Pepper’s Ghost is a special effects technique for creating transparent ghostly images. It works by reflecting the image of a ghost off of a sheet of plexiglass. IThis effect has been a staple of theaters and haunted houses since John Pepper popularized it in the 1800s. In this project, I am going to show you how you can incorporate this technique into your Halloween setup.
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DIY Hacks & How To’s: The Pepper’s Ghost Illusion
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Steps
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Step #1: How the Illusion Works
The main background and any live characters are positioned in front of the audience. The ghost is located off to the side where it is not in the direct view. The ghost room can either be black or a mirror image of the main background. A sheet of plexiglass is positioned in front of the audience and set at a 45 degree angle to both the audience and the ghost. At this angle the background remains clearly visible but the glass also partially reflects an image of the ghost. To the audience, it appears as though there is a transparent ghost in the scene in front of them.