RF Haunt: Raymond's Halloween Website

Effects:

In Progress:
Living Head on a Table

The Effect:

Trick-or-treaters see a head resting on a wooden, four legged table. Then, the head starts to move around, look in different directions, breath heavily, even talk or scream at the trick-or-treaters. There is no tablecloth on the table, and viewers can easily see under the table to the back two legs and beyond to the wall behind.

How It Works:

The idea is to arrange the mirror under the table so that it appears like you can see right through to the other side.

I have not been able to successfully include this effect, due to problems I have had with cutting the mirror to the right size, so I will not be able to include detailed instructions. Until then, I will try to include enough basic information to get you started.

The plans here are for a set-up using one mirror. I have seen plans for set-ups that involve arranging two mirrors under the table, but I have not been able to achieve a convincing effect in my tests using these arrangements.

Materials:

One large mirror
Wooden table with a hole in the middle or materials to build one
Three dark backdrops of the same color

Approximate Cost: $20.00 - $35.00

Construction:

Construction will be different depending on how you decide to set the effect up. If you don't have a table, you will need to build one yourself and cut a hole in the top large enough for someone's head to fit through. Your mirror will most likely need to be cut to the right size, and you will need to secure the mirror in position under the table. Once you have the mirrored table set, you just need to hang black backdrops behind and around the table until the effect is how you want it.

Preparation and Presentation:

Possible set-up

The closest I ever came to actually building this effect was for my Halloween 2001 Haunt. The guests would approach the side door of the garage at such an angle that I could use just one mirror to reflect half of the table, and the guests would not be reflected in the mirror. I tested this set-up to determine that it would work and was ready to put the whole thing together. Unfortunately, the mirror broke as I was trying to cut it to the right size. You will want to test this set-up on your own before doing any construction to make sure that it will work for your particular haunt.

Make sure you test your set-up before any guests come through. You are checking to make sure that no guest will be reflected in the mirror, and you may also need to adjust some of the backdrops to make the illusion seem more realistic.

You will need to use something to cover any of the hole between the person's neck and the table. The head can be doing whatever you want your actor to do. It can talk to the guests, scream, or breath heavily. You could have it emerging from a bowl of candy that you hand out. The head could be under a platter and revealed as guests walk by. The table could be set up as a feast with the living head as the main course. The head could appear to belong to a mutilated body that is lying on the table. The possibilities are endless.

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Effects

Completed Effects:

- Magic Box

- Projector Ghosts

- Pepper's Ghost

- Rickety Floor

- Cobwebs

- Tree Projection

- Curtain Spirit

Incomplete Effects:

- Living Head