• New fence sections – replacing some broken old sections
• Window ghost – my own take on the flying crank ghost, without the crank!
• Monster in a box – just what it says: a box, a monster, and lots of screams!  This will be my first attempt at using motion sensors!
• New tombstone – like every year, I shall build a new tombstone.  Planning a big one with a twist!
• Updates to the mad lab – including a frame for the back wall, new things for the Dr. to play with, and much more.
• new donation box – replacing the broken donation reaper, will be a totem pole of pumpkiny goodness!
• Possibly a major change to the electric chair that makes it more trick-or-treater friendly – can’t divulge info on this yet!

Might seem like a small list, but I assure you it will not fail to impress!

Next on the taking care of business end, I would like to inform you all that as of this past June 28th, I became officially one year closer to death and while I have never been certain why we celebrate such a ridiculous thing, I do partake in the presents that come along with it.   Therefore I  thought you should all know that while I loved the dress my mom bought me, I loved the Ryobi circular saw even more!  Thanks to my parents for throwing caution to the wind and buying me power tools!  I also have a new shop vac, but more on that later.

And now, without further ado, here is the list!

The list of new props for Halloween 2010:

• Window Boards – Making some faux wood planks to board up one of the larger windows of the house and a special frame to attach them to for easy hanging.
• Coffin lid attempt number XXXVIII – After years and years of the opening/closing coffin malfunctioning right before Halloween, I am once and for all solving the problem with a new motor from Monsterguts and a wood lid!
• Monument – For this year’s new tombstone, I’m making my biggest one yet and to complete it, the base will now be housing for a fog machine, so it’s out of sight, with a fog chiller inside the base of the stone as well, for low lying fog.
• New fence sections – Planning to replace some of the older warn out sections, as well as build a couple new ones, maybe add a gate of sorts.
• Columns part deux – Going to revamp last year’s columns with a twist!
• Something surprising in the 2nd story window – What could it be? It is actually numerous somethings and you will have to wait and see! I assure you, this is worth the wait!

As mentioned, I am working on a new tombstone and actually have a lot of it done already, so here are some pics:

Behold, the list of new props for Halloween 2009!  Yes, it is on a Saturday this year!

• New coffin lid to replace none functioning old one.  Now the opening/closing coffin will actually work!
• New jail cell to replace unstable old one.  This one closes on a hinge system to allow for easy set-up and storage afterwards!
• New tombstone with a surprise!  I always add one or two new stones each year and this year the tombstone will have a somewhat living friend!
• Pumpkin Stands.  I will have a whole bunch of columns that will display my pumpkins on top, getting them off the ledge I normally display them on.
• New fence!  I have built a whole new section of fencing to go on another side of my lawn, opening up new ways to display everything in the cemetery and all the fence sections have been giving a face-lift with some new finials I purchased off the net.
• Stone columns.  Connecting the new fence sections to the old will be two new columns with hidden speakers inside!  The columns were designed to replicate the stone on my actual house!
• The bat attack!  The skies over Haunt on the Hill will be busy on Halloween night!  This is a last minute set up, but if done right should look amazing.
• New mad lab desk.  The old one was warping and in dire need of an upgrade.
• The ULTIMATE electric chair.  I can’t say much, but it will be somewhat interactive!

And as always more will be there on Halloween night, but I don’t want to give everything away right now.  So, come on down, visit your favourite arachnid, Bubbles the vicious spider, donate some money to the Hospital for Sick Kids, and have some candy!  

Your friendly neighbourhood weirdo,

Rachel “Wednesday” Brown

 After my stint as a pro haunter at a big theme park, I am picking up the title again as I head to new haunting grounds where I will be working as a prop maker and set designer.  I will fill you in on this later.

As for my own haunt, I started early this year, like way early.  Like so early that even my mailman said, “I’m not ready for Halloween!  Summer  isn’t over yet!”  It had to be done though because my list was soooo big and time consuming that I had to get a head start.  So many things are already done and awaiting their one night of glory and man am I glad that I now have a compound miter saw!  Oh and I’m also glad to say that I still have my arms intact, so sucks to you parents of mine who were convinced I would loose a limb to The Beast!  My wonderful old man offered me the garage as my own personal workshop for the entirety of the summer and it is now full of props and saw dust!

Oh and in other news, I got engaged in June, but you know, that’s not nearly as exciting as coffins and tombstones!!!  Just kidding Mike! (My fiance).

Now, scroll up for the list!

Rachel

Today I come to you with news of what I have been up to.  My job, as cool as it is, also provides me with lots of downtime at the moment.  This will not be the case in September and October when I will basically have no time to breath, let alone work on my own haunt.  That being said, I have been using all this current free time to get a jump start on a long list of things that I have planned for Haunt on the Hill.  I will post the official list of props, like I always do, later in the summer.  This is just to wet your whistle and tease you:

The jail cell I mentioned in a previous post is done minus painting!
I have built four pumpkin stands to give my jack-o-lanterns the attention they deserve.
I am in the midst of fixing up the opening/closing coffin, so that for once it will work without fail!
Once that is done, I will be moving on to some top secret new projects, but what I can tell you is that there will be MANY new additions to the haunt.

If you have been coming to the haunt year after year, you may have noticed that not much changes in the mad lab each year and this will be the first big OVERHAUL of the mad lab.  It will be great and slightly INTERACTIVE!

I will also be attending my first ever convention in just a matter of days, the Midwest Haunters Convention, in Columbus, Ohio!  I’m sure I will come back with many goodies and will try to snap some pics of them to share with you.

That is all for now!  Happy haunting,

Rachel

• New countdown sign: in the past my sign has been made out of foam, which was fine at first, but it kept falling over and chipping.  My new sign will be carved out of wood along with the numbers, which will now countdown all 31 days!
• The prison cell will be re-worked to be made more stable, along with a few other upgrades to the mad lab!
• Many of the windows on the house will be covered in hand carved planks to make the house have that abandoned look!
• Obviously there will be new tombstones because you can never have enough homemade tombstones!
• Annabelle’s crypt: In the past Annabelle the Ghastly Ghost has resided over the skies of the graveyard, but now she’s purchasing some new real estate in the form of a giant crypt, assuming I can pull this one off without it collapsing on my head!
• Bat army: there will be a ton of bats hanging around the skies over my driveway this year, just waiting to feast on your blood!
• New creatures will also be haunting the graveyard in the least expected places!

Now I don’t want to give everything away so you’ll just have to come by on Halloween night to see it all, but I can definitely say that there will be some big surprises in store!  There will also be some big announcements coming up on this site, so check back soon for more info!

Your friendly neighbourhood weirdo,
Rachel Brown

 - First up, I just spent a fair but of money on a new prop.  I know I normally like to make things myself, but I couldn’t turn this one down, but you will have to wait to see what it is.

 - I have a new Dremel and I plan on puting it to work very soon on a few new tombstones and a brand new all wooden countdown sign!

- I will also be spending some time fixing up old props and making some new.

- As usual, I have a whole list of things I want to get done and I will post said list in the coming weeks, but yet again you will have to wait for that!  Mwahahahaha!!!!

- Rachel “Wednesday” Brown

• Out with the old and in with the slightly new: I have decided that last years opening coffin did not work to my satisfaction and so this year I have built my first wooden coffin that will open and close on its own, complete with a special friend inside! (My nephew calls him Herman).
• Last years attempt at re-doing the moving grim reaper were unsuccessful as he decided not to move at the last minute, and so this year I will be creating the moving grave digger instead.  Same idea, but much better done and way creepier!
• Two new homemade tombstones, as usual, but one will be my biggest tombstone yet.
• Last years dead zombie skeleton is getting a make over.  He’ll be re-done with a glowing protruding brain and some rotting flesh…mmm yummy!
• I will also be adding more numbers to the countdown sign, which will now start at 20 days left, so drive by my house for your daily dose of Halloween and in a few years I should be up to the 31 days of Halloween.

And as per usual, there is plenty more to see.  I have been hitting up every Halloween store I can find and hiding from my credit card bill.  Like I always say, some of this stuff may not get done, some of it will change, and new ideas will pop into my head at the last minute.  So, if you need something to do on Halloween night, come check out the Haunt!

 - Rachel “Wednesday” Adams