DIY Motion Activated Coffin: A Halloween Graveyard in Your Front Yard

Tired of the same old tissue paper ghost floating around in your trees in an attempt to scare the treaters? If you have the room, welcome the little treaters into your graveyard and have them pay their respects to the departed I. M. Dead. Tombstones guide the “mourners” to Dead’s coffin, but when they approach, the lid moves – Dead’s trying to escape! A fun idea to add a bit of the haunt into Halloween.

To make Dead’s resting place is quite simple and a good place to start is with the coffin. The coffin can be done from a variety of woods from humble plywood to more solid wood, such as pine and the folks from www.wayneofthewoods.com offer a step by step guide to build the coffin as well as turning it into a bookcase after the haunting is done.

To create the motion, visit your local hardware supply store and pick up a battery operated motion detector and door opener kit. Mount the detector portion to the outside of the coffin near the bottom so it is out of the way and not easily seen. Next, mount the opening device inside the coffin, mounting pursuant to the instructions given. Attach the opening arm to the lid of the coffin. Wire the device, again following the instructions from the kit. Put the lid in place and test but walking around the coffin. Not only does this test the coffin, but allows gives you an idea how to place the coffin to allow the mourners to see the show.

Now that you have the coffin built and in working order, think of the surrounding area, add Styrofoam tombstones, dead tree branches and leaf litter (easy to obtain – do not clean your fall leaves for a week), cobwebs. Even a small fog machine to help give your ground an eerie feel.

The coffin can be placed on a table that has been covered in a deep red or black fabric to look like a mourning table. Use fake chains and a phony large lock and wrap around the coffin and have a part of a hand peeking out, just make sure that the motion detector is not hindered by the chains or cobwebs. You can also include Halloween soundtracks that can be play from small speakers placed inside the coffin. The mourners can hear the sounds, but are not sure where it is coming from until it is too late.

A haunted graveyard and motion coffin can add that haunting touch and keep the little ghosts, goblins and princesses coming back to your home year after year.