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

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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.

scary doll

It’s a classic of classics, but there are endless ways to get creative with “scary dolls”! Get an unwanted mannequin, then use special-effects makeup and fake organs to make the ultimate creepy figure.

Don’t forget the extra tricks, like making its head spin when someone approaches or having it let out a scream.

In a haunted house, even just placing a baby doll in a pram is plenty terrifying…

And of course, there’s the classic twist: everyone thinks they’re all dolls, but one of them is actually a real person! Ask a fun-loving friend to help you pull it off.

zombie

[Horror] It's like a haunted house!? Zombie Train 2 | Kiryu Prefectural Tax Office | Gunma Prefecture

A production that makes you instinctively feel in danger! Here are some zombie ideas.

Generally, zombies are often depicted in anime and films as humans who were supposed to be dead coming back to life and attacking the living.

Applying fake blood and painting the face and body can give their appearance more impact.

On top of that, startle participants with creepy movements and sudden, unexpected vocalizations.

It’s a classic effect for haunted houses at school festivals, too.

By all means, try incorporating these ideas with your own twists.