First she screamed. Then she ran. Then – to AtmosFAN Thomas D.’s credit – she came back. The culprit? A deceptively simple mirror trick at his Santa Clara, California, home that transforms an ordinary tabletop display into a jump-scare machine. After all, what’s better than a Halloween trick that, at once, scares trick-or-treaters away and has them gleefully coming back for more?
Thomas’ skeleton-themed Halloween display has just about everything – animatronics, props, window projections, the works. But the centerpiece by his front door is what really gets people: an ornately decorated table where a skeleton sits, staring into a mirror. The catch? The reflection is a whole lot more than just your typical Halloween prop display.
Thomas placed a one-way mirror over a computer screen to create a very deceptive mirror. When visitors approach, they see the skeleton prop sitting at the table, presumably admiring its reflection amongst the flickering candles and Halloween props. But, because the screen behind the mirror is playing AtmosFX’s Bone Chillers 2 Decoration Collection on it, the mirror shows a ghostly, startling skeleton.
Like so many AtmosFX Decorations, Bone Chillers 2 includes jump-scare scenes that can be triggered manually or by motion sensor. So, as visitors lean in to examine the mysterious reflection, they suddenly get quite a surprise. And then, of course, they want to see it again. That was undoubtedly the case of Thomas’s first vict – er, trick-or-treater.
“Our first trick-or-treater screamed and ran away,” Thomas happily tells us. “But she did come back.”
What creations have you made with AtmosFX Decorations? Send us your photos and videos using this simple online submission form! Every submission will earn you points redeemable at the AtmosFX online store. And if you are selected as a future AtmosFAN of the Week, not only will you inspire fellow decorators around the world – you’ll earn a free decoration collection, too!
