This time of year, we know many Halloween fans descend to their basement workshop to begin the process of creating the upcoming season’s Next Great Halloween Decoration. As it should be! So, to get the creative juices flowing, we look back at two cool props from last year, made by Frank S. of Springfield, Virginia.
We love how Frank repurposes a cabinet to create the look and feel of an old television console. The process is pretty simple: All he had to do was place a computer monitor or TV in the opening and then cut a rounded-rectangular opening out of cardboard to mimic an old-school television screen. (Speaking of old school: That’s the individual decoration “Terrorvision” from one of AtmosFX’s earliest decoration collections, Triple Thrill Pack.) All in all, it’s a creepy prop that just screams Poltergeist, or maybe even Videodrome. Either way, it seems to be right on target.
Another cool prop is Frank’s haunted mirror – something that is easier to create than it looks. And it is an absolute showstopper in any decoration display.
The secret of this particular prop is one-way mirror glass.
You can see here that Frank has built an ornate frame that surrounds an oval opening. Behind that opening is a one-way mirror, with the reflective side facing the audience. Behind that, you can place a TV or computer screen. When you play an AtmosFX Decoration on the screen, the image is bright enough to pass through the one-way mirror glass and appear on the other side. For those admiring themselves in the mirror, or perhaps checking out their costume, they will be in for quite a surprise!
In this case of Frank’s prop, that’s the “Beckoning Beauty” individual decoration from Ghostly Apparitions Decoration Collection. Any aetherial, ghostlike AtmosFX Decoration will work great here – just make sure to display it in Hollusion Mode, because that mode does not include backgrounds which can ruin the effect.
And if you want to take this prop to the next level, you can use the Sprite Media Player with Motion Sensor to store and display the decorations for the screen. Then, when someone approaches the mirror, the motion sensor will trigger the effect!
“We usually have hundreds of visitors on weekend nights and last year had over 1,400 on Halloween,” Frank tells us. We are not surprised – we love what you have created for A Nightmare on Conservation Drive. And we cannot wait to see what you create for your 11th year!
Are you building a cool Halloween prop? Maybe you have perfected something from a previous Halloween. Past or future, we want to see it! Send your photos and videos using this easy submission form and you may become the next AtmosFAN of the Week! Not only will you inspire others around the globe, you will also earn Kudos redeemable at the AtmosFX.com store, and win a free decoration collection!
