the final when I get the base built. It looks cool lit up.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

We worked some more on the meat grinder and I hope to get some pics up soon. Don't know where my camera was while I was working on it. We also dyed the rest of the clown suits, gathered the supplies for the paper mache clay, and worked on the 'giant' candy. I'm trying to not lose momentum. Things are getting kind of jumbled now. I need to stay focused. I think I need to make another list. haha!


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

Oh yeah, that bow is nice and charred! Looking good


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Worked on the wheel of death. It looks good, but still needs to be painted and accessorized. It does turn with the rotisserie motor. The motor is old however, and I think I will use something else. A friend has a newer one that he says he will give me. 

The lollipops and big candy are slowly getting done. I still have some things to do on them too.

Any suggestions are always welcome.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I admire your early season energy. You are going to have the coolest haunt in the neighborhood.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Col. Fryght said:


> I admire your early season energy. You are going to have the coolest haunt in the neighborhood.


Thanks so much Col. F, it is an act of passion as you know. Love your video. That is some haunt.

My mother wishes I had put this much energy into college or being a movie star, but I didn't love those half as much. LOL

Any suggestions you have are much appreciated.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Painted the meat grinder. It didn't turn out as nice as the other one posted on this site, but it will do in the dark! LOL 

Still need to add the bloody mop 'guts' on the end.

I think I may corpse my guy to match the rotisserie corpse, what do you guys think? Suggestions always welcome!

Painted the rest of my clown suits too. 

Will work on the wheel of death again tomorrow. Hope to get it painted and my guy attached permanently. 

Thanks for watching. You guys rock!!


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

I think your meat grinder looks great. 
Your clown suits look great as well, if you add some big pom poms down the front they will really make it pop 
Keep up the great work, I love following along.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Thanks OMM! I think that pom pom idea is great. I do have some collars, big bow ties, some other ties, and of course the colored glove hands.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Didn't get to the wheel Sunday. Kind of a blah day. I did work on the backdrop sheets, getting the elastic out of the fitted ones. We painted on some last night. I think they turned out good. The sheets I got at a yard sale for $5. They are cream colored, so that makes them look yellowed and old for the backdrop. I think the stripes painted like that look a little bloody too. 

You can also see the top of the ticket booth behind the fence and boat. Still a work in progress. Johnny is not real motivated right now. We will get back to it. 

Any suggestions welcome friends, thanks!


----------



## Kenneth (Feb 14, 2014)

Love it! I need to hit up the goodwill and do the same


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Kenneth said:


> Love it! I need to hit up the goodwill and do the same


Thanks Kenneth! We used fence boards to separate the stripes. I thought it was a perfect width. It took about 4 cans of spray paint to do these two. We sprayed lightly two coats to keep it from bleeding through.

My Goodwill never has any sheets. I heard from someone on here that hotels sometimes will just give you old sheets, but I haven't tried. Just watched yard sales. 

Good luck.


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

Your sheets look great. I like the idea of the cream colored ones. 

When we made our sheets, I rolled the paint on with a roller with one of those long handles attached to it. Super quick!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

offmymeds said:


> Your sheets look great. I like the idea of the cream colored ones.
> 
> When we made our sheets, I rolled the paint on with a roller with one of those long handles attached to it. Super quick!


OMM - Thanks, we tried the roller too, cause I had seen that is what you said you did. We decided that for time and drying the spray was best for us. What kind of paint did you use? Ours was way super gooey and bled really bad.


----------



## LoveAndEyeballs (May 17, 2014)

You're such an inspiration! Your meat grinder looks fantastic, and I can't wait to see your ticket booth. I'm doing a dark carnival theme this year - seems like clowns, carnivals, and circuses are really popular for 2014.  I've been keeping an eye out for off-white sheets for our tent, because I want everything to look as vintage as possible. Yours look great!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Thanks L&E! I needed that today. If you have trouble finding cream sheets, you can always tea dye some white or light yellow ones. I lucked up with these. They had 2 flats and 3 fitted. All for $5. 

The ticket booth has been slow going. Our walk is sloped, so we have to take it out there to work on it to make sure it isn't top heavy and will be secure. I will have a shiatsu guy in there and I know folks will want to touch it. I just don't want any squished kids on my walk.  The top of the booth is metal, so it is pretty heavy. Johnny assures me it will not fall unless someone climbs on top and rocks it. 

Do you have some pics of your stuff? I would love to share ideas with you.


----------



## Kenneth (Feb 14, 2014)

I'm wondering if a latex paint for the sheets would help with bleeding. How many cans of spray paint did you use for the amount of sheets you made?


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Kenneth said:


> I'm wondering if a latex paint for the sheets would help with bleeding. How many cans of spray paint did you use for the amount of sheets you made?


We used about 3 1/2 cans for two sheets. We did two dust coats, very light coats. I got the paint at Walmart for about $1.25 each. The paint we tried with the roller at first was latex, but the roller kept sticking to the sheet and missing spots so bad. Then the drying would take a whole day. It seems to have worked for others, but the spray paint was best for us. It dried in about an hour.


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

I couldn't even tell you what kind of paint it was, just a can of oops stuff from somewhere. ( I found a gallon at a flea market) It only cost me 5 bucks so I used it. I laid them out on the driveway and just rolled it on. We may have thinned it down some. It was very hot when we did them so I just laid them out in the yard to dry, and they dried pretty quick. We did about 12 sheets so I was pleased.


----------



## Stochey (Sep 22, 2009)

This looks so great!!

My friends are such a bunch of weenies when it comes to clowns... not sure if they would like it because they're all dying or still be terrified, lol!

Everything looks awesome Dementedone!


----------



## LoveAndEyeballs (May 17, 2014)

Dementedone said:


> Thanks L&E! I needed that today. If you have trouble finding cream sheets, you can always tea dye some white or light yellow ones. I lucked up with these. They had 2 flats and 3 fitted. All for $5.
> 
> The ticket booth has been slow going. Our walk is sloped, so we have to take it out there to work on it to make sure it isn't top heavy and will be secure. I will have a shiatsu guy in there and I know folks will want to touch it. I just don't want any squished kids on my walk.  The top of the booth is metal, so it is pretty heavy. Johnny assures me it will not fall unless someone climbs on top and rocks it.
> 
> Do you have some pics of your stuff? I would love to share ideas with you.


I'm holding off with the tea dye, only because I just started getting decorations together last week, and if I can find some cheap off-white ones, then that's one less thing to have to alter/make! The more I plan, the more I realize I'll be making.

What, no squished kids? ... But those are, like, 100 points or something! 

I'm working on our main sign right now (out of foam board,) an "(un)welcome" banner, and some other signs, but I only have pictures of the Dollar Tree lollipops I finished painting to match our color scheme so far. Once I get more made, and get more ideas together, I'd love to share with you!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

See my ticket booth in the 2nd phase here. I have added a little red paint and intend to add some yellow, I think. The back is open for easy access to the shiatsu guy inside. It is purposely crooked at the base to accommodate the slope of the sidewalk. 

Suggestions welcome!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Took a break from gardening today and worked on Halloween. You can see our new flower beds behind the wheel. Johnny laid all of those block by hand all around the front and sides of the house. They weigh 84 pounds each. There are 82 of them! Tell me that won't outlast the zombie apocalypse! We spread two yards of dirt, and two yards of mulch yesterday, then Johnny planted the flowers and new bushes. 

In addition to the ticket booth above, I also painted the wheel of death today. I think it turned out pretty cool looking if I say so myself.

I'm working on the guy to hang on the wheel. I added gloves to his hands, nose, bow tie, and hair. I didn't take a pic, cause he is still drying. 

I also added ping pong balls to colored lights one night this week for a cool hack I saw on pinterest.


----------



## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

That booth looks awesome D!


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

Love the ticket booth and the wheel. What a great idea on the ping pong ball lights!


----------



## skellie (Jun 16, 2014)

Everything looks so fantastic! I will second what a previous poster said and tell you that this is the kind of stuff that makes Halloween the best.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Awww! You guys are so sweet. Whenever I get discouraged, I can always count on my friends here to give me some get up and go support! 

Please give me some suggestions of stuff for that ticket booth. Like I said earlier, I will have a very short shiatsu guy inside kind of wiggling around. He will have one of the paper mache heads I am supposed to be finishing. I will also have some sound in there with him. I was thinking of adding some yellow to it, but have drawn a blank on what else to do to the bottom. I need some inspiration. Please help!!

Thanks again.


----------



## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

Love that ticket booth and wheel! Great job on both.


----------



## skellie (Jun 16, 2014)

That wiggling movement will be really cool and spooky. Painting carnival stripes (red and white) on the bottom or hot gluing bones in some kind of pattern would look cool, too.

We have one of those mini theatre popcorn machines, it was pretty inexpensive and very circus-y/carnival-y looking, maybe you could incorporate that? Fill it with bones or some other kind of gore? 

Another really creepy thing would be to print out color copies of some of those paintings John Wayne Gacy did of clowns while he was in prison. They are really unsettling. 

You could have a sign with a balloon tied to it, and the sign could read "They all float down here, Georgie" as a reference to Pennywise the clown from IT. 

I might also use some of those cheap plastic "chains" from the dollar store and use those to tie up clown dolls or baby dolls from the ceiling.

Funhouse mirrors would also be cool, or even just some shattered mirrors OR even mirrors smeared with clown makeup...

I live in an apartment and can't do a huge haunt, so obviously I am living vicariously through you!


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

I think a sign with Tickets or Tickets painted across one of those boards would look great. or some of those lights attached to the "Frame part" would look really cool. I cant tell if its metal or wood around the wire mesh part......
I really do like it with just the red, or if you wanted, you could paint some circles in different colors on it.......make them all faded


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Skellie & OMM- Thanks for the ideas! 

I do have some long mirrors. It is amazing how many people throw away. I have about 5 so far that I have found on the side of the road. I need to figure out a way to display them outside without people messing with them. My goal this year is to keep out the vandals. People can be so mean. I also don't want anyone getting hurt. 

I like the red and white stripes for the bottom.

I also have some of those Gacy images saved on my computer. Creepy!!

OMM - The entire top is metal. And it sucks in the paint, so it all looks faded, which I love. 

I do plan to add tickets somewhere, but I need to look on pinterest or something for some inspiration. I'm planning to use the crooked boards for closed or keep out or something like that. 

You guys are so great! Thanks so much for the ideas!!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone! I utilized yesterday to work on a few of my haunt items in the new shed. My order from Spirit came in and I have attached their photos and one of my own of the items. I corpsed my guy for the meat grinder and made some more 'guts' from great stuff. I plan to finish my striped sheets this weekend and the rest of the candy. Johnny trying to look tough.


----------



## Bethany (Apr 3, 2013)

WOW I am in awe of everything!! Love the way you built your clown skele for the barbie!! Looking forward to seeing this progress to completion!!!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Thanks guys, for the likes and messages.

Bethany - You are so sweet. I hope to get some pics of the whole meat grinder set up soon. The only thing left is the 'meat' made from mop heads. Still need to dye them and attach. 

Keep watching!!


----------



## Kenneth (Feb 14, 2014)

He's super wicked! What did you use to corpse him?


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Kenneth said:


> He's super wicked! What did you use to corpse him?


Kenneth- Thank you! It is the easiest (AND MESSIEST) thing ever. Make sure to do it outside, with surfaces protected, and in clothes you don't mind throwing out. Get some good thick rubber gloves (like yellow housewife gloves) and protect any hair on your head if it has any length whatsoever. Hang your guy up so he will be easy to get at on all sides. Get you some Great stuff expanding foam. The cheapest one is ok. Put on your protection and spray a wad in your hand and start adding it to the 'corpse' by patting it on. It will look like not enough, but remember it expands. And does it ever. If you get it on your skin, get it off right away. The can has a lot in it, and it does not keep very well, so I always use it all up, thus the 'guts'. 

Let it dry overnight. Then you can paint any way you like. I did mine like he was cooked. This is the same method I used for the rotisserie guy near the first of the thread. I had to cut the great stuff out of my hair that time.


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

oh my, he turned out awesome! and love the blow up clown


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

offmymeds said:


> oh my, he turned out awesome! and love the blow up clown


Thanks OMM! I thought that clown was the coolest. He is normally over $100 everywhere, but I got him at Spirit in their most recent sale for $49.95!! The little baby giggles and jiggles. But you have to press the button every time. I may hack it later, but don't have the time before this year. 

Any suggestions are always welcome!!


----------



## Screaming Demons (Sep 15, 2008)

Wow, you're really going all out. Can't wait to see what you come up with over the next 3 1/2 months.

A word of caution about your fan clowns: they may not move for long. Those motors depend on the fan blades to keep cool and will probably burn out pretty quickly.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Screaming Demons said:


> Wow, you're really going all out. Can't wait to see what you come up with over the next 3 1/2 months.
> 
> A word of caution about your fan clowns: they may not move for long. Those motors depend on the fan blades to keep cool and will probably burn out pretty quickly.


Thanks for the tip on the fans. I'll watch that.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Hey guys! It has been a while since I have posted. I have been working on a few things, but nothing picture worthy until now. 

This is the first attempt at the sculpt for the clown heads. 

After the paper mache (see earlier posts) had set up, Johnny was kind enough to add two coats of fast drying drywall mud to the outside and sand them down for me. They were very dusty, so instead of trying to get all of the dust off, we just primed them with latex Kilz. 

I tried to make my own clay from the recipes I found on line. I made two batches with no luck. The consistency was that of a semi moist cake batter. I tried to let it 'set up' for a while and tried again with no luck. I then went off to Michaels for some advice. The lady steered me toward polymer clay, but I didn't want to bake it. We settled on a trial run of some clay called 'Model Magic' by Crayola. It air dries and it pliable without having to warm it with your hands. It is very easy to work with so far but does not go a long way. It is a little pricey for the small packages (4.99), but a huge tub is 22.00. I'm going to check Walmart too. 

The photos are of the heads with just the mud and a first attempt at a face. I still have some to do of course, and then decorate. But he is turning out pretty good. Only 9 more to go, and only 74 days to do it in!! Yikes!


----------



## skellie (Jun 16, 2014)

Can't wait to see them when they're all painted and finished!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

skellie said:


> Can't wait to see them when they're all painted and finished!


Thanks, if the face is not in the floor when I get home, I hope to finish this one up in the next few days. LOL!


----------



## Diazray (Aug 19, 2014)

Dementedone said:


> I finished adding the brown and black paint dry brushed over the high spots. I also added the red nose and painted the supports.
> 
> I guess I am right on trend because I was just in time for the burned walker episode of The Walking Dead. LOL
> 
> If you all have any pointers or suggestions I welcome them!


I like the corpse, i am in the starting to build mine this up coming week. I have done burnt corpse before and if you use GAK slime on it, it gives it a nice melting fleash look, just put the gak in a pot with some water to boil it down some, you have to keep an eye on it till it is almost like honey, and apply it took me a few time to get it to like right, so i would try it on some small before placing it on your main prop. keep up the good work and cant wait to see more.


----------



## Diazray (Aug 19, 2014)

i never thought about doing that, freaking awesome. Hope you dont mind it i temp loan your idea...lol


----------



## Magusky (Aug 18, 2014)

wooow! i'm totally impressed by those burned flesh skeletons, your skills are Chiodo Brothers Level! 

If i ever do a clown film i will totally consult it with you! Can't wait to see the results for this Halloween!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Thanks for the tips and encouragement guys. I wish I had more time to work on my stuff, but work gets in the way. Lol. I hope to post some more pics this weekend.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Well, I missed my earlier post about getting some photos out on the weekend. My phone camera photos are too large, so I had trouble posting them. I made sure to keep my Coolpix with me this weekend. 

We go the fence started. We are going to attach boards to the wooden stakes to make it look more 'old fency'. The flat boards will have my posters attached. 

Johnny built the gallows. I finished the wheel of death.

I also have done tons of work on the heads. I still have a little to do, but they are coming along. 

We are planning to work an hour or so every night, and get it done outside. 

Any suggestions or comments are welcome.


----------



## offmymeds (May 26, 2010)

Looking good!!!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Just a quick post to show you guys the progress so far. 

Johnny is stuffing bodies. I'm painting like crazy. 

We are getting things in the yard slowly but surely. 

More to come...


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Hey everyone! Our yard is almost complete. We are coming down to the wire now. We have moved on to the driveway trying to get light there, but still keep it spooky. These photos are from this morning. I have a video at night, but I will have to post it in pieces later. 

Hope everyone is decorating away.


----------



## miles (Sep 18, 2013)

Yeaaaaahahahahaes! I've been keeping an eye on this for months! Lol very happy to see this coming together!


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

miles said:


> Yeaaaaahahahahaes! I've been keeping an eye on this for months! Lol very happy to see this coming together!


Thanks Miles - We are very proud of it. Impeding traffic on our street daily. Love it!


----------



## Bethany (Apr 3, 2013)

Looks great! Wish more people in my development decorated.


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

I have these photos from last night. They are very poor because of my camera. My phone camera is so much better, but the files are huge. I'm working on getting more photos out. And I'll have a video soon.


----------



## miles (Sep 18, 2013)

that looks AMAZING! i love the tent! awesome work from what i can see


----------



## pacman (Oct 18, 2009)

FANTASTIC WORK , i was feeling blue trying to bolster myself after the big night , and was struggling to think what i might attempt next year , and after seeing your link and all your hard work here have decided on a horror clown/circus theme , your ideas were brilliant , i loved everything SO INSPIRATIONAL making me want to start creating now ..... think i will see what cheapo stuff i can adapt from ebay and local boot fairs , thank you and WELL DONE .


----------



## Dementedone (Feb 27, 2014)

Thanks Miles, it came together nicely. 

Pacman - You get out there and start working. It was so fun for me to see my ideas come to fruition. Fortunately for us, the clown theme has been done a lot, and people are selling stuff to get money for a new theme. Watch the selling area of this site. I got a lot of stuff off the side of the road and the missions. The 'bought' items mostly are from spirit online, they have great sales throughout the year. Of course there is always amazon and ebay.


----------

