Wonderful school festival / cultural festival

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

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSICsasashina
Deputy Editor of RAG MUSIC. JFC-certified fact-checker. I’m Sasashina, a mom currently raising an elementary schooler and a preschooler. During my student years at Kyoto College of Science and Technology, I studied a wide range of fields including sound, lighting, and video technology, building a foundation in comprehensive stage production and creative expression. After graduation, I joined a music production company, where I still work, consistently building experience in production and engaging in a variety of music-centered tasks. Currently, I mainly handle articles for children, drawing on what I’ve learned about parenting and what I feel and discover through daily interactions with my kids. I hope my work can be of help to you, even in a small way!

Have you ever seen that moment at a school culture festival haunted house when a friend looks confused and says, “Wait, who is this person?” In the dark, people swap places, the floor turns wobbly under your feet, and when you approach a creepy doll, its head suddenly spins…

Successful haunted houses hide lots of clever tricks that keep participants on edge.

From cardboard-made tombstones and talismans for spooky effects to floor pranks, with a bit of ingenuity the entire venue can be filled with screams and laughter.

Here, we introduce a variety of fun haunted house ideas.

Laying props, decorations, and concepts (1–10)

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.

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Set props, decorations, and concepts (11–20)

rap doll

4 Scary Decoration Ideas to Make Your Halloween Unforgettable

rap doll

Let’s try making a mummy-like human figure using plastic wrap.

The method is simple: wrap a human body with multiple layers of plastic wrap, cut it open and remove it, then tape the cuts back together.

You’ll end up with a life-sized figure molded from a real person.

It’s creepy hanging from the ceiling, and you can also place it on the ground or combine it with other props—there are lots of possibilities depending on your ideas.

It already looks eerie like a mummy, but creating and dressing it in a costume will make it even more realistic.

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Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek!

Let’s create an attraction where you shine lights on monsters in a dark room! Here’s an idea inspired by Monsters, Inc.

Ride & Go Seek.

A ride with seats moves around a course set up in a darkened classroom.

Attach monsters made from colored construction paper to the course walls.

Guests hold red and green lights and enjoy searching for the monsters by following the beams.

To darken the classroom, try using black-colored plastic bags or cardboard.

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mask

[Haunted House] Terror Train 'Jingxia Train' / Janfusun Fancyworld (Taiwan)

mask

It ramps up the creepiness and sets the mood! Here are some mask ideas.

When you think of masks, many people probably imagine characters or demons.

However, the masks used in this idea are simple, expressionless white masks.

Masks that reveal no expression are unsettling on their own, but if you stick them on the wall to create a “mask room,” you’ll end up with a truly eerie space.

In the video, green light is also shining out from where the eyes of the masks are.

Give it a try!

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bagged doll

Continuing with shipment prep. Time to bag everything!

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!

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Jack-o’-lantern

[Nursery Craft] “Halloween Ghost Craft” demonstrated by an active (currently working) nursery teacher.

Jack-o'-lantern

How about making a ghost lantern? It might be easier to picture if you imagine a jack-o’-lantern you often see at Halloween.

First, prepare yellow or white construction paper.

Since you’ll be cutting it into small pieces, scraps left over from something else are fine.

Next, prepare a balloon, attach the paper to it, and then pop the balloon.

After that, attach the facial features and you’re done.

I introduced it with a pumpkin theme this time, but you can also use gauze to give it a mummy-style finish.

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Zombie Prank

[Right now at our school] In a zombie tag where we have to escape while carrying the vaccine, who will be the last one standing?!

Zombie Prank

Zombies have always been iconic symbols of fear, haven’t they? If zombies suddenly showed up, a school festival could turn into a living nightmare… So let’s surprise both the visitors and the students running the booths with a sudden zombie appearance prank! You can pop out in front of a big crowd, or lead someone to a quieter spot on campus and scare them there—it’s all good! Getting lots of people involved so that anyone who gets “bitten” gradually joins in will really ramp up the fear.

Just like in a horror movie, let’s liven up the school festival with a terrifying prank!

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