Halloween isn’t just a single day, it’s a whole spooky season, a time of year packed with more creative inspiration than any other. We hope your projects are all shiny, slimy, and done. And we look forward to seeing them when the dust has settled in November.
But in the meantime, here are a few of our favorite Halloween projects from years past. Whether you’re looking for an easy last-minute prop for your haunted house, an over-the-top elaborate cosplay project, or a kid-friendly toy, we’ve got something for everybody.
Head in a Jar Prank
First up is this Head In A Jar Prank by Instructables user mikeasaurus. It’s a quick idea that makes a great last-minute decoration for your mantle, dining table, or refrigerator. You could make a bunch with friends’ faces as party decor, or surprise a host with their own disembodied head.
Talking Zombie Needle-Felt Doll Maker
For something friendlier for the kiddos, check out toy inventor Bob Knetzger’s Talking Zombie Needle-Felt Doll Maker. A Halloween-appropriate creepy way of getting kids into felting, you can build the whole project as described, or simply use it as a zombie doll guide if electronics make you squeamish.
The “Zoom Of Doom” Spooky Floating Head Trick
For a head with a some liveliness, see Kevin Webb’s excellent Futurama-inspired “Zoom Of Doom” Spooky Floating Head Trick. An eye-catching effect with relatively few parts, this project shows off your face in real-time. It’s a delightfully creepy addition for a haunted house. Or set it up at a party and let guests see how they’d look as a head floating in a gefilte fish jar. It was featured in Make: Volume 81 – Robot R-R-Rumble.
Make Absolutely Giant Skeletons for Halloween
If your neighbors are like mine, every year they add a new giant skeleton to the yard. Haunted Spider on Instructables makes those store-bought decorations look absolutely puny with this colossal skeleton we wrote about in 2021. Sure, it may take a long time to build, but trick-or-treaters will remember it for decades.
Passive Motion Masks
Finally, there’s Willow Creative’s mind-blowing passive motion wolf mask. Stunning in scale and execution, this homemade mask raises the bar in DIY animatronics. There’re so many great details here, from the glass eyes to the resin-printed nose. Anyone interested in creating their own headpiece will find something useful. It appeared, fittingly enough, in Make: Volume 86 – Cosplay!
Looking for more inspiration? We’ve got lots more Halloween projects where those came from.
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