Who Wants to Go First?

A pre-Labor Day entry into the Halloween season.

I have seen the question posed, "When is it acceptable to start decorating for Halloween?"  If you are like me you have been champing at the bit since last November 1st or at least Memorial Day.  Not because you wish for the summer to pass quickly, but because you know that some of the best times are in the fall.  And Halloween is certainly one of the best of times.

So who wants to go first? One answer is an eager beaver in Quakertown, NJ.  The display pictured above cropped-up in mid-August and certainly got my attention as the first public display of Hauntification for the 2018 season.

What I find brilliant? The pure exuberance of it.  That is a lot of dedication to Halloween very early in the season.

What would I add to the scene?  I would install a spotlight at floor level--of course I would be careful to keep it out from under foot in a doorway.  Which means that I would place it on the right side of the greeter and wrap the cord behind him.  A light color, like orange or yellow would would make him stand out while casting a big shadow on the door and porch ceiling.  This would make him twice the prop.

I tip my pointy hat to the seasonally precocious.

Getting an early start circa 1983.

Hey Folks,

I hope you're fall is going great.  The skies of New Jersey are clear for the moment and fall is looking lovely.

I am starting a multi-part series featuring yard haunts.  I will be discreetly taking pictures of local yard haunts so that we can all learn from their effective design choices.  I will also make some recommendations on how to add to these haunts whenever possible.  Please feel free to jump in with pictures of your own haunt and your feeling on the yard haunts posted.

To get us started off, this is an early presenter--which alone makes them worthy of my praise.  Above you see the traditional cemetery scene.  The home owner had his yard regraded this summer so he is using the fresh earth resident in his haunt space to create the feel of a cemetery.  The addition of the ground breaker skeleton is whimsical and calls attention to the plot. The home owner has also used the playground equipment as part of the haunt.  He has simply installed a floating vampire figure on the slide.  The juxtaposition of a fun play ground and a ghoulish fun seeker puts a smile on my face.  What else is cool? At first glimpse you may mistake the slider for an actual child.  The double take and surprise are part of the fun.

I would add to this scene some lighting so that the fun continues at night.  A simple, all-weather spot aimed at the skeleton and tombstone possibly in red would go along way.  The vampire on the slide could also use a spot.  I would recommend  a white light because of his dark color.  I would plug both into a photo-electric outdoor timer for efficiency and ease of use.  Another simple thing to add is some interest to the eyes of both the skull and the vampire.  Craft stores carry packaged gems that can be glued in the eye sockets.  The mailbox section of your local home and hardware store may sell small stick on reflectors that could be placed in the eyes as well.  They will catch the eye at night and add life to the display.

All in all a good show from this home owner for enhancing the existing terrain for Halloween.

#10cheaptricks

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