Halloween Graveyard

When I made my first graveyard, I conveniently had a dead apricot tree to work with. It is long gone. But, it raises an few good points. A large structure, a tree, a tomb, an elaborate arch, etc… adds greatly to a graveyard effect.

Next, you have an important choice when designing your graveyard. Will you allow access to it or will it be a scenario? This is important because of the placement of items. If you choose a scenario, you can pack a lot into the scene. If you allow access, you can’t have people tripping over things, there should be a defined path through the graveyard.

I prefer a scenario. I can fill it with more items without the problem of people tripping in the dark.

Oh yes, you MUST have a fog machine or 2…

Components needed for a great graveyard;

A plan put to paper. This helps on so many levels.
Not only does a detailed plan help organize your thoughts, it also helps to design the lighting and extension cords needed and how they will be laid and hidden. It also helps you to keep track of what you have and what you need to get. In addition to that, if your friend actually do show up to help, you can easily delegate a job to them and know that it will be done according to plan. (Wishful thinking? Probably!)

Fence – at your Home Depot, you can get rolls of picket fencing. You could paint it black but, I prefer to leave it natural. At night, it shows up pretty delapitated and it photographs better. However, you can easily find great decorated fencing to match the theme of your yard.

Tombstones – There are some many choices in this category. You probably have an idea of what you want your graveyard to look like. If not, close your eyes and picture it. It your graveyard does not look authentic, then it won’t be scary.

Graves – This is what goes in front of the tombstone. It can be a raised bed or it can have a hand or corpse rising from it.