One thing we know is true: Nobody is ever truly finished with a Halloween display, you’re just always improving it. With that in mind, we look to one of our favorite decorators over the years, Jay S. from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Most people carve pumpkins for Halloween. Jay builds interdimensional gateways. But that’s no surprise to us – we’ve been salivating over his work for years.This time of year, we always find ourselves returning to some of our favorite decorators to see what new things they are cooking up for Halloween. Jay has been building some masterful displays over the years, and his YouTube channel Ghost of Autumn Wood is always worth a look for both practical advice and inspiration.
You may remember Jay as a longtime AtmosFAN for his clever 3DFX Form Crypt Corral or his Haunted Church Wedding, where he built an entire miniature church, complete with Halloween stained glass using Halloween Window Decoration. The video above is last year’s work on his Ancient Portal. But Jay didn’t stop at just building the structure – he enhanced it with Hollusion Projection Material to bring this otherworldly gateway to life. In the video you can see the Grim Reaper from the Legends of Halloween Decoration Collection and some wayward spirits from the Ghostly Apparitions Decoration Collection.
“I built an ancient portal based on a project from the Wicked Makers YouTube channel,” Jay tells us. “Originally I had planned to project movie clips onto a screen between the faux stone columns of the prop, but dropped that idea after trying to find high quality clips that fit the screen’s vertical format. So I opted instead for clips from several AtmosFX collections – clips that were spooky but not gory.”
Jay’s newest version of his portal is even larger – with a few special surprises for the neighborhood Halloween fans.
But that was last year – and maybe the following is a cautionary tale for those who create awesome Halloween decorations. Jay is building an even larger portal. “I really liked last year's ancient portal with AtmosFX video clips,” he says. “I thought the portal with videos and background flame lights were — odd as this word may seem in reference to Halloween — beautiful. However, visitors were underwhelmed when comparing the display to some previous ones, so this year I’m making it bigger though not necessarily better.”
Knowing what we know of your work, Jay, we have little doubt that this year’s version will indeed be worthy! Your innovative use of AtmosFX Decorations, combined with your craftsmanship and imagination, continues to raise the bar for Halloween displays! We can’t wait to see the final results!
There’s only 15 days to Halloween – what are you working on? We’d love to see it! Use this simple online form to submit your photos and videos. With every submission, you’ll earn points for use in the AtmosFX Online Store. And, if you’re selected as AtmosFAN of the Week, you’ll receive a free decoration collection of your choice.
