Brain Surgery Skull

$15 - $20 (based on 2020 prices)
Makes one skull

A mad scientist needs lots of hapless victims for experiments and I was eager to fill the laboratory for 2020’s haunt with as many human specimens as the doctor required. For this version, I fashioned a simple brain surgery patient to nestle among the towers of equipment and jars of spare parts.

• One cheap, plastic skull
• One 10 oz. can of interior/exterior, fast-drying spray paint in flat black
• Six yards of white cheesecloth
• At least four tablespoons of dark roasted coffee grounds
• One pan large enough to soak the cloth
• One 4 oz. bottle of all-purpose tacky glue*
• Six 1.5-inch T-pins
• One 0.3 fluid ounce bottle of red food coloring*
• One 4 oz. bottle of clear, all-purpose tacky glue gel*

1. Remove the mandible from the skull and cut a hole in the top of the head large enough to accommodate the brain. If you find it helpful, trace the outline of your cut with a marker first. Also, to make this process easier, purchase a skull made from thin plastic. 

2. On a newspaper-lined surface in a well-ventilated area, give the skull two even coats of black spray paint. This will give the prop a uniform color in case portions of it show through the cheese cloth applied in step four.

3. Boil enough water to completely submerge the cheesecloth and pour it into the pan. Add the coffee. The longer you allow the coffee to brew, the darker the stain will become. Likewise, greater amounts of coffee will produce a richer stain. Submerge the fabric in the coffee mixture and soak it until it reaches the color you desire. I soaked mine for eight hours (long enough to give it a slight tint) and scattered the coffee grounds over the top to add spots. Remove the cloth from the water and allow it to dry. 

4. Starting at the front of the skull, glue the cheesecloth to the prop. I found that this step works best if you move in stages: apply a layer of glue to one section, hold the fabric down until it sticks, and then repeat the process. You want to ensure the entire piece is adequately covered and that the holes for the eyes and nose are still visible.

5. Insert the brain into the opening and glue it in place. For added support, densely pack the inside of the skull with newspaper. This will not only give the brain a sturdy base to sit atop to prevent it from sliding into the cavity but also provide the prop additional weight if you plan to display it outdoors in windy conditions.

6. Line the perimeter of the incision with T-pins to emphasize the medical theme. You could also insert a pair of forceps or tweezers into the brain for additional detail.

7. In a plastic container (because the food coloring will stain, use something disposable or that you won’t mind dying), pour in your desired amount of clear glue gel and slowly add red food coloring to the solution until it achieves the sanguine hue you desire. To give the blood further density, add blue food coloring and mix well.

8. On a newspaper-lined surface, apply the blood glue to the prop and allow it to fully dry. You can use an old spoon or plastic utensil to strategically dripple the liquid along chosen areas or pour it haphazardly for a gory mess. For this particular prop, I performed this step in two stages: the first involved resting the skull upward, filling the openings of the eyes and nose with the liquid, and allowing it to dry in pools within the cavities; the second involved pouring the blood around the brain and letting it run naturally down the sides of the head.

9. Depending on your haunt’s theme, you can embellish the prop further with swarms of maggots crawling across its surface a specimen tag.

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