[School Festival] Ideas for gimmicks to incorporate into a haunted house

Do wound makeup on the person playing the ghost.

Even when there aren’t any official Halloween events, people in costumes flock to Shibuya on the weekends as Halloween approaches.

You’ll see tons of folks sporting special-effects makeup, too.

In a haunted house, it’s essential to give the performers SFX and wound makeup! Makeup might feel like the girls’ territory, but here, everyone—regardless of gender—should try a scary look! Haunted houses are basically dim, so the trick is to use accents like fluorescent paint.

That slimy, sticky texture is the first step to making things creepy.

Be sure to check out videos by Japan’s world-renowned special-effects makeup artist, Screaming Mad George, for inspiration!

grave

A classic prop for haunted houses is a “grave.” It has a vaguely eerie feel, so just having it prepared instantly boosts the atmosphere.

There are many ways to make one, but the simplest is to use cardboard.

Stack rectangular cardboard pieces in a stepped shape, then place a larger rectangular piece on top to create a tombstone-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 aged.

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banknote

The jiangshi, made famous by the movie Mr.

Vampire, is especially memorable for the talisman stuck to its forehead.

In horror-themed dramas, “sealed rooms” always have lots of talismans pasted up.

Talismans and ghosts are inseparable.

Make plenty of handmade talismans to enhance the haunted house atmosphere.

Assign a classmate who’s good at fine detail work to be in charge of making the talismans.

Some extra ideas for using the talismans include: writing puzzle clues on them, having a shower of talismans suddenly fall from above, using talismans as admission tickets, or requiring visitors to stick a talisman on their forehead before entering the haunted house.

Make good use of props!

Place only parts of the mannequin’s body

The scene where Sukekiyo is stuck upright in the lake is one of the most iconic moments in Japanese film history.

Yes, this is about the movie The Inugami Family.

The shot showing only Sukekiyo’s feet is actually more effective at creating fear than showing his whole body.

In a haunted house, just lining up mannequin arms or legs is scary enough! And if those arms have wound makeup, even better! Big general rental shops might even lend out mannequins.

As long as you don’t damage them, renting should be fine, right? Hanging mannequins from the ceiling is a fun idea, too—have a strong friend secure them firmly for you.

Put a locker in place

A great recommendation for a gimmick that can stop visitors in their tracks with the fear of “What if something’s inside when I open this…?” is a locker.

If you’re making a haunted house for a school festival, many of you will be setting it in a classroom.

Simply placing the lockers—usually used for storing things—along the route of your haunted house turns them into an effective scare! You can have someone wait inside, or place a doll or prop instead.

Tying on a string to open and close the door will create a spine-chilling experience.

If you’re struggling with haunted house ideas, give this a try.

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Place a human anatomical model

Borrowing and setting up the anatomical model from the science room would also help boost the haunted house atmosphere.

Even when you know “it’s just a mannequin so it absolutely won’t move,” there’s something scary about it.

Placing just the head separately, or wrapping only the face with bandages is another creepy effect.

Speaking to people who come near it through a microphone from a distance is another idea.

Having a scare actor dressed exactly like the anatomical model stand next to it would probably be a hit too! By the way, anatomical models are quite expensive, so please handle them with great care.

Place a large number of mannequin heads

Mannequins don’t seem scary at all when you see them in a bright place, but if you encounter one in a dimly lit haunted house… And if it’s just the head, it’s definitely a scream-worthy moment.

There’s an indescribable creepiness to that expressionless face.

I’d love to line up mannequin heads inside a haunted house.

But they say cardboard mannequins cost around 5,000 yen, and the ones you often see in clothing stores are about 30,000 yen, so buying enough of them is tough, right? How about making just the heads out of styrofoam, putting wigs on them, and creating a bunch of “mannequin look-alikes”? Ask a classmate who’s good at making things to handle the production.