Cheap Halloween Decor DIY: Cardboard, Paper, Pumpkins, Glow Sticks, Electric Candles

    

This is my season! I know I'm not alone because readers of my  Halloween book "Adult Halloween: Taking Back the Season!" tell me that they get more excited about Halloween than Christmas!

Most of these things you probably have around the house and from Halloweens past. Other items are cheap or free to obtain. Take advantage of the dollar store and thrift stores - no need to get fancy.

ParanormaCruise - Halloween at Sea!

 

You love the paranormal and you love Halloween, but want a new experience this season, consider this totally cool event - ParanormaCruise.

50 Things To Do In Autumn

 

Tis the season for falling leaves, woodsmoke, country festivals, Oktoberfest, and Halloween. Here's a to-do list of 50 things to do this autumn.

How to Creep Into Halloween Mood

 

In my new home of Georgia, this Halloween is like being a kid again! The last time I was in the East Coast for the season, I was 14 years old! Even though it's still green and wet, hot and muggy, I know that we are sliding into September and my mind begins to wander. If you're having autumnitis now, let's get you into the Halloween season mood with a few simple ideas - 

Glow Sticks Crafts

 

Halloween 2020 and glow sticks! This is a seriously cool and economical way to take your parties and decor to a whole new level.

My Doll Island Harvest !

 

Last fall, after leaving the dolls up all spring and summer awaiting Halloween time, I harvested the dolls on my backyard doll island and collected creepy hands, feet, and heads.... 

This year, I took special delight in putting the dolls out to set the mood as the cornstalks die back like scratchy white paper flapping in the wind and the tall overburdened sunflowers droop like faces turned down upon them. 

At nighttime they turn into something sinister and possessed by the moonlight - 

Adding a Michael Myers mask to the situation creates a hauntingly scary nighttime summer garden - 

And then there's my scarecrow, Josiah in the moonlight - 

I suggest if you want to do some nighttime spooky photography in your yard, use the natural moonlight or consider some solar lights as they add a soft eerie light at nighttime. A lantern is another great visual, as well. Don't use the flash, you lose all spookiness.

Another great technique is to move the camera back and forth quickly as you shoot. Because it's dark the shutter stays open and the subject blurs like a ghost.

Take advantage of filtered light through items to create speckling or striping. Use dead branches, crunchy leaves, and get underneath and photograph up to capture moonlight and give subjects an ominous size. 

Doll heads - from Goodwill shop dolls and aged in the garden for that lived-in look!

If the dolls have no eyes, put a glow stick inside - 

Happy photographing!

Inexpensive Halloween Animatronics on Amazon Under $100

 

crawling zombie hand

$29.99

C'mon, we Halloween-lovers often dream of having the serious cash to spend hundreds on animatronics, but the reality is, a good decorating base and a few smaller ones can be great accents. Here's some lower-priced ones with impact found on Amazon - 

Free Horror Movies on Streaming

 

I've done some poking around the streaming channels in search of good horror channels and good channels for finding horror movies. If you have a smart TV or Roku, adding the apps is easy and the benefits are massive!

Celebrating Halloween on the Road

 

At some point you are likely to find yourself away from home during Halloween. It seems almost impossible to comprehend, but life throws timing in your path that is not always ideal. 

Halloweenitis Series: My Halloween Makeup and Costumes

Yeah, it's early August but ALL Halloween lovers are already chomping at the bit for hot cocoa, chilly nights, the smell of wood smoke, and shorter days leading to - HALLOWEEN!!!

Is Bigfoot a Creature of the Night?

 

It was while reviewing dozens of Bigfoot cases for my private research group that it became evident to me that, yes, Bigfoot DOES like to operate mostly at nighttime, but the question was why? 

When Dolls Cross the Line From Cute to Terrifying!

Isla de las Munecas or "Island of the Dolls" (popularly coined "Doll Island") is a thing of horror for many. Why would an island filled with dolls for decades, laid to waste by the elements and neglect, be terrifying? Well, let me introduce you to its most unsettling beginnings.

Halloween Selfies

 

There is nothing better at Halloween time than updating your profile pic with a Halloween selfie.  In this photo above I am peeking around the corner of a curtain with an element of terror. If you want to amplify the look, consider using a filter on Photoshop like "poster edge" or just up the contrast.

How to Make Vintage-Looking Halloween Masks

 

Halloween masks of the 70s and 80s were plastic store-bought variety, but prior to that, folks made their own masks often times. Some of the masks they came up with were very unsettling. I believe they are much scarier than any "realistic" werewolf and clown masks of today.

Nature Spirits

 

At some point, you are likely to have taken a photo and looked back at it and thought you saw a face.

How to Make Fog

 

Whether you are determined to make fog for a small party or set up a huge Halloween haunt in your yard, you will want to master fog making. This post is going to help make it easier, whether you use dry ice, make your own machine, or purchase one.

1970s Scream Queens and 1980s Scream Queens

 

The 70s and 80s were the most amazing decades for horror movies. The scream became the primary focus of these terrifying films and the female leads put in the position to scream did a damn fine job. 

Let's look at some familiar actresses and their work in those decades.

CHEAP Halloween Decor From Around-the-House Items

  

This is my season! I know I'm not alone because readers of my  "Halloween book Adult Halloween: Taking Back the Season!" tell me that they get more excited about Halloween than Christmas!

Most of these things you probably have around the house and from Halloweens past. Other items are cheap or free to obtain. Take advantage of the dollar store and thrift stores - no need to get fancy.

Michael Myers Crush

Michael Myers.

I don't know if it's a genuine crush, but I've held a fascination for this character from the 1978 film, "Halloween."

I'm pretty sure that it stems from it being the first horror movie I saw in the theater that captured the boogeyman theme and his character being so silent and stalking that he terrifies the reptilian part of the human brain. 

I also like tall boys.

31 Days of Halloween on Syfy!

 

Some channels know how to please us around Halloween time and others are traits that once had a lineup each year and now make a weak effort. This year's Syfy lineup I'm probably going to pass on ...

Here's just some of the offerings -