Creating a Homemade Haunted House
First, scatter leaves and sticks on the floor. Visitors will hear the crunching sounds as they walk, giving them the feel that they are outside. Tons of leaves are not needed; just enough to have the occasional foot stomp on them. Also, the lighter and longer the sticks, the better. People coming through the haunted house are more likely the step on and break a lighter stick as opposed to a thicker stick. Having visitors step on and snap sticks as they walk by will add that extra jump; the noises will catch the guests off guard. The leaves and sticks affect works best on a concrete/hardtop floor; carpet tends to muffle the sound effects.
After the leaves and sticks have been randomly spread, cover the entire floor with old newspapers. Crumple old papers and toss it around, covering all walking space. This makes visitors unsure of where they are walking, or what they will step on next. Guests will have a hard time focusing on both the floor where they are walking and what is ahead of them in the haunted house. Forcing them to divide their attention makes it easier to scare guests.
Also, if enough newspaper is available, stack a mound of crumpled newspaper into a corner, and have someone hide underneath. Because newspaper is already scattered throughout the haunted house and floor, guests will assume its just more paper- until someone pops out and scares them! Newspaper can also be hung sporadically on the walls. Using red finger paint to make hand prints and finger streaks on the paper also adds to the creepiness.
Throwing old clothes on the floor and hanging it from fixtures tends to scare guests. Old, dirty, ripped clothes work best, especially if you throw some of the red finger paint on it. Also, stuffing some of the clothes with newspaper and leaving it on the floor will scare guests, as they will be unsure if it is a dummy or a real person. About half way through the haunted house, have someone dressed in some old clothes scare guests. This will have guests skeptical of other stuffed clothes on the floor during the rest of the tour.
Toss plastic bottles around on the floor as well. Bottles, along with the newspaper, give a feeling of desolation and abandonment. An environment with trash makes guests tend to draw in a bit, not wanting to touch anything. They keep to themselves a bit more, becoming more vulnerable. Just be sure not to use any glass or other sharp objects.
Lastly, dim the lights. If possible, lightly drape dark pieces of cloth over light fixtures (but don’t allow the cloth to get warm!). Draping cloth over the lights creates a darker mood than just dimming the lights.
These five tricks work well for cheap, effective haunted houses. Remember, a haunted house does not have to be in a large space. The size of the space doesn’t matter; the atmosphere does. Sometimes smaller haunted houses are better, and these five tricks work well for making a small space seem more confined and spooky.
