Halloween Monster Castle

[Brown Bear]

So, the focal point of my Halloween decorations each year is my mantle above the fire place.

It's about five feet wide but only comes out about 4 inches. My idea is to somehow make a Haunted House that is mego-scale but HUGE, where I could display all the cool new Monster figures.

I'm figuring it would be out of wood, cut with a skill-saw...have a draw-bridge, windows, etc.

I'd love to hear YOUR ideas.

[Brown Bear]

This is what I'm thinking..... DSC01093.JPG

[HumanWolfman]

We usually decorate the whole house, kind of like Christmas. I have been picking up those little monster village pieces over the years so now we have a whole town!

[LordMudd]

Use foam core board. It is cheaper, easier to cut, light weight, and you can pin it together with sewing pins for easy dis-assembly and flat storage. Otherwise, if you want it permanent you can glue it. You can also overhang it off the mantle an inch or 2. You can also sculpt some foam packing from furniture boxes to make the graveyard and cover it with model train grass and clear coat to keep it from shedding as much. This can give you graves with depth that monsters can be crawling out of.

CCC.

[piecemaker]

How simple or elaborate do you want to make it and how much time and money do you want to put into this? If you want simple,the whole thing could be made out of cardboard and either paint it or print off sheets you could glue on the cardboard.More elaborate,make it out of wood,cover it in fake stone and mortar,that stuff looks very realistic,but is also expensive to buy.I do think i seen a you tube video on how to make your own though.Use thin plexiglas for the windows or premade windows and doors that are used in doll houses can be bought.You can also buy low voltage lighting that is used for doll houses to put under the windows to create a lighting effect.

[piecemaker]

And if your fireplace mantel is too small you can fix that problem also. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk8Yog6Mysg

[Brown Bear]

Great ideas guys. Thanks.

I bought two 20x30 sheets of black Foam Board. I'm putting them together to make this thing huge.

I grabbed two flat mego-sized trees and a yellow moon to stick above it on the wall.

Can't wait to try this.

[LordMudd]

I would recommend an old string of Christmas lights. Use green, red, and maybe orange bulbs. Underlight the graves with green so you get a green glow under the monster and red inside the house to make the windows glow evil.

CCC.

[Brown Bear]

UPDATE - I cut out sillouettes from foam board. I have my daughter's Barbie there for scale. It's huge!

hh 010.jpg

hh 011.jpg

Next, I'm going to cut out the window frames in another color and glue them over where the the windows are now so the edges are nice and straight. Also need to add a clock sticker on the tower, etc.

Any other ideas?

[Brown Bear]

Here's Dracula for scale....

drac 001.jpg

[piecemaker]

Maybe attach a ledge in back below the upper windows so you could have a figure,skull etc inside the house and seen through the windows.

[Brown Bear]

Maybe attach a ledge in back below the upper windows so you could have a figure,skull etc inside the house and seen through the windows.

My plan is to have a monster looking through almost every window. I've figured out a way for them to stand on the second floor which should work nicely.

[piecemaker]

Awesome,looking great so far.

[Brown Bear]

Thanks. I've been picking at this all day while my kids watch a Scooby Doo marathon.