Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Holy Grail

A while back I had a conversation with Rob at SkullandBone about what our holy grail of Halloween props would be. I hadn't ever really thought about it - the quest for the prop of all props. As in, what's the one prop you've always dreamt of making, but technical challenges or practical limitations have kept you from it.

His was very impressive and intriguing and exciting.

Mine was... well, I couldn't think of anything.

After a while, I had an image of an excavated grave. A six-foot hole with a mound of dirt, a flame lantern nearby, and an old open coffin at the bottom of the grave, with a nasty [dead] corpse looking up. Trick-or-treaters would have to walk by and peer down into the ground.

My grail is boring, I admit, but that's what popped into my head. Digging a six-foot hole in the ground is out of the question, so this'll [thankfully] never come to pass.


8 comments:

NecroBones said...

I don't know what mine would be. I think a wispy transparent ghost that looks at people as they walk past, free-floating next to the path.

Short of doing a pepper's ghost that you look at through a window, I don't know how this could be done.

Rot said...

That's very cool.

Cabrina said...

You could always "build up" an area. So they have to look over a mound of dirt to peer into the "hole".

If anyone could do it...YOU could!

Dave Lowe said...

Now you got me thinking how to pull this idea off without digging up the ground.

A variation on this bottomless pit prop effect would probably work.

http://usersites.horrorfind.com/home/halloween/csolsen/pit2007.html

Andrea said...

A long, pumpkin/lanern (!) lit sidewalk to a dim grave with a reaper standing there (a real one. You.) watching every move as the kids, if they are brave enough, have to lay down at your feet & reach down to retrieve the candy from within that coffined corpse. Maybe they use your scythe.
If they ask.

Then kick them in!

(Sorry- I know this detracts from the real subject but I think a grave would be marv so I'm filling your head with ideas)

Chris 'Frog Queen' Davis said...

I will dig a grave in my yard if you will build the undead :)

:D That is the sound of the Frog Queen not kidding ;)

Cheers!

Sean said...

I did this in my parents yard back in the nineties. Dug a hole about 30" deep and then poured concrete walls and built 4 vault lids with screw eyes. We had to use a tripod and a pulley system to lift the lids off. City never said anything about it. One year I already had the coffin in the hole and it rained a ton. The coffin was floating with mud and debris all around it.

Rot said...

That's pretty sweet.