# Do you "detail" your display?



## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Kind of a two part question;
for those who set up a display, do you take extra pains to detail the area? That is to say not just setting up props, but adding things for extra atmosphere; Spanish moss in trees or hanging off tombstones, creepy cloth or burlap for layers/texture. Gnarly tree branches laid out or even staked upright in the graveyard to simulate old dead trees? I guess over the years we've attempted to step it up on these little details that a lot of people notice and that add a lot of depth and interest to a scene.

On a related note, do you take time to make your haunt look less like your house and more like a creepy place?
Things such as removing potted plants fron the scene, putting away lawn furniture, garden hoses, non Halloween flags, grills, political signs, etc.. These can really detract from an otherwise great haunt scene. I've seen pics of some nice spooky graveyards and cool light schemes but brightly colored potted mums on the porch and an American flag hanging out in front (it's okay to take it down for a night!) or a propane grill on the side of a house where guests are walking. We stash all of this stuff away on Halloween night to remove added clutter, and to "de-houseify" our house, making it look spooky.
Anyone else do this stuff?


----------



## Yubney (Sep 14, 2009)

My biggest slow down is I build during daylight and make my props more than they need to be to be seen in the dark. And so I overwork more than it really needs to be.


----------



## TK421 (Mar 27, 2009)

*Absolutely!! *

The week before Halloween I bring out branches, moss, stained cheese cloth and burlap, etc. I try and do as much as I can to make it *NOT* be my house. Some burlap from the garden section and a few well placed floods really makes a difference. Fog machines are also nice.

I move the cars out of the driveway and actually park them a far distance from the house. and mask or obscure anything I can't just move to the backyard. The only thing I can't move is a dark blue pot fountain near our front porch, but on Halloween, I put in a heating coil and drop in chunks of dry ice so it looks like a bubbling cauldron.


----------



## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Yup! Forgot to mention moving the cars. We have neighbors who let us use their driveway each year, since ours is part of the walk-through.


----------



## Wyatt Furr (Aug 27, 2005)

With my yard on the small side ,I detail the heck out of it.
I used to think no one noticed, until people commented on things they saw.
Yes, we put the cars in the garage,hide the garden hoses, ect.
Having desert landscaping kinda helps the old west theme anyhow.....


----------



## LV Scott T (Aug 14, 2007)

A pro-haunt might be all about location, location, location, but a home-haunt is all about details, details, details. I even found some real tumbleweeds for our ghost town.

Howdy Wyatt!


----------



## Terra (Sep 23, 2007)

Yep, I do all the things you mentioned. Plus, I take half of the house letters down and the few remaining I have them hanging off so the house looks more derelict. I also hang shredded garbage bags and burlap from the house lights. Oh, also replace the house lights with flicker bulbs and replace the landscape lights with red bulbs.

Finally, on Halloween night, we 'crash' our two cars together in the driveway, wrap police tape and have skellies hanging out of the doors.


----------



## Guest (Oct 19, 2009)

yes & yes; I boarded my windows, put up 'haunted shutters'; hung swamp moss in the tree, etc...


----------



## briwesk (Aug 11, 2008)

im into a lot of painting, like shading and stuff, and honestly, the shading i do, to make something look old and worn out, you really dont see at night. One year i had a friend going to cape cod and i made him find a whole bunch of mussle clam shells. I took them a glues a lot of them to the underside of the ship and i took some great stuff foam and put them sitting up to make a clam bed. I put it in various places on the ship deck. The funny thing is nobody noticed it, until the next day when people came by who came the night before and were amazed by the detail.


----------



## Frankie's Girl (Aug 27, 2007)

I would love to add the little details like moss and such... just run out of time.

I do get everything like hoses, planters that don't fit, etc.. put away. I would love to move my car, but there really isn't a good place to move it, so it stays in drive and I keep wanting to decorate it too (hubby's goes in the garage). THIS year I have two nice skellies, so one of them is going to be driving.


----------



## theicewitch (Oct 2, 2008)

My house was born creepy...lol​this was last year I think. I don't have pictures yet this year . The ones I took early on were blurry and I haven't gotten around to it again.


----------



## aero4ever (Oct 19, 2009)

I like to think of the details. A couple years ago I started putting my stuff in the garage instead of using the front of my house. I'd have graveyards on both sides and I'd actually buy topsoil and fill it in. I'd get leaves and twigs and put that in there as well.


----------



## AxeHill (Aug 26, 2009)

We do take the time to make sure our haunt is clean of anything that could take away from the creepy factor.., potted plants, garden gnomes etc.. we go to great length to make sure we have all the details. 

The one thing I have learned, its the little things that add the "WOW Factor", things like realistic cobwebs, the Spanish moss, ground moss, candles, correct lighting, rolling fog, and the list goes on... It all builds an exciting environment for people when they see it.


----------



## Guest (Oct 19, 2009)

theicewitch- I LOVE YOUR HOUSE!!!!!
Cathy


----------



## Yubney (Sep 14, 2009)

creeepycathy said:


> theicewitch- I LOVE YOUR HOUSE!!!!!
> Cathy


Same here. Wish mine had that natual creepiness 24/7.


----------



## Gothikim (Jul 25, 2005)

Ah, do I ever (over) detail... Every year I feel like I'm putting too much time into atmosphere and whatnot, but at least one person actually notices the little things each year, and that makes it all worthwhile! At least I know I'm not alone now  We remove the mundane, including the cars, and mask what can't be removed. 

The little touches make a lot of difference, since our display is largely static and viewers can spend as much time as they want studying it. Some do, some don't. Foggers, misters, candles, moss, webs, scent, accessories to flesh out a scene, and sound/music... In my mind, the goal is to trigger all of the viewer's senses to create more powerful (hopefully positive) memories of his/her Halloween night.

As far as scent goes, I use well-protected real candles tucked away in a safe area or scented oils in warmers. I use Dark Candles (shameless plug for a company that I love and patronize year-round) candles and oils for my display: Dark Candles, Light For Those Who Prefer The Dark. I love Helena's products, and she has some Halloween seasonal scents that are to die for!


----------



## SpookyNeighbor (Oct 7, 2009)

theicewitch - you have my dream house!! wow! don't hesitate to post some more pix, ok?


----------



## Drayvan (Sep 22, 2009)

I believe that the extra details go a long way. I add moss to all of the outside props as it is in abundance where I live. I also use dead orange tree branches as dead trees. I am still in the process of boarding up the windows and in the top window will be a hanging man. But going the extra mile your visitors will get a better experience than just some random props set out.


----------



## rupertoooo (Oct 1, 2007)

I dont but after seeing some of the results I believe I am going to start.


----------



## strublay (Jul 31, 2009)

I have a tiny condo, so big haunts like what you all pull off is out of the question, thus details are the only way I can get that spooky decor going. 

My entire goal is getting the kids to think about what they are doing, to make it like a challenge to walk up the stairs and knock on the door. The more I do, the more decrepit and detailed I make it look, the more of a challenge it is for those kids to wander up the stairs and the candy becomes more of a reward. 

This weekend, the vertical blinds are getting pulled back, cheesecloth and tea stained white sheets are going up as curtains, the gnomes are getting pulled from the planters, the solar garden light in one of my planters is being turned in to a witch jar and the white outdoor furniture is getting put away. All the while more decorations are going up.


----------



## Shadow Mistress (Oct 26, 2007)

The details are what makes everything stand out and become more "believable". What good is a chop shop table with a clean tablecloth? Sacrilege!


----------



## Aunt Sissy (Aug 24, 2006)

OK...I wanna vacation at Creepy Cathy's and The Ice Witch's houses. Just looking at the houses makes me wanna play in the yards all night until the sun starts to rise!!!! Jimminy Crickets those are cool places!


----------



## theicewitch (Oct 2, 2008)

Come on over Sissy, I have tons more to haunt before the big day... I will put ya to work.


----------



## landyachtz (Oct 13, 2007)

I think the details make a big difference. Maybe not everyone will notice them but it has an impact on how much fun I have on Halloween and the overall feel of the display. It also depends how much time you have. I remember reading a post once about details and that some people got disappointed because people did not notice details. That is not what the display is about though.

I really have no more storage room so this year spent more time on details and making everything a little creepier.

You have to do what you want. Here is something to keep in mind. With all the stuff we put out, about 20 tombstones and 30 figures there are two things that seem to get people the most... a pair of feet sticking out from under the garage and our Bassett hound that sat on the stairs you could see from the front door.


----------



## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I know what you mean about running out of storage space. LOL
I detail the heck out of my props! That's why it takes me so long to finish one.
Plus I'm a perfectionist!


----------



## Not-so-sunny-lane (Jan 31, 2009)

This is the first year I'm putting some focus on my house itself. I always let me flower beds get a little overgrown this time of the year which is easy since everything starts dying out anyway. This year we're moving all the vehicles to another house, I've made "boards" to board up the windows and putting caution tape around the front porch with a big "Condemned--Do not enter!" sign. Plus I threatened my husband within an inch of his life if he gives in to his OCD urge to start raking leaves! 

I credit this forum to making me realize I need to de-suburbanize my house. I'm hoping it will add a new element to my yard haunt.


----------



## Terra (Sep 23, 2007)

I detail also because the cemetery is out for 30 days, 24 hours, and I wanted it to look as creepy in the daytime as the night. 

Right on, *Not-so-sunny-lane*...my house is as suburban as you can get. It needs a costume too


----------



## Muffy (Sep 25, 2006)

Yes I guess you could say we do! The rooms that we work with in the house have a million details from the ceiling to the floor. We have 4 rooms that have a lot of detail. This year is the Funeral Parlors 1st season so its the one we will really work on next year. I have enough to just show it this year but next year we will detail that room with all the extras. 

Outside is where we have our work cut out for us. We spend so much time doing the inside of the house that the outside is ok but man we have loads of room to really grow a larger display. We did not finish any projects we had this year for the outdoors so we have a lot to get started on after the 1st of the year!

Details, Details!!!!.....yup I'm a firm believer in them. Makes the display come to life. My goal is to have them walk into each room & just be blown away by all there is to look at!


----------



## Tumblindice (Aug 19, 2008)

Ice witch... your house... WOW WOW WOW... did I say it enough!


----------



## moonchildani (Sep 20, 2009)

*Daniel Kaye Haunt pics 08 ....*

The house with boarded up windows is the most awesome ~ I love your house as it probably was before ...luv two story older homes ~ My 1 story ranch home is a lil hard to make spooky ...but I try.LOL

For those visiting my page ~ As you can see I have a great love of all thats Halloween ~ and now that Ive found this forum I hope to share more and more of future Halloweens with ya ~ my friends so far here have all been so welcoming and a joy to correspond with. ~ A BIG THANKS...
Anyhoo ~ Im constantly perusing the WEB for ideas and I'll share as I find them ...giving credit due to those that have inspired me ~ heres a slide show form Daniel Kaye Photobucket...that pertains to this topic... he did an awesome Haunt 08 LOTS AND LOTS OF DETAIL ...check it out ...really great stuff! He has an outside tunnel, many many props....

Halloween 08 :: Halloween Plans 08 Part 2 slideshow by Daniel_Kaye - Photobucket
and
Halloween 08 :: Halloween Plans 08 slideshow by Daniel_Kaye - Photobucket


----------



## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

I know how the boss feels about bumping up old threads, but I thought I'd resurect this one since we have so many new members and so many great looking displays. Feel free to chime in on this!


----------



## Hallowzeve (Jul 24, 2009)

Yes, to all of the above. My haunt is part of our annual party so most of my concerns are interior. I have removed all of my daily household items and tucked them away with exception of necessities that will disappear the day of. Any item with a label gets removed or, at least, turned around. Nothing erodes the suspension of disbelief like a commercial brand label standing out in the middle of the display.


----------



## snigglez (Jun 4, 2009)

Yep I ask the landscaper/friend down the street if he can get me my leaves. Matter of fact I jusgt asked him today for them he was all wow you are late in asking but I thought of you and have 4 burlap sack for you and should get a few more. The leaves on the grass really works well being I have no trees on my property  I pull out the cars and our pull trailer but this year I dont think Ill be pulling the pull trailer out unless I can find someplace to put it. The place I usually put it wont be available this year. I try to make it look different than what my house normally looks. 

I always wanted to board up my windows but I don't have a way to do that I have Stucco around my windows no way to hang the boards on. If anyone has any ideas to how to do it I am all ears. Well except for one window that's my Hallowindow


----------



## Wolfman (Apr 15, 2004)

We move our vehicles, but that's about it. I let the tombstones, the fog, the lighting and the music speak for themselves. Anyone who criticizes can go elsewhere. I can't be bothered with details, just too much superfluous work.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Yubney said:


> My biggest slow down is I build during daylight and make my props more than they need to be to be seen in the dark. And so I overwork more than it really needs to be.


I do this too sometimes. 

I recall hearing that David Lynch will put things on his sets or in scenes even though no one is going to see them & they won't be filmed, just because he knows it there & it needed to be there for the scene. 

The set dressers on Mad Men do the same thing, they'll have a period ashtray on a table that isn't filmed because 1)it needs to be there, 2)it could possibly end up in a shot so just in case, 3)it's part of the ambience of the era & it may help an actor if everything there is of the period.

Though lately, for the sake of time & energy I've learned that sometimes on certain props you can get away with fewer details & sometimes you have to.


----------



## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

Terra said:


> Finally, on Halloween night, we 'crash' our two cars together in the driveway, wrap police tape and have skellies hanging out of the doors.


Wow - I missed this picture last year - that's great!


----------



## talkingcatblues (Jan 30, 2009)

I totally agree with as much detail as possible, although it's sometimes hard to do.

Four or five years ago I borrowed my parents' house to throw our party, since my apartment was the size of a matchbox that's been stepped on a couple of times. I had set their house up like it was abandoned, and crammed everything that didn't fit the theme into hiding in the back basement. I actually had two people ask me at the end of the party, "Your parents do still live here, right?" I had to show them the back rooms to get them to believe me.


----------



## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

Nope, I don't go out of the way to detail things. Between the darkness and people rushing through, I don't see the benefit based on the time it would take. I am adding a few more accouterments to my funeral carriage since that is probably the most looked over prop.

As for cleaning up...by Halloween, the flowers are dead, so I just leave the pots as is. Last year I used the garage and covered all the shelves with black plastic and took the bikes off the hooks and put them inside. The cars get parked down the street.

Since I'm including the back yard this year, instead of hiding the BBQ and lawn furniture, I'm going to set up the table to have a couple skellies playing poker and have another BBQing up some body parts I picked up at the Dollar Tree.


----------



## Pumpkinprincess (Aug 8, 2007)

I did at my old house. My house in WA is in a new neighborhood, so the trees and bushes are young. The house is stucco, so it's tough to add anything to do it without damaging it.


----------



## BeaconSamurai (Nov 5, 2009)

I think those "little" things really makes the atmosphere! How much I do depends on how much time I have and the weather.


----------



## lisa48317 (Jul 23, 2010)

Wow, I'm embarassed after reading some of these posts! My stuff is beyond cheesy! 

But I am adding more detail this year, inspired by what I've seen on HF. Why, oh why, couldn't I have found you years ago????


----------



## obcessedwithit (Jul 13, 2009)

yeah I do too, add moss to the tress, go out and cut down trees for the graveyard, I have a pile now in the trailer from a friend that had a tree fall from a storm and had cut up the branches, this saved some time for me. make sure the lights are right etc. etc. etc...........I LOVE IT...


----------



## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

I need more details in my haunt.
Next year I will work on that.


----------



## The Red Hallows (Sep 21, 2009)

*We do detail. So much, I'm sure the new neigbors are going to hate us. We don't mow the grass, pick up leaves, we left the hanging plants dry up, bushes are unkempt the house looks like it needs 'love' all the more perfect for Halloween. But, come Nov. it's major cleanup time. *


----------



## beggars alley (May 4, 2008)

Double posted,sorry.


----------



## beggars alley (May 4, 2008)

We had several large evergreen tree in our yard that made for a very creepy scene that had to be removed due to the lack of grass that would grow under and around them. The idea that I can gain som more atmosphere from bringing in dead branches or small trees is GREAT! I have been known to visit the neighbor's yards to get more dead leaves for my yard. As for the detailing, I do what I can but not as much as some have on here. I definitely beat out any locals in my town.

To give and example, my avatar pic is my home built hearse prop and even though it is a small pic I am sure some of the details I put in there will stand out. It was rolling and steerable with gold leaf on the raised embelishments and had a finished interior. 

I feel that the details might not be seen by anyone but me but if I know it is there then it was worth it and maybe just maybe someone else will see it and then the whole year's display was a success no matter what problems I had pop up.


----------



## JohnnyAppleseed (Sep 17, 2008)

Well, if I'm the guy that details the back of his tombstones, your dang skippy I'm gonna be detail oriented in the cemtery itself. Already have several families collecting bags of leaves as they fall from the trees, been out harvesting vines and branches, moss is ready, webing gun has been tested......yep, ready to detail once we go into set-up mode!


----------



## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

Bumping this up for new members who might get some ideas.


----------



## DarkhavenManor (Sep 27, 2014)

Anything not Halloween related is moved is moved right out of my driveway. I've tried to find some moss this year, but I can't find any in stores


----------



## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

Heck ya it's the little details that really make it stunning


----------



## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

I hang fake moss from the gutters, board up windows, stake out dead limbs to create fake dead trees, shoot webs everywhere, scatter dead leaves and small branches around the graveyard, place bugs rats and other small critters everywhere, and take down all the yard flags and gnomes my wife has out all year. The leaves in the graveyard are perfect for hiding all the extension cords too. (After putting plastic bags over plug connections) What I can't remove, like the hose reel on the house, I cover with creepy cloth or something. I don't worry about the cars too much. We just pull one way up to the top of the drive beside the house on Halloween and park my Jeep out on the curb just past our yard.


----------



## jdubbya (Oct 4, 2003)

I habitually bump this thread up every couple years so here it is again. Interesting to see the steps people take to add extra detail/realism to their display. I cut my grass for the last time until November. We like the cemetery scene to have a neglected, overgrown look. Will be adding some dead tree limbs in the next few days to give the space some extra dimension, prior to the tombstones going up.


----------



## hopelesslyinsane (Sep 6, 2013)

I was thinking of going around the neighborhood to collect leaves. It's nice to see I'm not the only one! 

I have a packet of that dirty spider web leftover from last year that I'm going to use on a few tombstones in my display. I was hoping to start adding handmade stones this year but I'm having such trouble coming up with a design for my fence and columns that it's looking like I may need to push it to next year. 

Details really bring any display to the next level. You might see something that unnerves you even if it doesn't register on a conscience level.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Frankie's Girl said:


> I would love to move my car, but there really isn't a good place to move it, so it stays in drive and I keep wanting to decorate it too (hubby's goes in the garage). THIS year I have two nice skellies, so one of them is going to be driving.


This is what we do with the cars, skellies driving. One year we had the car on our carport hitting a skelly on my husband's bike.

The other car that sits in a space near the road gets 2 skellies with old Ben Cooper/Collegeville masks on them with black lights on them so the masks show up.

I used to go into great detail, but not anymore. It's just me & the husband & not enough time.


----------



## chachabella (Jul 3, 2013)

I totally detail the yard. But my haunt is up for the entire month and I get car loads of people driving by and slowing down to take picture. So for us the details are what set us apart. Lots of spanish moss on and around all props. Lots of leaves blown into the spider webs. Dead tree limbs are pulled out from the back acre and strewn around the witches cove and Spirit store tree, which themselves get draped with lots of creepy cloth. No cars in the driveway. All personal effects removed from the porch.


----------



## Palladino (Aug 29, 2013)

The devil is in the details - so, yes! I believe that every tiny detail adds to the atmosphere whether people consciously perceive it or not. I do my utmost to remove non-Halloween details .


----------



## acutermints (Aug 6, 2016)

ABSOLUTLY!!
people really notice the details. It is what makes things interesting!! It is the small details that make things look real and believable. Other wise it is just a lot of Halloween junk in a year. I am forever making adjustments.
My final decision as to weather it is worth the extra effort. is I look at it in the lighting that will be present during my party or in the evening light with my lighting on. (floods etc). If it looks out of place or noticeable..IE extension cords. then I add leaves or spider web or dirt and camouflage it. 
Little details do count


----------

