Some ghosts are silent. Others have stories to tell. Either way, they all have unfinished business here on earth. All is certainly true for the strange spirts who inhabit Macabre Manor. And for this reason, decorators have come to love this AtmosFX Decoration when it comes to building a truly captivating Halloween display.
Dave Trammell of South Jordan, Utah, built a clever false mirror that displays the strange specters of Macabre Manor. Read about it in the AtmosFAN Hall of Fame.
Macabre Manor Decoration Collection tells the story of four ghosts, the Lord and Lady of their dilapidated mansion, and their two children. How exactly they were fated to endlessly toil in this ghastly manor is unknown – but now that they’re here, they're going to make the most of it.
Those creating haunted Halloween displays can make the most of it, too. Macabre Manor is a perfect decoration for those who want to turn their own home into a haunted mansion. We can show you how.
Haunting with Hollusions
If you are going to have ghosts in your Halloween display, you want them to appear and disappear into thin air, astonishing your guests, right? Of course! Displaying the ghosts of Macabre Manor as a Hollusion is certain to do exactly that.
Hollusions are the technique of projecting AtmosFX Decorations onto a dark mesh-like material, like AtmosFX’s own Hollusion Projection Material. The material is substantive enough to capture and display the image from the projector, but dark enough to fade into the darkness when the lights get low. In this case, it makes it appear as though the ghosts of Macabre Manor are materializing before your guest’s very eyes.
There are so many great places to deploy this technique. For example, if you are creating a haunted house at your home, hang the Hollusion Projection Material in an unused hallway, room or doorway – someplace where guests or trick-or-treaters can see it. As they see the Evil Twins devilishly pranking each other, they’ll soon come to believe that your house is truly haunted!
Of course, you can also set up your Hollusion outside. Any dark corner will work well – try hanging the material from a tree limb, arbor or clothesline. When night falls, the material will be nearly invisible and become the perfect canvas to showcase the ghosts of Macabre Manor.
If you want to take it up a notch, consider combining Macabre Manor Hollusion effect with the Sprite Media Player with Motion Sensor. There are several “startle scare” effects within the Macabre Manor Decoration Collection, and the motion sensor will allow unsuspecting victims to trigger them.
Ghosts, Ghosts Everywhere!
Of course, you can display this family of spirits in other ways, as well. Windows are an extremely popular way to display all AtmosFX Decorations, and it is certainly true with Macabre Manor.
And even though it says TV Mode, you can also play this in your window. Because TV Mode displays feature a background, onlookers from the outside will think your entire house is decorated in, uh, deteriorating mansion style. (And, of course, the antics of the Lord and Lady of the House will entertain onlookers, too.)
Displaying Macabre Manor on walls, ceilings and other solid surfaces also will entertain. Any solid surface will work, but we always recommend making sure that wherever you do, the characters are roughly life size. (This is true for any display mode: Window, Wall or Hollusion.) If the ghosts are too large or too small, the ghosts won’t seem as realistic. And who wants that?!
‘Real’ Ghosts with the 3DFX Form
Lastly, don't forget the AtmosFX 3DFX Form. This is the inflatable mannequin-like prop that can appear to come alive when you project onto it. Macabre Manor has a bundle of decorations that are perfectly optimized for the size and shape of the 3DFX Form.
A great place to place the 3DFX Form is at the front of your house, perhaps where trick-or-treaters will pass. Or maybe in a dark corner or at the end of a hallway during a Halloween party. It will look like the Lord of the Manor is there to chat with them. (Among other things.)
This is another great use for the Sprite Media Player is with the 3DFX Form. You can place the motion sensor near the form so that, when someone comes close to inspect it, the characters abruptly wake up with a good old fashioned startle scare! That’s something your partygoers or trick-or-treaters will never forget!
The options are endless for these ghosts, who are ready to tell their stories. All you need to do is find the best ways to assist them!
How will you use Macabre Manor Decoration this Halloween season? We want to see it! Send us your photos and videos using this simple online submission form and we will post some of our favorite examples!
How do others use ‘Macabre Manor’ Decoration? Check it out here!
Justin Delacuetara is something of a genius when it comes to creating extra-cool Pepper’s Ghosts effects – in miniature. Here he uses Macabre Manor in a tiny dollhouse to great effect. Read about it in the AtmosFAN Hall of Fame.
For his Halloween party, Daniel Degreef of Weerde, Belgium, uses a 3DFX Form featuring the Lady of the House from Macabre Manor. Read about it at the AtmosFX Hall of Fame.
In 2018, singer/songwriter Fawn won first place in The Great American Song Contest with her song ‘Ghoulish Ghosts.’ The music video features ghosts from Macabre Manor, among others. Read about it here.
Check out how these and other AtmosFANs have decorated with Macabre Manor Decoration and other decorations in the AtmosFAN Hall of Fame!
