You do not need to spend a fortune to make your house feel haunted. Most of the effect comes from light and sound, and you probably own most of what you need already. Here is how to do it for very little.
Start With The Lighting
Big lights off. Lamps on, with a coloured scarf or a sheet of coloured cellophane over the shade (keep it away from the bulb). Red and green make a room feel strange straight away. Battery tea lights are cheap and safe to put anywhere.
Cover The Furniture
Old white sheets thrown over chairs and the sofa make a room look abandoned. It takes five minutes and it is one of the most effective things you can do.
Sound Is Half The Scare
Play a long ambient horror track quietly from a speaker hidden behind a door or under a chair. Creaks, wind and distant footsteps work better than screaming.
Cobwebs And Cheap Props
- Stretch cotton wool thin to make cobwebs in corners and doorways.
- Cut bats from black card and stick them in a cluster on one wall.
- Old picture frames with the photos turned upside down look odd in a way people notice.
- A pair of old shoes poking out from under a curtain is free and very effective.
Make A Route
If you are having guests, decide which rooms they will walk through and make that route the scariest part of the house. Close every other door. One really dark hallway is better than five half decorated rooms.
Give People Something To Do
A haunted house is more fun when guests have a reason to explore it. Hide clues around the house that lead to a prize, or put a horror escape room on the TV as the centrepiece. Silent Night is set in a haunted house of its own, which fits the mood nicely.
Keep It Safe
- Use battery candles rather than real ones, especially near sheets and cobwebs.
- Leave stairs lit.
- Tell guests where the light switches are.
Looking for the main event? See all our Halloween escape rooms.
