Tribal Deer Skull

$40 - $50 (based on 2025 prices) 
Makes one skull 

I have wanted to do a cannibal island theme for years, but plans keep falling apart. In an effort to push the concept into reality, I made two tribal skulls to transition the haunt out of the creative ether and into the tangible real world. For this deer version, I went with a simple tribal design to contrast with the intricacy of the ram version. Although these are intended for a cannibal theme, you can easily cater them to fit other haunts, such as a voodoo or witch motif. 

• One life-size plastic deer skull
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in heirloom white*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in espresso*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in nutmeg*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in burnt umber*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat red*
• One bag of large decorative wooden beads (roughly twelve beads per bag)
• Eight feet of twine
• Two feathers

1. Remove any decorative elements from the skull to give the paint a clean surface and, on a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, apply two even coats of heirloom white spray paint. I wanted an off-white color for an aged patina, but you can use pure white for a bleached look.

2. Once the paint dries, wrap the skull in plastic and use painter’s tape to seal the space between the antlers and skull. Then, working from dark to light, build up layers of espresso and nutmeg spray paint on the antlers. It works best to apply a base coat of espresso followed by quick bursts of nutmeg. If the nutmeg becomes too heavy, you can also touch up portions with additional blasts of espresso.

3. After the paint on the antlers dries, remove the skull from the plastic and brush its surface with a wash of burnt umber, ensuring the liquid settles into all the cracks and fissures. You might want to experiment with the consistency before doing this: the less water you add, the deeper/darker the wash; the more water you add, the fainter/lighter the wash.  

4. Use red paint to detail the skull with tribal designs. What pattern you use is entirely up to you. You can create your own design or use one found in a reference book. Likewise, you can make the pattern symmetrical for a balanced appearance or irregular for more visual interest.

5. Cut the twine into two four-foot sections and wrap the base of each antler with the strands, leaving a six-inch portion free. The length of each section is based on two factors: how much of the antler you want to cover and how long you want the strand of decorative beads. Hence, you can increase or decrease these measurements to fit your chosen aesthetic.

6. Feed six decorative beads onto each strand and tie a knot to hold them together. To finish the prop, slip the stem of a feather through the knot and glue it in place. I chose feathers in two colors – brown and red – to complement the hues of the beads; however, you can use feathers with the same color for a unified look.

7. To contrast with the tribal ram skull, I kept the details on this prop rather minimal; however, you can aim for more intricacy by adding elements like aged bones or strings of shells to cater the prop to your haunt’s theme.  

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

Peach Jam

$60 - $70 (based on 2025 prices)

Makes seven quart-size portions

Over the summer, my parents’ peach tree yielded an immoderate amount of fruit and they struggled to find ways to use it before it went bad. One of the solutions was to create peach jam. Featured below are the instructions. Although it has nothing to do with Halloween, I wanted to share the process (and preserve it for myself to use next summer when the same thing happens).

• Seventeen pounds of fresh peaches
• Seven quart jars with lids and rings
• Two to three tablespoons of lemon juice
• Five and a half cups of sugar
• Five to six 1.75 ounce boxes of fruit pectin
• Five to six tablespoons of unsalted butter

1. Sort through the peaches and select the ripest fruit, discarding those that are too ripe or damaged by birds or insects. They should be slightly firm when you squeeze them. Then, remove any stems and thoroughly wash the peaches. Depending on the size of the fruit, you may need to increase or decrease the amount you use.

2. Sterilize the jars and their rings. This can be done by either washing them in hot water or running them through a dishwasher on the bottle setting. To ensure a proper seal, use new lids.

3. In a large pot, boil enough water to fully submerge the peaches. Once the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and add a few of the fruit at a time, working in small batches. Let them sit in the liquid for thirty seconds before removing them to a bowl of ice water. This process of blanching the peaches will help remove their skin.

4. Once the peaches have cooled, use your fingers to gently de-skin the fruit and, utilizing a sharp knife, cut them in half to remove the pits. Do not worry too much if your cuts are uneven because the fruit will be minced in step five.

5. Add the peaches to a food processor, pour in the lemon juice, and pulse the blender until the fruit is minced. You want small chunks, so do not overwork the fruit into a purée.

6. Fill the water bath with enough water to submerge the jars and leave two inches of water above their lids. It is best to perform this step right before step seven and use a lid to keep the water hot until you add the jars.

7. Pour the minced peaches into a large pot and add a package of pectin and a tablespoon of butter for every four cups of fruit. Bring the peaches to a boil, slowly add the sugar, and allow the entire mixture to boil for one minute.

8. With a funnel, pour the mixture into the jars, seal them, and, using a set of tongs, lower them into the water bath. Bring the water back up to a boil, cover the water bath with its lid, and process the jars for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Following this, turn the burner off, remove the lid, and let the jars steep for five minutes before using the tongs to remove them.

9. Place the jars on a towel-lined surface and let them cool. During this process, you should hear them seal with a loud popping noise. Those that do not seal can be moved to the refrigerator and consumed within a week. Those that do seal can be stored in a cool, dry location for up to one year.

“The Astronomer” (A Poem)

The idea of a world better than our own is a concept which appears in a few poems by Arab American author Kahlil Gibran, including “The Astronomer” and “The Greater Sea.” In “The Astronomer,” a blind soothsayer can see an ideal world but gives little clues on how to reach it beyond the implied notion of transcending conventionality and social rules.[1] 

 

In the shadow of the temple my friend and I saw a blind man sitting alone. And my friend said, “Behold the wisest man of our land.” 

 

Then I left my friend and approached the blind man and greeted him. And we conversed. 

 

After a while I said, “Forgive my question; but since when has thou been blind?” 

 

From my birth,” he answered.

 

Said I, “And what path of wisdom followest thou?” 

 

Said he, “I am an astronomer.” 

 

Then he placed his hand upon his breast saying, “I watch all these suns and moons and stars.”[2]

Works Referenced

Gibran, Kahlil. “The Astronomer.” The Madman: His Parables and Poems. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1918. 59.

Waterfield, Robin. Prophet: The Life and Times of Kahlil Gibran. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998.
____________________
[1] Waterfield, 208.
[2] Gibran, 59.

Cemetery Wreath

$25 - $30 (based on 2023 prices)
Makes one wreath

In 2023, I was commissioned by a local theater to serve as a consultant and prop builder for their production of The Haunting of Hill House, which was based on Shirley Jackson’s novel. Being a fan of the books since I was a teenager, I jumped at the opportunity and spent several months creating a collection of items to decorate both the house depicted on the stage and the cemetery created in the lobby to greet patrons before they entered the theater. For this project, I built a withered wreath to accompany one of the graves in the lobby. 

• One sixteen-inch grapevine wreath
• Twenty-four artificial roses (twelve yellow and twelve white)
• Six artificial white poppies
• One pan large enough to soak all of the flowers
• At least one tablespoon of dark roasted coffee grounds
• One baking sheet large enough to accommodate all of the flowers
• One standard lighter
• Five clusters of artificial ferns (about six leaves per cluster)
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat brown*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in green apple*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in olive*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• Two feet of ribbon

1. Remove the flowers from their stems and arrange them pedicel up in a metal container. To make the staining process easier, try to use a vessel large enough to accommodate all of the flowers at once; otherwise, you can repeat steps one and two in small batches.

2. Sprinkle the coffee grounds into the pan and add boiling water, allowing the flowers to soak in the liquid. How dark you stain the flowers will depend on your desired state of decomposition. For a light brown, only use one or two tablespoons of coffee and let the flowers soak for less than a day. For a dark brown, increase the coffee to three or four tablespoons and let the flowers steep in the liquid for several days.  

3. Once the flowers have absorbed the coffee, move them to a baking sheet, sprinkle them with some of the wet coffee grounds, and put them in a 300˚F oven for ten to twenty minutes, checking them regularly to prevent them from catching on fire.  

4. Use a lighter to burn the edges of the flowers. I found that a Butane gas lighter, because of its length, makes the process easier and safer. Likewise, perform this step in a well-ventilated area and near either a sink or pan of water.  

5. Arrange the ferns on a sheet of cardboard or newspaper. To prevent them from moving, adhere the leaves with painter’s tape. Then, beginning with a base coat of green apple, build up layers of black, brown, and olive to make the ferns look dead. Once they are dry, turn them over and repeat the process on the other side.  

6. For further distress, use a lighter to wilt the leaves and burn their edges. As with step four, perform this process in a well-ventilated area and near water.  

7. Glue the ferns to the wreath, spiraling them outward. As you do so, try not to make the coverage too dense because you need the prop to look weathered and as though some of the ferns have fallen out.  

8. Glue the flowers to the inner edge of the wreath. As with step seven, do not aim for a thick cluster because you want to give the illusion that some of the flowers have fallen off. Following this, use brown paint to darken the stigma and style of the flowers to enhance their wilted appearance.  

9. Repeating the process in step two, coffee stain the ribbon. For the time-pressed haunter, it may prove more effective to stain the ribbon while staining the flowers. After this, glue the ribbon at an angle across the wreath. While I used a ribbon with crosses, you can use whatever design you wish or skip this step entirely if the accent does not fit your aesthetic.

10. If the wreath did not come with hanging loops, you can fashion one with steel wire, folding it in half and wrapping both strands around each other. At the request of the director, I kept the wreath relatively simple, but you can embellish it further with details like insects crawling out of the rotting buds or splatters of blood.  

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

Buncheong Epitaph Tablets: A Mini-Essay

     Only produced during the first two hundred years of the Korean Joseon Dynasty (1392 to 1897), buncheong ware began as ceremonial pottery for royalty and the upper class to mark major life events. At birth, for example, placenta jars contained the umbilical cord and placenta of the royal infant and, after death, epitaph tablets were buried with the body.[1] Meant to accompany the dead into the afterlife, these tablets possessed basic biographical information about the deceased and functioned as an introduction card for the spirit. While most buncheong pottery contained script, others were decorated with designs and – in some cases – drawings of elephants and tortoises to symbolize longevity.[2] As time progressed, buncheong ware became popular among the middle class and eventually the mass populace, resulting in its decline around the sixteenth century as it no longer held social prestige.[3]

 

Works Referenced

 

Lee, Soyoung. Art of the Korean Renaissance, 1400-1600. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009. 39.  

Lee, Soyoung, and Jeon Seung-Chang. Korean Buncheong Ceramics from Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2011. 50. 

____________________ 
[1] Lee, 39. 
[2] Lee and Seung-Chang, 50. 
[3] Lee, 39.

Rotten Hand Cloche

$35 - $40 (based on 2020 prices) 
Makes one display

I was impressed with the rotten patina of the decomposing fingers, so I decided to apply the paint job to larger items, specifically severed limbs. To achieve this goal, I created two props: one with a rotting hand (featured here) and one with a decomposing leg. To further enhance their ickiness, I covered the limbs in maggots, just as I did the maggot doll for 2017’s haunt. 

• One vinyl severed hand small enough to fit within the cloche
• One glass cloche with detachable wooden base (roughly twelve inches tall)
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat black*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat brown*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in dark gray*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in light gray*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in khaki*
• One bag of maggots (roughly one-hundred insects per bag)
• One 0.14 oz. bottle of superglue gel
• One six-inch wooden dowel
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in metallic silver*
• One 8 oz. can of oil-based interior wood stain in Jacobean*

1. On a newspaper-lined surface, give the hand three even coats of khaki paint. Although I used three, you may want more or less based on your desired coverage.

2. Lightly dry brush brown paint onto the fingertips, knuckles, and other raised areas. I discovered that applying a small amount of paint to your thumb and index finger and rubbing it onto the prop works well.

3. Once the brown paint has dried, repeat the process in step two with black. During this step, be careful not to cover too much of the brown paint.  

4. Begin detailing the nails with a coat of dark gray paint then, after that dries, dab light gray onto the nails, building up layers until they look decrepit. To complete the process, smudge black around the tips of the fingers and along their cuticles.  

5. Color the stump and the wounds black and, using a brush with splayed bristles, stipple black paint around their edges.

6. Glue the maggots to the hand. For believability, you want to pick one or two of the wounds where they will swarm outward. I decided to do this with the laceration on the wrist, building up a large mass and gradually spreading the insects out. The specific maggots I bought were made of a sticky gel, so I had to use superglue to hold them in place. Although it took several hours to adhere each insect individually, the final product was well worth the effort and time. During this process, ensure that you reserve at least a dozen of the insects for steps eleven and thirteen.

7. Cut the wooden dowel into a six-inch section. Depending on the height of the cloche, you may need to adjust this measurement. Then, determine where you would like the hand to rest below the cloche and, using a 13/64 bit, drill a hole in the base, insert the dowel, and glue it in place.

8. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, build up layers of black and metallic silver spray paint to give the base and dowel the look of steel. It works best to apply a base coat of black followed by sliver, working in quick bursts to allow parts of the black to remain visible. You can also touch up portions with additional blasts of black if the silver becomes too heavy.  

9. Once the spray paint dries, create a wash of brown paint and use it to add a level of grime to the prop, allowing the liquid to settle in the crevices.  

10. With a 13/64 bit, drill a hole into the stump of the hand and slide it onto the dowel, gluing it in place. To guarantee the prop fits under the cloche, you may need to play with its positioning a few times before permanently attaching it to the dowel.  

11. Using some of the maggots reserved from step six, glue them to the dowel and base. You want to make it look like some have crawled from the hand onto the stand to help bridge the gap between both items and make the prop appear more cohesive.

12. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, paint the cloche with the wood stain. I discovered that applying a thin coat and patting it with paper towels produces a hazed appearance. Likewise, brushing the rim with a swift downward motion creates the illusion of grime buildup.

13. For added creepiness, glue the remaining maggots crawling up the side of the cloche once the wood stain has dried. I elected to do this in just one spot to make the effect subtle; however, you can do this in multiple areas for more visual impact.

14. Reattach the cloche to its base. If you plan for a more permanent display, you can glue the item down. Likewise, you can add extra embellishments, such as a specimen tag or biohazard label, to cater the prop to your theme.

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

“The Vampire” (A Poem)

Originally published is his collection of poetry Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil) in 1857, Charles Baudelaire’s poem “Le Vampire” uses the vampire as a metaphor for love, with the narrator tormented by his beloved, who has – like alcohol to a drunkard or dice to a gambler – ensnared the narrator in their unbreakable spell. Although there are numerous translations of the poem, I have chosen Roy Campbell’s for its strong rhyme scheme and clean line length.

You, who like a dagger ploughed 
Into my heart with deadly thrill:
You who, stronger than a crowd
Of demons, mad, and dressed to kill,

Of my dejected soul have made
Your bed, your lodging, and domain:
To whom I’m linked (Unseemly jade!)
As is a convict to his chain,

Or as the gamester to his dice,
Or as the drunkard to his dram,
Or as the carrion to its lice —
I curse you. Would my curse could damn!

I have besought the sudden blade
To win for me my freedom back.
Perfidious poison I have prayed
To help my cowardice. Alack!

Both poison and the sword disdained
My cowardice, and seemed to say
“You are not fit to be unchained
From your damned servitude. Away,

You imbecile! since if from her empire
We were to liberate the slave,
You’d raise the carrion of your vampire,
By your own kisses, from the grave.”[1]

Works Referenced 

Baudelaire, Charles. “Le Vampire.” Les Fleurs du mal. 1857. Trans. Roy Campell. London: The Harvell Press, 1922. 41-42. 
____________________ 
[1] Baudelaire, 41-42.

Tribal Ram Skull

$40 - $50 (based on 2025 prices)
Makes one skull

I have wanted to do a cannibal island theme for years, but plans keep falling apart. In an effort to push the concept into reality, I made two tribal skulls to transition the haunt out of the creative ether and into the tangible real world. For this ram version, I went with a busy tribal design to contrast with the simplicity of the deer version. Although these are intended for a cannibal theme, you can easily cater them to fit other haunts, such as a voodoo or witch motif. 

• One life-size plastic ram skull 
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in heirloom white*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in dark walnut*
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in espresso*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in burnt umber*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat red*
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
• Four small plastic bones
• One bag of decorative wooden beads (roughly thirty beads per bag)
• Five to six yards of twine

1. Remove any decorative elements from the skull to give the paint a clean surface and, on a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, apply two even coats of heirloom white spray paint. I wanted an off-white color for an aged patina, but you can use pure white for a bleached look.  

2. Once the paint dries, wrap the skull in plastic and use painter’s tape to seal the space between the horns and skull. Then, working from dark to light, build up layers of dark walnut and espresso spray paint on the horns. It works best to apply a base coat of dark walnut followed by quick bursts of espresso. If the espresso becomes too heavy, you can also touch up portions with additional blasts of walnut.

3. After the paint on the horns dries, remove the skull from the plastic and brush its surface with a wash of burnt umber, ensuring the liquid settles into all the cracks and fissures. You might want to experiment with the consistency before doing this: the less water you add, the deeper/darker the wash; the more water you add, the fainter/lighter the wash.  

4. Use red paint to detail the skull with tribal designs. What pattern you use is entirely up to you. You can create your own design or use one found in a reference book. Likewise, you can make the pattern symmetrical for a balanced appearance or irregular for more visual interest.  

5. Repeat the procedures in steps one and three with the small plastic bones, giving each one a coat or two of heirloom white spray paint and a wash of burnt umber. Following this, cut two two-foot strands of twine and use them to bind the bones together. As you do so, utilize decorative wooden beads as spacers and leave a foot of excess to wrap around the horns in the next step.  

6. Wrap the two one-foot sections of twine around the horns and allow the bones to dangle down between the eyes and nostrils. Although you can leave them loose, I glued them down to prevent them from catching in the wind and knocking against the skull.  

7. Cut two six-foot sections of twine and wrap them around the remaining portions of each horn, threading beads onto random sections and gluing them down to serve as an anchor. How you decide to do this is entirely up to your chosen aesthetic for the prop: you can create balance with stripes that are evenly spaced or – as I did – something more chaotic.

8. Because the tribal pattern I used was rather busy, I tried to keep other details at a minimum to prevent the prop from being too overpowering; however, you can embellish the skull further with feathers, shells, or other accessories.  

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