A portal to hell has opened, releasing spirits of the damned to waken the denizens of the Hidden Hills cemetery, and animate ghastly creatures of a nearby pumpkin patch! Graveyard walk-thru with fog, sound, static, animated and pneumatic props. Occasional live actors Demonground: The Hidden Haunt640 Regal Lane, Algonquin, IL 60102Scare Rating: 3Hours: Oct 7 …
Author Archives: Mike
Minion Chorus
Ray needed a few backup singers. We found these things at Wal-Mart for about $20 each. They were really cheesy looking, so Rebecca and Christine gave them a paint upgrade, and I fixed it so they could be triggered on command and added them to the show with Ray. Basically, there was this pause as …
“Jack” in the (Fire) Box 2022
Leaning further into the central box as a crematorium. Jack got a new light-fixture with led flame bulbs creating an infernal glow…
A Tisket, a Tasket, a Partially (Un)Buried Casket
Morgan is digging up the Creeper guy, who is coming out of the ground from his partially exposed casket. This started as a solid foam block, shaped with a hot knife, with woodgrain details carved into it. Then it was time for a pretty paint job.
The Great Pumpkin
Thanks to foam from Cheryl Calendar (and Tractor Supply), and a new hot knife, we were able to start creating a new giant pumpkin … which may just find itself perched atop a certain animated figure … eventually.
Grave Stones 2022
Rebecca has been itching to try out some new techniques on how to step up our gravestone game. We have Cheryl Calendar to thank for some of the inspiration … and the foam! She used a new monster mud recipe! 2 parts joint compound 1 part dry-lock (grey) 1 part exterior latex paint (tinted grey) …
“Ray” Raisin’ the Dead 2022
Ray appears to have been working out this year. He’s taller. Beefier. Redder. Er… Heavier. Ray is basically the 2022 Home Depot Red Reaper — with an attitude…I mean altitude adjustment. 🙂 Pairing up last year’s pneumatic lift, we needed a fair bit more counter-balance weight to lift him … almost 50 lbs!! But we …
“Cal” Cauldron Creep 2022
Cal got a few upgrades this year: New paint job Upgraded stir-stick New fire-pit. Glowing green goo coming out of the Cauldron. There is a method to the madness. Cal’s ministrations are with a definite purpose in mind. The stuff in the pot is responsible for animating the rest of the skeletons. This is why …
“Morgan” the Grave Digger
Morgan is our take on the combination of the haunted shovel and a grave digger figure. This was a tough build, and the pictures are going to make it look like it was easy to do. The truth is, that he had to be built from the ground up, and we had to repeatedly backtrack …
Creeper
This year, everyone tried to make these creeper characters. I also happened to have all the parts already down in my shop. So, here is my take… Started with this year’s Party City skeleton — it’s frightfully easy to customize this skeleton. Selling points: elbow and shoulder joints can be unlocked with a simple piece …