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.

Death of the Bush-Soul and Dream-Soul: A Mini-Essay

     Prior to their colonization in the late nineteenth century, many of the Calabar tribes of southern Nigeria maintained harm to the bush-soul and the dream-soul could lead to an individual’s death. Like the Yąnomamö of northern South America, the Calabar believed each person has an animal counterpart they inherited from their parent. If harm came to this bush-soul, a person fell ill and could potentially die. If this was the case, the family summoned an Ebumtup – a witchdoctor whose second sight permitted them to see and track the bush-soul – and offerings were made: a small mud hut was erected in the place where the bush-soul was last seen and provisions were placed inside to give the bush-soul a safe haven to nourish itself and recover.[1] Likewise, harm to the dream-soul, which left the body every night during sleep, could lead to an individual’s death. For some, this entailed a lost dream-soul which could not find its way home. If this happened, a witchdoctor imbued the person with a low-class soul (Sisa) as a substitute until they could track and guide the dream-soul home. In other instances, though, the dream-soul was lured into a trap by a witch, who either hung it over a fire to shrivel or trapped it in a jar with knives at the bottom.[2] To save the owner of the ensnared dream-soul, a witchdoctor located the witch by wandering the village, ringing a bell outside every hut until it stopped at the perpetrator’s abode. Accused of being a witch, the occupant could either confess their guilt and imbibe a poisoned drink (Mbiam) or profess their innocence and be tortured until they admitted their guilt and drank Mbiam.[3] Some of the accused, though, would flee and take refuge in the Omon district; however, they were never allowed to return home or visit relatives because their flight was perceived as a confession of guilt.[4]

Works Referenced

Kingsley, Mary. Travels in West Africa. 1897. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2003. 459-461. 
____________________
[1] Kingsley, 459-461. 
[2] Kingsley, 461-463. 
[3] Kingsley, 463-466. 
[4] Kingsley, 466.

Skull Topiary

$50 - $60 (based on 2024 prices)
Makes one topiary

For 2024’s cemetery, I endeavored to create a series of props to elevate the graveyard’s theme. One of them was this skull topiary that was inspired by the mossy skull I made during the same build season. To keep the cost down, I purchased the planter at the end of the summer when the garden supplies were on clearance. You can also buy yours at a second-hand store for a cheaper alternative. 

• One 21” x 15” pedestaled planter 
• One standard-size newspaper
• One sheet of cardboard large enough to trace the outline of the planter’s opening
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black*
• 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 grasshopper*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat gray*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in neon green*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in hunter green*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat olive*
• One 2 oz. bottle of acrylic paint in flat white*
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
• One four-foot garland of artificial leaves (roughly thirty leaves per garland)
• Three 0.12 lbs. bags of mixed moss
• Five human-size plastic skulls
• Two small plastic rat skeletons
• One 8 oz. can of oil-based interior wood stain in red chestnut*
• Four artificial mushrooms with wire stems

1. Use newspaper or foam padding to fill the planter’s opening. You want to thoroughly pack the material into the open space to create a solid base for the topiary. Also, depending on the weight of your planter, you may want to put heavy rocks in the bottom to prevent it from being top heavy. Do not make them too heavy, though, because this can make the prop tough to lift.

2. Trace the outline of the planter’s opening on a sheet of cardboard and cut it out. To give the illusion the planter is full of dirt, glue the cardboard near the top, forming a base for you to build the topiary.  

3. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the entire planter one or two even coats of black spray paint. You can apply more layers; however, keep in mind that this is the base coat and much of it will be covered by the other colors.

4. Use a stippling brush to build up layers of gray and white paint, working from dark to light to give the prop the look of stone. If one color becomes too overpowering, you can apply more of the other color to dial it back.  

5. To age the prop, water down brown paint and brush it along the edge of the planter, allowing it to run downward and settle into the fissures. Following this, use the stippling brush to pat olive paint randomly onto the prop to mimic moss. How much of both colors you apply depends on your chosen level of weathering.

6. Coat the cardboard with a light layer of glue and adhere the moss. For additional detail, you can also add clusters of moss to the sides of the planter; but, if you do so, try to use discretion because this feature can easily overpower the prop.

7. Working from dark to light, use a stippling brush to build up layers of grasshopper, hunter green, neon green, and olive paint. Do not overthink the application because a random pattern will look more natural. Then, stipple brown and gray paint onto the skulls’ surfaces for further depth. As with the green paint, you want a random application. If any of the colors becomes too heavy, you can use some of the other hues to dial them back.  

8. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, paint the skeletons with the wood stain. Start by covering the entire prop with a light coat and then apply heavy amounts of the stain, patting away the excess with paper towels. Once the skeletons completely dry, darken the inside of their ribcages and accent their joints with black paint.

9. Arrange the first layer of skulls on the mossy base. Since they will form the foundation for the topiary, you want something level and stable, so you may need to play with their position until you achieve this. For added visual interest, position a rat skeletons inside one of the mouths and glue everything in place.  

10. Use the leaves and moss to build up layers of foliage around the skulls. Concentrate their placement on locations where growth would naturally occur, such as inside the openings of the eyes or along the broad surfaces of the crown. To achieve this, cover small areas of the skulls with glue and press loose moss into the paste.  

11. Add the second layer of skulls, positioning them so they stack upward into a pyramid-like structure. Then, accent them with clusters of leaves and moss. As with the previous step, adhere the greenery to spots where it would typically grow and use a variety of colors to give the prop more visual interest.

12. Use a 1/8 bit to drill holes into the skulls and insert the wire supports for the mushrooms into the openings, gluing them in place and clustering additional moss around their bases to hide the juncture. Although I used store-bought mushrooms to save time, you can fabricate your own with modeling clay molded around a steel wire for support.  

13. Glue the second rat skeleton atop one of the skulls. If you plan to display the prop outdoors in windy conditions, use superglue for added stability.

14. I kept the prop relatively simple, but you can embellish it further with additional details, like a cluster of insects crawling across its surface.

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