Tombstone Props for Halloween

Lots can go into decorating for Halloween, from the props to hanging skeletons to monsters that jump out at you. The most basic, and IMHO the most effective and central prop in any haunt, are the tombstones. I don't know about you, but my best Halloween memories as a child were the haunted graveyards we use to visit!

Usually in a cornfield or apple orchard, the area would be transformed into a dark, spooky graveyard filled with scary images, haunting ghouls, chain-saw wielding maniacs, and plenty of tombstones! My friends and I couldn't wait to go to one of these eerie places and get the wits scared out of us!

I even had a few families in my neighborhood who would decorate their front yard as a cemetery for all of the Trick-or-Treaters to enjoy. I always thought it was so neat that people could transform their usually mundane, perfectly landscaped yard into a creepy, tombstone riddled graveyard, complete with scary music and smoke!

Even though I knew it wasn't really a graveyard, the props were so realistic...there were many times I had to remind myself it wasn't real, I was safe, there were no ghosts hanging out around the fake tombstones in this person's front yard. But sometimes it took a lot of convincing on my part!

Halloween is such a fun holiday--and the only holiday where it is perfectly acceptable (and expected) to try your best to scar the you-know-what out of everyone--including yourself! We all have an innate fear of what comes after this life, and the tombstone is a scary reminder of all things "post life".

In this Lens, we will help teach you how to create spooky, realistic looking tombstones to use as Halloween decorations. Whether you're using them in your front yard, going all out and creating a haunted graveyard for kids to walk...er, run...through, or you're throwing a Halloween theme party, we can show you the ins and outs of tombstone-making.

In addition, we'll also share great places to purchase already made tombstones and other fun Halloween decorations. Just because you're too busy to make them doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to participate in Halloween!

We'll also give you basic guidelines to design your own haunted graveyard! From tombstones, to dry ice and smoke machines, bowls full of eyeballs, scary music, and things that go bump in the night, we'll get you all squared away and ready to party--Halloween style!

First things first! You need to get your materials! Here is a list of the items you'll need to build your tombstones:

Next Step: Build your tombstones!

1. Figure out the shapes you want for the tombstones. You can go with very simple or really elaborate, but if this is your first time making tombstones, I would suggest going with very simple. You can search the Internet for inspiration and print out examples to reference.
2. Draw the tombstone shape onto the styrofoam sheet. Lay the sheet flat and free-hand the shape onto the sheet with your sharpie. Take your time--there's no rush.
3. Use your hand saw to cut away the excess styrofoam. Do not worry about cutting it perfectly; just get the excess and we can worry about the detailing when we use the styrofoam cutter. Be careful as you cut so as to not break the styrofoam.
4. Use your styrofoam cutter to do the detail cutting. Take your time, do not put too much pressure on it, and I promise you, it'll slice right through that styrofoam! Once the shapes are all cut, now it's time for the detailing!

It's up to you how you'd like to do it. I would suggest doing some "test" runs with the excess styrofoam you cut off earlier, just to master your technique before trying it on the finished product. And just remember, if you're unhappy with the finished paint product, just re-prime it and try again!

If you're a busy individual (like me) sometimes you just don't have the time to make homemade decorations. The best of intentions can turn into the worst of disasters if there's just no time.

Here at Theme A Party, we realize that not everyone has the time (or skill) to design Halloween tombstones. With that in mind, here are some fantastic sites where you can purchase them, along with many other Halloween decorations!

Tombstone props for Halloween & Graveyard projects

Halloween Decorations: Scary Halloween Props & Haunted House Stuff

Décor & Party Supplies Costume Express

The Halloween Connection: Where America Shops for Halloween

Now that you have your gravestones, it's time to get really creative and create your graveyard!

The great thing about creating your graveyard is that it's all up to you! You can make it dark, creepy, and spooky or you can make it fun, goofy, and silly. I always opt for the more spooky kind! Some things you can do to add to the effect of the graveyard site:

• Don't do any yard maintenance for a couple weeks. Let the grass grow, the leaves blow, and allow your yard to get a bit disheveled looking.
• Once you've picked your location and secured your tombstones, accessorize! Maybe add a scary looking fence around the area to really may people feel that they are stepping into a graveyard.
• Add plenty of other eerie décor around the graveyard such as skulls, bones, spiderwebs, and dirt mounds with shovels stuck in them!
• You can even place voodoo or black magick imagery around, such as bowls of eyeballs and innards (skinned grapes and spaghetti), black cat silhouettes, pentagrams, rune stones, and crystal balls!
• In addition, you'll definitely want to have some creepy music and Halloween sounds playing in the background and either a smoke machine or dry ice to create a misty, foggy look to the graveyard!

For more inspiration and information, check out these websites!

You never know what you're going to find on eBay!

Want a set price and no bidding? Amazon is the place to go!

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