Haunted House Ideas

Dracula’s Lair
Someone dressed in a vampire costume lies in a coffin, which you can build from a large cardboard box cut and formed to a coffin-like shape and painted black. As guests walk by, the vampire suddenly opens his eyes, sits up and bares his fangs.

Mad Scientist’s Lab
Gather up all your old science fair equipment, beakers and tubes from the microscope set, and anything in your kitchen that resembles a scientist’s lab. The performer wears a white, wild-hair wig and a lab coat. A fake head or a full-faced mask stuffed with newspaper can sit on a table nearby.

Witch’s Room
For an eerie witch’s cauldron, fill a black, plastic Halloween cauldron with hot water and add dry ice and a glow stick. (Don’t let children handle or get near the dry ice.) Your performer, dressed in the traditional witch regalia, is at the cauldron, stirring and telling a scary story.

Frankenstein’s Workshop
Yucky body parts are easy to mimic, using spaghetti, peeled grapes and other foods. Set aside part of your haunted house to have guests put their hands in these slimy, gooey and scary things while the performer tells the story of Hal O’Ween.
“Dead” bodies can be lying nearby, made by setting up stuffed clothing, shoes, and a full-face mask. Ketchup is a good alternative to fake blood, but it smells like you’re having a barbecue.

Ghostly Graveyard
Set up gravestones (large cereal boxes painted gray and marked with black letters) in a dark room. Add a fog machine (available at rental stores and for sale with the fog juice for about $40) for a spooky effect. If your haunted house is outdoors, tiki torches stuck in the ground along the path will create an eerie effect.