Handmade haunted house ideas: from ways to darken a room to props
There are times, like at daycares, kindergartens, or school culture festivals, when everyone gets to enjoy making a haunted house together, right?
Here are some handmade ideas that will come in handy for creating a haunted house at those times!
First, we’ll introduce ways to darken the room and how to build the haunted house pathways.
We’ll also share DIY prop ideas to boost the haunted house atmosphere!
Some of the ideas are simple enough for small children to help with, so be sure to use them as a reference.
We hope you can create a fun, unforgettable haunted house.
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Props (1–10)
skeleton
Skeletons are also a common prop you see in haunted houses.
Another advantage is that it’s easy to adapt the design to different ages and styles.
For example, a stylized skeleton can give a comical or cute impression.
In contrast, a realistic-looking skeleton will create a scarier feel.
You can also add touches like painting the skeleton with fluorescent paint.
If a skeleton glows in the dark, it’s sure to give people a start.
A ghost made of water balloons
The water-balloon ghosts seem like they could be a hit in all kinds of situations.
The idea is to turn water balloons into ghosts by sticking plastic on them and drawing illustrations with a permanent marker.
They’d work well as props for a haunted house, and if you give them as souvenirs, people can also play with them.
You can also enjoy the process of making them together.
By the way, when you play with water-balloon ghosts, their faces stretch and shrink, which is really funny.
Be sure to give it a try.
Have them listen to scary sounds through headphones.
A haunted house where participants don’t have to walk around! Here’s an idea where they listen to scary sounds through headphones.
Usually, you need a classroom-sized space to build a haunted house, right? In those cases, we recommend a setup where participants wear headphones and listen to frightening audio.
Decorate the room densely with items like Japanese dolls.
It sets the mood and will definitely get their hearts pounding.
You can customize the audio with uneasy background music, voices, or scary stories related to Japanese dolls.
Adding a mechanism that makes the decorations start moving partway through would really amp up the excitement as well.
bagged doll
A creepy, skin-crawling scare! Here’s an idea for bagged dolls.
Just imagining a bunch of dolls stuffed into bags is enough to give many people the chills, isn’t it? In the video, there are also splashes of red liquid that look like fake blood.
Dolls piled up inside bags are eerie on their own, but the blood effect ramps up the realistic terror even more.
Use this for a haunted house at a school festival, and visitors are sure to freeze in their tracks!
grave
A classic prop for haunted houses is the “grave.” It naturally has a creepy vibe, so just setting one up instantly boosts the atmosphere.
There are various ways to make one, but the easiest is to use cardboard.
Stack rectangular cardboard pieces in a stepped shape, then place a larger rectangular piece on top to create a gravestone-like look.
Paint it gray, and use a white marker to write something like “Family Grave” on it.
You can also add touches to make it look old and weathered.
A wall with handprints
A wall covered with handprints is an easy way to create a super scary atmosphere.
The method is very simple: put red paint handprints on a cardboard wall, or stick sheets of construction paper with handprints onto the wall.
You can also apply the idea to signs by adding handprints to them.
If you want to make things feel really creepy, definitely give this a try.
Another big plus is that kids of all ages can join in.
Let’s have fun making handprints together.
mask
One thing you can almost always count on needing for a haunted house is a ghost mask.
Having items like this really helps set the mood when you’re trying to startle kids.
So here’s a simple way to make a mask.
All you need is a nonwoven face mask and a permanent marker.
First, undo the folds of the mask and cut holes where the eyes will be.
Then just draw a face with the marker, and you’re done.
It’s super easy, and with a bit of creativity you can make all kinds of spooky masks.
How about a mummy or a zombie, for example?