by D.F.

Ok. You’ve started your costume search…now all you have to do is create the perfect haunted house!

Lighting

First make sure the room/house is dark: This can be achieved by putting black sheets or trash bags draped on walls and windows.

• Make the haunted house feel like a maze when they walk through. Take the kids around corners, down long hallways and make many turns and twists. This way they feel like they’re lost.
• An easy way to achieve a cool lighting effect is to replace your regular light bulbs with colored light bulbs in and outside your house.
• For outside, flashlights placed tactically (with a good supply of batteries) or a portable shop light to aim colored light where you want it.
• These days you can usually find Christmas lights in Halloween colors, shapes and designs.

Music

Halloween supply stores have great CDs and cassette tapes with spooky music and chilling sound effects for affordable prices.

Graveyard

Whether you want to use cardboard, wood, Styrofoam or by your own, you can make your own graveyard using several headstone shapes scattered around the yard. To make them look more realistic, spray with gray paint and then paint clever epitaphs, make sure you use a coat of acrylic sealer if you want them to last for more years to come!

Decorations

Coffins, fake body parts, skeletons hanging from ceilings, spider webs, tombstones, anything you can think of that will be sure to frighten your guest when they come close.

More creepy extras:

• Spray visitors’ faces with cold water in the dark, or have visitors walk through spider webs made of stretched cotton or wet string
• Use peeled grapes as eyeballs, placing them where people will feel them
• Invite your friends to participate with you! Dress up in costumes and be part of the haunted house, but you can also keep an eye on things and help supervise
• Mix citrus soda and blue punch for a bright green beverage

Safety first!

• Post a sign warning children of the “level of scariness.” Set an age limit— some little kids may be terrified of going into a haunted house. Make sure there’s an alternate option for them.

• Keep anything wet safely clear of electrical effects or outlets. Do not use any candles or other live flames, even if torches look cool.

And instead of handing out candy, make them spooky homemade butter cookies instead!

Marilyn’s Scary Halloween Butter
Cookies

Marilyn’s Scary Halloween Butter Cookies

1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking
1 tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. salt

Cream butter in a mixing bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Stir until thoroughly combined. Sift together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture and combine into ball.

Roll out on lightly floured board to 1/8” thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in 375 degree oven. Makes 4 to 6 dozen cookies.

Simple white icing: Blend together 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, ¼ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. vanilla and enough milk to make easy to spread. Allow for the added liquid if you use liquid food coloring. Food coloring gel from Sur la Table works the best!