I spent the past few days helping out a co-worker and neighbor set up a small “haunted house” for Halloween. Personally, I can’t imagine inviting hundreds of strangers to traipse through my house and yard, but he’s been doing it for a few years, and it all seemed to go over pretty well. Next year, provided I’m still in the area, I plan to start helping sooner. His efforts to date have centered around a short skit in the living room, followed by a walking haunt in the backyard. The indoors portion is packed with excitement (his whole family takes part!), but the rest was thrown together without a lot of attention to detail. Sure, the maniacal, chainsaw-wielding frightener in the back yard was effective, and the girls playing as “broken dolls” were downright creepy, but the overall effect seemed a bit less than it could be.

I did a little roaming about on the ‘net in search of ideas, and wow, did I find some coolness. Starting with the Monster List of Halloween Projects, a few choice personal pages, and on to the apparently famous “bucky” skeletons from the Anatomical Chart Company, I think next year can be quite a lot more interesting.

The tinkerer/craftsman in me is inspired. I plan to work on some ideas throughout the year, as time and resources become available.

Got ideas/resources I may not have seen? I welcome your suggestions! Toss links in the comments to show off your own Halloween creations!