GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HALLOWEEN PROPS WITH CHEAP LIGHTING

How you light your haunted house is one of the most important factors in successful haunting. I put just about as much time and effort into my lighting than anything else. Whether you want bright elaborate scenes or dark dreary rooms, lighting is the key to setting atmosphere. Black Lights are probably the most widely used lights in haunted houses. They provide adequate light but not too much light, plus they make everything look extremely cool. I usually buy the twelve or twenty-four inch blacklights. They are fairly cheap and the bulbs can be replaced when they go bad. I have some black lights that have been in use for several years. Strobe lights are a good source of light for your haunted house if you want to shock or disorient people. Strobe lights are not that expensive but they will have to be replaced more often. The good thing about strobe lights is that you can adjust the speed of the flash to create slow motion or very fast to disorient people. One of my favorite sources of light would have to be flicker bulbs. The flicker bulbs that most haunted house suppliers sale can be expensive. I found a craft supply store on the internet that sold them for about two dollars a piece. I also found some cheap light sockets with six foot cords for about a dollar a piece. These are awesome in chandaliers and candle holders. They produce a flicker that looks like a candle flame and they put off very little light. Flicker bulbs can be used just about anywhere in any lighting. If you want to create a very eerie atmosphere in your haunt try some flicker bulbs. As always be creative with your lighting. I like to place black lights on the ceiling facing the direction that people will travel. That way the lights are out of direct view of your guests. Strobe lights will work best if they are triggered once people are right under them, so that you get the surprise factor. I like to use slow flashing strobe lights to make people look like they are moving in slow motion. I once had a long hallway where I had a face appear in a two way mirror. As soon as my guests passed the mirror the actor came through the wall and followed the guest out of my haunt. The slow flashing strobe light made it extremely scary. I can't even explain the effectiveness that the strobe light created. Lighting isn't there just so people can see the way to go. If lighting is used properly you can't create a whole different effect.