The Mystical Afterbirth: A Mini-Essay

     Due to its intimate connection to the mother and her infant, the placenta and umbilical cord have played a major role in birthing ceremonies among ancient civilizations and current indigenous tribes. For the Munduruça Indians of Brazil and the Balinese of Indonesia, these organs hold protective powers and new parents are instructed to bury them under the house to guard the family from evil entities.[1] The Chukchee Indians of Northeast Siberia hold a similar belief; however, they construct a miniature reliquary for the items and place it in the corner of their tents.[2] The Zulu tribe of Africa possesses the most interesting ritual. For these individuals, the placenta and umbilical cord’s personal connection to the infant can allow malicious spirits to take control of the child if these organs are not properly hidden. To accomplish this, the mother must wait seven days following her child’s birth. On this particular day, she nonchalantly wanders down to the river with the items hidden under her clothing and buries them as deeply as she can in the mud of the banks. She must then casually trek back to the village as though nothing has happened. All of this, in turn, is done to fool the evil spirits and prevent them from digging up the organs and using them to enact harm on the infant.[3]

Works Referenced

Sorel, Nancy. Ever Since Eve: Personal Reflections on Childbirth. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1984.
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[1] Sorel, 123.
[2] Sorel, 123.
[3] Sorel, 123.

Jeweled Crosses

$20 - $25 (based on 2017 prices)

Makes two crosses

The opening room of 2017’s haunted house depicted an elaborate funeral held in an old Spanish mission. To decorate the scene, I built two ornamental crosses. To enhance the Dia de los Muertos theme, I fashioned the props off of the jewel-encrusted artifacts once used in Catholic reliquaries and altars.

• One 1 ½” x 1 ½” x 12” square oak board
• One 1” x 4” x 16” rectangular oak board
• Six wood screws (roughly 1” in length)
• Two birch wood cross (roughly 8” wide and 11” tall)
• One 10 oz. cans of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in metallic silver
• Three or more 14 oz. bags of multicolored glass gems (roughly forty gems per bag)
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue
• Two decorative brooches

1. Using either an electric or hand saw, cut the square board into two six-inch sections and the rectangular board into two eight-inch sections. Use sandpaper to round their corners and smooth their surfaces.

2. Create bases for the crosses by screwing the square boards to the center of the rectangular boards to form a T. Once this has been accomplished, attached the crosses to the square boards. For added reinforcement, use wood glue in addition to the screws.

3. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the crosses and their bases an even coat of silver spray paint. I chose one, since the majority of the prop will be covered by glass gems. You, though, are free to apply extra coats.

4. Once the paint has dried, glue the gems to the crosses. Hot glue failed to hold the items in place, so I ended up using craft glue. For a sturdier hold, consider super glue. I decided to try two different techniques to give the props their own distinct character. For the first cross, I created a specific pattern and arranged the gems beforehand. For the second cross, I chose to create a random arrangement and glued the gems down as I worked.

5. For extra detail, I glued a decorative brooch to the center of each cross. Here, too, hot glue unsuccessful attached the items, so I used craft glue. I wanted something big and flashy, but you are free to use smaller pieces or ignore this step entirely.

6. If you plan to display the props on a surface you do not want to damage, consider applying squares of felt to the bottoms. You could also add further embellishments – such as small brooches or jewels – to the bases as well.

Bloody Popcorn Buckets

$10 - $15 (based on 2017 prices)

Makes two buckets

The company I work for has an unofficial decorating contest between offices. For 2017, we decided to pull out all the stops and decorate the entire building. One of the rooms was a twisted circus. Although I have never been fond of the killer clown theme, the concept did give me a chance to explore the circus idea without relying too heavily on clowns. Since the display went up in the middle of September and did not come down until slightly after the start of November, I did not want to use actual food. After toying with alternative ways to make popcorn (including a nightmarish experimentation with Great Stuff), I discovered that basic packing peanuts produced the best results. Also, to give the illusion that the baskets were fuller than my supplies permitted, I created fake bottoms.

• Two plastic popcorn buckets (roughly seven inches tall)
• One sheet of cardboard large enough to trace the outlines of the buckets’ openings
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black
• Three rubber worms
• About one cubic foot of white packing peanuts
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
• Two doll eyes
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat yellow*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in cherry cobbler*

1. Trace the outlines of the buckets’ openings on a sheet of cardboard and cut them out. To give the illusion that the buckets are full, the cardboard will sit near the top and create a base for you to adhere the popcorn. You will need to gradually trim the squares until they sit as low within the buckets as you would like.

2. On a newspaper-line surface in a well-ventilated area, give the cardboard a few even coats of black spray paint. I used two; however, you may use more or less based on your preferences. Once the paint has dried, glue the squares in place. If you plan to display the prop outside, you may want to add weight to the bottom of the buckets before this process. This will prevent the props from being top-heavy and tipping over.

3. Cut rubber worms in half and glue them to the cardboard. You want to give the illusion that they are snaking through the popcorn, so keep them long enough to remain visible once these items are finally added.

4. Make fake popcorn with packing peanuts. To do this, crush each piece gently between your thumb and index finger. Do not completely smash the items. You want them to maintain some fluff. For believability, vary the sizes by using both whole and half peanuts.

5. Apply a coat of glue to the cardboard and then a coat of popcorn. I found that building up layers of glue and popcorn works well to guarantee that each peace is securely attached to the prop. Continue this process until you reach the height you desire.

6. For additional detail, glue doll eyes, plastic insects, severed fingers, aged bones, or severed ears to the popcorn.

7. Brush yellow paint across the popcorn’s surface to simulate butter. Try not to over think your application (a random pattern produces the best results).

8. Smear the buckets with cherry cobbler paint. You could use a brush to flick blood splatter, make gory handprints with your own hands, or just smother the containers in a haphazard covering. Granted, this step is entirely optional. If blood is not your thing, skip this portion.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.

“Some One” (A Poem)

Although Walter de la Mare is best known for his poem “The Listeners,” which describes a lone traveler’s encounter with an abandoned house, the author produced numerous works with a supernatural theme. In “Some One,” the narrator recounts an eerie incident involving unknown knocking at the front door. The poem has a slight resemblance to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven,” with its rapping and tapping. Interestingly, when “The Listeners” and “Some One” are read together, they seem to speak to each other: “Some One” could possibly be written from the perspective of the silent listeners, who finally answer the door once the traveler and his horse have left.

Some one came knocking

At my wee, small door;
Some one came knocking, 

I’m sure – sure – sure;

I listened, I opened, 

I looked to left and right, 

But nought there was a-stirring

In the still dark night;

Only the busy beetle

Tap-tapping on the wall, 

Only from the forest

The screech-owl’s call, 

Only the cricket whistling

While the dewdrops fall, 

So I know not who came knocking,
At all, at all, at all.

Works Referenced

de la Mare, Walter. “Some One.” Down-adown-derry: A Book of Fairy Poems. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1922. 143-144.

Floral Sugar Skull

$15 - $20 (based on 2016 prices)

Makes one skull

To begin the prop-building process for 2017’s haunt, I transformed two old skulls used in 2015’s voodoo theme into sugar skulls (see the second skull here). Although they were not used in the final haunt (they were given to a friend as a birthday present), they did help prepare me for the season.

• One ceramic skull
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat white*
• An assortment of flowers is multiple colors and sizes (e.g. baby’s breath, pink and red roses, white daises)
• One skull rosary (learn how to make it here)
  

1. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the skull three even coats of black paint. Once the coats have dried, detail the skull with white paint (you, of course, are free to use whatever colors you choose). If you struggle with drawing, buy a ceramic skull with the designs already etched in its surface.

2. Hot glue flowers into the eye sockets. I found it was easier to work in layers: glue one or two flowers in place at a time and play with the positioning as you progress. For a tapered appearance, graduate the floral arrangement, ensuring that the larger flowers are in the center.

3. Adhere the rosary to the crown of the skull. For visual interest, position the cross in the center of the forehead directly between both eyes. Because hot glue failed to attach the rosary’s stone beads to the skull’s ceramic surface, I used superglue for a more secure hold.

4. You could enhance the skull with additional details, including adhesive gems, glittered accents, or a cluster of monarch butterflies.

*You will not use the entire bottle’s content for this project.