There’s just something about ghosts. No matter what you call them – specters, phantoms, apparitions, phantasms – they just have an incredibly irresistible appeal. It is true around the campfire, in drama and film, and certainly during Halloween.
Jonathan Lenhardt of San Antonio, Texas, sought to re-imagine the fog machine so it could better display decorations like Phantasms. Read about it at the AtmosFAN Hall of Fame.
That appeal is certainly evident for decorators who have discovered AtmosFX’s Phantasms Decoration. The four menacing specters that make up this moderately scary decoration seems to stir the imagination of Halloween decorators – we often see the decorations used in ways we never even imagined!
So, what’s the best way to use Phantasms? We’ve got a few good ideas for you.
Make Ghosts Materialize with Hollusions
What’s the scariest thing about ghosts? Perhaps it is that they can come and go as they please; materializing in front of your very eyes at any given moment. It is for this reason that a Hollusion mode projection is one of the most popular ways to display the Phantasms Decoration.
For those unfamiliar with the technique, a Hollusion mode projection is essentially training the projector’s beam onto a dark, mesh-like material (called Hollusion Projection Material) that practically disappears when darkness falls. So when, for example, the “Wicked Wraith” is displayed onto it appears that it has materialized from thin air!
Of course, it isn’t just the Wicked Wraith that can appear from nowhere. Any of the four specters from Phantasms work great, as well as the translucent ghosts from other AtmosFX Decorations, such as Ghostly Apparitions 1, 2 and 3, Macabre Manor, as well as Marley’s Ghost. You can make a playlist with scenes from each of these decorations and ghosts will appear and disappear all night long!
Don’t forget that you can use Hollusion Projection Material in your windows, too. Because the material is see-through (as compared to Window Projection Material), it means you can easily make it appear for those people looking into your house that the ghosts have taken over. Just make sure the room is mostly dark with just a couple interior lights on. Make sure people can see you walk around in the room – people will be certain the house is haunted!
Make Ghosts Walk Through Walls and Windows
The ghosts of Phantasms also look great on your walls, windows and TVs.
One of the easiest ways to create a haunting effect is simply display of a wall or ceiling – any large surface will work, indoors or out. When you directly display onto that surface, it will look as though the ghost is moving through the wall towards you. Play it big (like on a garage door), or play it small (like in the corner of a room) – either way, the effect is great.
Projecting Phantasms in your window can also create a dramatic effect. As we mentioned above, because Window Projection Material isn’t see-through like Hollusion Projection Material, it will make it look like the house is completely dark and uninhabited – except for the ghosts, of course!
Some people forget that Phantasms can be a stunning effect when displayed on a TV or Computer Monitor. Tablets work great, too. The secret is placing some Hollusion Projection Material over the screen to disguise the shape of the monitor and take the shine off the screen. Then, place it in a dark spot, perhaps placed with other Halloween props and decorations. The materialize ghosts will again appear to come out of nowhere!
Ghosts and the 3DFX Form
Lastly, remember that Phantasms does have a bundle of individual decoration expressly optimized for AtmosFX’s 3DFX Form. This is the inflatable mannequin-like prop that appears to come alive when you project onto it. Place this in front of your home on Halloween, for example, and that means a menacing ghost will be at the ready to scare trick-or-treaters!
The options are endless with the Phantasms Decoration!
How do you use Phantasms in your Halloween display? We want to see it! Send us your photos and videos using this simple online submission form and we will post some of our favorite examples!
How do others use Phantasms? Check it out here!
Mike Greenslade from Manchester, United Kingdom, put together a simple, yet incredibly effective, prop mode display using Phantasms the AtmosFX 3DFX Form. Read about it at the AtmosFAN Hall of Fame.
James Ryan shows how easy it can be to set up an outdoor Hollusion effect using Phantasms – his video got more than 27,000 views! Read about it at the AtmosFAN Hall of Fame.
Jason Cash’s flawless display of Phantasms with his Hollusion Projection Material stretched tight inside his room, making it seem to everyone who approaches the front door that ghosts are gliding throughout his home. Read about it at the AtmosFAN Hall of Fame.
Check out how these and other AtmosFANs have decorated with Phantasms and other decorations in the AtmosFAN Hall of Fame!
