Leaping Zombie:

     Our Leaping Zombie is the newest addition to this years display.  The effect works on Pneumatics, using compressed air to trigger the effect.  There is a 4 bar linkage system that causes the prop to extend 7 feet out and over 6 feet high at the machines full extension.  The device uses a double acting solenoid valve, 12" pneumatic cylinder which triggers the effect. 

    The effect works on a relay timer, the timer has two sets of contacts normally open and normally closed, which means one is off the other is on.  This particular timer, is adjustable to set the on and off times.  In this case when the timer goes on, it triggers the solenoid valve, which lets the air into the cylinder causing the effect to leap forward.  When the power is turned off the air is released out of the cylinder causing the effect to retract, to its original position.  The effect also uses a 15 gallon air compressor, and operates at 90PSI to trigger the effect fast enough for the leap.  This effect was one of the most challenging to build because of using air, power and very quick and strong movements. We hope you enjoy this new effect for years to come!

Peeking Zombie:

    This effect uses several components to make the effect work.  I saw this effect in several catalogs and I knew I could build it.  I just had to figure out how to get the smooth vertical motion of a ghost or zombie peaking up from behind a tombstone.  This effect is built using a 20" bike rim, steel cable, a 4 RPM gear motor, pulleys and kitchen drawer slides.  The drawer slides were mounted vertically where the prop was attached.  At the bottom of the prop the steel cable was attached and ran through a pulley which then the cable attaches to the wheel.  The bike rim, acts as a crank, moving the cable 20" down and then back up to reset the effect.  The motor always is running, but the cable is a bit longer to give the effect that he stops and then starts again.  The effect is very convincing and is fairly easy to build.  This effect uses the same motor as our Raising Zombie, a small 4 RPM gear motor from Grainger.

    Our outdoor flying ghosts is an idea we had gotten after seeing a display located in Springfield, Delaware County.  I had studied this display for years, and I always could not figure out if this effect was custom made or store bought.  I got talking to the owner of the display and he had told me how to create this great illusion, so here's how it works:

    There are 3 poles each cemented in the ground 2 feed down in sleeves, the actually poles for the effect slide into the sleeves in the ground.  The poles are roughly 10 feet and the ones closer to the road are 11 feet high.  Each with a 20 inch bike rim mounted to the top.  one wheel is connected to a motor, acting as the drive train for the system.  There is a 1/4" steel cable that is ran around the rims to simulate a miniature ski lift system.  The system is basically a large pulley system that moves the ghosts around the yard.  On a closed track.  The ghosts are hung on the cable by bent hangers using about a 12 gauge metal, and are hung about a foot down from the cable to allow them to pass through the wheels.  This effect also took time to engineer, because the cable must be perfectly level all the way around to make sure that the cable is tight to prevent slipping and having the ghosts fall down.  The motor for the effect is a 25 RPM gear motor from Grainger, and is a direct drive motor with a strong horse power to overcome the resistance of the system. 

    Our hand that tries to break free from his chained coffin, isn't really that scary!  The effect is made from a plywood wheel, a 25RPM motor (same motor as our flying ghosts) and a few pieces of metal.  Once the box was constructed, a wheel turns with a bolt at the edge of the circle. This creates a crank shaft, similar to a child's bike pedal.  As the motor turns, it lifts the hand out of the box and then pulls it back down to repeat the effect.  Under the cloth there is a small slit where the flat metal rod extends out of the coffin.  The slit in the box is used as a guide for the hand to stay in the same spot all the time to prevent movement.  The motor is turned on and off using a relay switch on a timer.  The relay triggers the motor which then in turn moves the hand. 

    Our Skeleton that is propped up against the house with the casket doors open randomly comes to life and dances and shakes in his coffin. The effect is fairly simplistic, but uses several components to make it work. First the skeleton is hung in the coffin suspended by its head using an eye hook. The motion is caused by a motor in the bottom of the cofin using a crank shaft system similar to a bike pedal. The movement of the crank system is transfered to a lever which then pushes the skeleton up and down. Located on the back of the skeleton, is a metal braket and is setup similar to a see saw, when the crank goes down it pulls the skeleton up, and when the skeleton goes up the crank is down. The motor again is from grainger and is a 50 RPM motor to create the rough shaking effect. The effect is triggered using a relay switch, and a timer. Every few seconds the effect triggers and then the skeleton retruns to his peaceful self!

Flying Bat:

  We actually cheated on this one!  We had purchased the Bat from a company called "Hannick Display" in  Philadelphia.  The company went out of business last year.  They had large scale animations similar to the bat.  Our flying witch also came from Hannick's also.  Originally the bat was priced at over $750 dollars, however we managed to get a great deal as they closed their doors forever. As seen in the pictures below, the crank from the motor pushes the bats wings up and down and the motor turns, moving the metal peices up and down.  

  The Bat works on a cam system, using a crank shaft that causes the wings to go up and down.  The wings are made of rod iron and are welded to the prop.  The bat weighs about 25 pounds and has a dayton gear motor located in the inner body of the effect.  We had to add plastic and water proof this effect.  It originally was only meant for indoor use.  The bat has been a great asset to our display, and has had numerous compliments. 

Monster Eyes In Bushes:

    This creepy effect is something everyone can do to get into the Halloween spirit.  The eyes are really old Chlorox bottles, that are painted black and wrapped in electrical tape.  The bottom of the bottle is what you see where the scary eyes have been cut out.  The lights are C9 christmas lights, but we use twinkle bulbs so each light randomly blinks causing the effect that each eye turns on and off randomly.  To give the eyes color you can use either colored bulbs, or gel from a theatrical supply store, or a lighting rental house. 

Warlock Stirring Pot and Fire Effect:

Restless Zombie:

Gargoyle Eyes:

    The gargoyles located on top of the columns on either side of the front door, use LED's for the eyes.  Light Emitting Diodes (LED) are miniature diodes that emit light when power is applied to them.  In this case we used red LED's wired in Parallel connected to a 12 volt DC power source.  The power source is then turned on and off by one of the relays used in the display, which then turns the Gargoyles eyes on and off in unison.

     Our display uses a professional fog machine with a relay timer. We use dryer tubing to pump the fog through to the witches fire, the tubing causes the fog to lay closer to the ground, due to the fact that the ground is cooler.  The cool ground chills the fog which gives a more eerie effect.

     Our display uses numerous electrical and pneumatic controls.  We use relay switches to trigger effects, timers, solenoid valves for pneumatics, and gear motors.  The display uses over 1000 feet of electrical wire, 12 (20 amp circuits), a 15 gallon air compressor, 100 Feet of air hose, and 4 speakers for the sound. 

    The power for the display is provided from a 100 AMP disconnect, using a dedicated 220 line. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO BUILD AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM LIKE THIS IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE PRINCIPALS OF ELECTRICTY! WE Do not take any responsibility for people who try and build this power system, it is not reccomended unless you know what your doing! Orginally we used 3 seperate 120 volt, 20 AMP circuits to power the display, however with the larger effects, and lights we needed more power to accomodate these changes. We put together a seperate breaker box dedicated for the display for both halloween and christmas. This breaker box also has a large relay switch also known as a contactor. The contactor switch is triggered by a timer, which energizes the breaker box triggering 12 seperate 20amp circuits with one timer. Each circuit is fused with a 20 AMP circuit breaker. The advantage of using a high voltage switching mechanism like this, is to be able to switch large ammounts of current with a small power source. For example we are using one household timer to trigger the entire display, although the timer, does not technically power the display, it turns on the large contactor/realy switch which in turn then powers the breaker box pannel which then powers the effects in the display. A custom outdoor wooden enclosure was built to protect the breaker pannel and contactor switch.

    The display is light with several types of lights.  We use Pin Spots which are theatrical lights used to highlight things such as: centerpieces, or decorations.  These lights are great for lighting our graveyard tombstones.  These lights offer a very sharp beam and are a great choice for highlights to accent the display.  We also use Par Cans, which are 300 watt flood lights, with a green or blue gel color, to give the display an eerie night look.  Strobe lights are used for our Lighting effect, along with black lights that help give the display a true Halloween look.