Video Tag
Every video tagged “prop upgrade” in the library — a focused slice of the Halloween archive.
13 videos
Wicked Makers' Jay and Jaimie demonstrate how to transform a basic store-bought Halloween skeleton into a far more impressive and creepy display piece. The short teases a full-length tutorial focused on giving the skeleton a pirate or drunken drinking character. The upgrade elevates a generic prop into a themed centerpiece without starting from scratch.
Wicked Makers transform a Spirit Halloween Lucky Bottoms animatronic into a terrifying Pennywise spider-clown hybrid inspired by IT. The build involves constructing a PVC frame to elevate the prop, adding oversized PVC spider legs padded with pool noodles, and completing the look with a repainted face, new costume, and wig. The short documents the full makeover process and its dramatic before-and-after reveal. The finished piece is intended as a centerpiece for a 2022 Halloween yard haunt display.
Wicked Makers' Jaimie and Jay transform a Spirit Halloween pop-out animatronic called The Hauntress into a screen-accurate Ghostface character from Scream 6. The centerpiece of the build is a heavily weathered mask makeover using Apoxie Sculpt for sculpted cracks, crackle medium for texture, and airbrushed acrylic paint for a dirty, aged finish. The completed animatronic is dressed in a full Ghostface costume and prop knife, ready to deliver jump scares in a home haunt setting.
Wicked Makers' Jaimie and Jay transform a Spirit Halloween Night Crawler animatronic into a screen-accurate Clicker from The Last of Us by sculpting a cordyceps mushroom bloom over the existing head. The build relies on EVA foam and foam clay for the distinctive fungal petals, with a guest airbrushing lesson adding realistic color depth. Thrifted clothing and careful gap-filling complete the creature makeover. The result is an impressive, character-specific animatronic upgrade achieved with widely available materials.
Wicked Makers duo Jay and Jaimie transform a stock Home Depot rocking chair witch animatronic into a menacing forest hag through budget-friendly, beginner-accessible upgrades. The build walks through unboxing and assembly of the original prop, then covers painting, fabric weathering, body padding, and layering on thrifted clothing and accessories sourced from Goodwill. The finished witch retains her original LED eyes, motion sensor, and rocking animation while looking dramatically more sinister and custom.
Wicked Makers' Jay and Jaimie unbox the Spirit Halloween Empty Soul Girl on a Swing animatronic and transform her into a Samara Morgan-inspired ghost-girl prop. The makeover involves airbrushing, a thrifted nightgown, pool noodle structuring, and added washers to improve the swinging motion. The result is a low-effort, high-impact upgrade that turns a store-bought prop into a personalized yard haunt centerpiece. The build requires minimal tools and skills, making it accessible to beginners.
Wicked Makers hosts Jaimie and Jay demonstrate how to transform ordinary store-bought Halloween skulls into convincing, high-quality props. The project focuses on elevating cheap, mass-produced decorations through hands-on techniques that dramatically improve their appearance. This is a budget-friendly upgrade rather than a full build from scratch.
Wicked Makers' Jay and Jaimie transform Spirit Halloween's 2022 Lord Raven animatronic into an elaborate dark sorcerer character with a fully custom costume and large lightweight foam feather wings. The build draws inspiration from Stiltbeast Studios' DIY feather wing technique and layers handmade accessories, creepy cloth, and painted details over the stock prop. The video covers both a brief unboxing review of Lord Raven's out-of-the-box features — flapping arms, moving head, glowing red eyes, and spoken dialogue — and the complete step-by-step makeover process. The finished prop is presented as a standout piece suitable for home haunts, yard displays, or haunted house environments.
VanOaksProps walks through a detailed customization of the Home Depot Holiday Stormtrooper animatronic, transforming it into a screen-inspired display piece. The build covers armor weathering with airbrushing, chipping, and paint techniques, then adds authenticity through sourced military surplus accessories inspired by Lucasfilm concept art. A motion-activated MP3 player is wired in to deliver custom audio, elevating the piece from a retail decoration to a gallery-worthy prop. The creator also provides downloadable sound files to help viewers replicate the audio upgrade.
VanOaksProps tackles one of the most common complaints about artificial pumpkins — their unconvincing, characterless stems — with a fast, low-cost upgrade technique. Using wire, aluminum foil, and Apoxie Sculpt epoxy putty, the creator builds up a realistic organic stem shape from scratch. A layered acrylic paint finish in earthy tones completes the transformation, making budget foam pumpkins look genuinely hand-carved. The whole process is approachable for beginners and requires only basic materials.
VanOaksProps walks through a paint upgrade process for the Ghostbusters Ghost Trap popcorn bucket available from Regal Cinemas or Spirit Halloween, transforming the stock plastic prop into a convincingly movie-accurate replica. The tutorial relies on a short list of accessible acrylic and spray paints combined with liquid latex masking to achieve a weathered, metallic finish. The result elevates a novelty theater collectible into a display-worthy prop without requiring advanced skills or expensive equipment.
This tutorial walks through upgrading an existing zombie prop by swapping out its original makeshift ping-pong ball eyes for custom-cast realistic resin eyes made in a companion video. The focus is on the installation process and the visual improvement realistic eyes bring to a finished prop. It serves as a practical follow-up project for haunters looking to push their prop details to the next level.
This short build-day episode follows the creator upgrading a Pose-N-Stay skeleton that had been in storage by installing Hollywood Haunter-style light-up LED eyes. The result is a more dramatic, display-ready prop intended for the creator's themed home haunt, the Thurston Theater. The video is part of an ongoing 2016 haunted house build series documenting the attraction's construction.
