Video Tag
Every video tagged “yard haunt” in the library — a focused slice of the Halloween archive.
488 videos
Distortions Unlimited — the professional animatronic and prop manufacturer featured on the Travel Channel series Making Monsters — visits Dick Van Dyke's home to install a large monster prop in his yard ahead of Halloween. The setup is put to the test scaring unsuspecting neighborhood kids, with the legendary entertainer clearly delighting in the festivities. The video offers a fun peek at what a professionally built yard haunt looks like when deployed in a real residential setting.
Distortions Unlimited showcases a lineup of their Halloween props arranged in atmospheric scene setups, including Roswell-style alien figures, animated zombie props, graveyard tombstone arrangements, and their signature Kreepy Kids and Monster Kids characters. The video serves as a visual catalog and inspiration reel rather than a tutorial, highlighting the variety and quality of scenes achievable with their product range. With over four decades of American manufacturing behind them, Distortions Unlimited positions these props as suitable for everything from backyard haunts to professional haunted attractions.
VanOaksProps walks through the complete construction of a final Halloween tombstone, combining insulation foam and MDF to achieve a convincing stone-and-weathered-metal look. The build covers shaping and carving foam details, creating a custom faux metal plaque, and applying a multi-step paint finish that includes a masonry sealer base, hammered copper spray, patina effects, and aging washes. The result is a professional-quality graveyard prop suitable for yard haunts or haunted house displays. A thorough materials list with affiliate links accompanies the tutorial for easy replication.
StiltbeastStudios walks viewers through constructing a decorative Halloween lamp post prop that lights up, adding atmospheric street-scene flair to haunts or yard displays. Allen Hopps guides the build process in this roughly 16-minute tutorial aimed at Halloween enthusiasts looking to elevate their seasonal setups. The finished piece functions as both a structural scenic element and a practical light source within a haunted environment.
Distortions Unlimited owner Ed Edmunds showcases the Corpse Beheaded, a zombie decapitation illusion prop from their 2019 Halloween lineup. The hand-operated piece is constructed from latex and foam and finished with hand painting, all done in the USA. It functions as a wearable costume accessory suited for haunted attractions, yard haunts, cosplay, and zombie-themed events. Distortions Unlimited is known from their appearance on the Travel Channel series Making Monsters.
VanOaksProps walks through building a mesmerizing wilting flower Halloween prop that slowly droops and recovers using a low-RPM synchronous motor. The mechanism relies on a cam-and-follower system, magnets, and closet door rollers to produce smooth, eerie movement. Downloadable 3D print files are available through the creator's Etsy shop, making replication straightforward for builders with access to a printer.
Distortions Unlimited visits the legendary home haunt of Dick Van Dyke to showcase a giant animatronic head prop for Halloween 2021. Dick Van Dyke reportedly recorded a Thriller-style voice track for the animatronic, adding a personalized audio element to the display. The legendary entertainer has been decorating his yard for Halloween for over five decades, making his haunt a beloved annual tradition. This short video serves as a seasonal greeting and teaser for more footage from his 2021 setup.
VanOaksProps walks through how to turn a standard 2x4 into a convincingly aged, sun-bleached wooden cross grave marker suited for ghost town or wild west themed haunts. The build relies on a wire wheel, torch, and craft paint to achieve a weathered, distressed look without expensive materials. The result is a low-cost prop that reads well in cemetery or frontier-style display settings.
This short Hauntcast video showcases a coffin pop-up prop built largely from reclaimed pallet wood, housing a store-bought skeleton that launches upright to startle guests. The pop-up mechanism draws from a published prop-building reference, and the whole system is tied together with a commercial prop controller and a break beam sensor for hands-free triggering. It's a tidy blend of low-cost materials and off-the-shelf electronics that delivers a reliable interactive scare.
VanOaksProps walks through building a compact, weatherproof rocking prop mechanism designed to survive outdoor conditions like rain and snow. The core of the build is a synchronous motor housed inside an electrical gang box, which protects the electronics from the elements. A flat aluminum bracket and a hinge translate the motor's rotation into a back-and-forth rocking motion suitable for chairs, figures, or other lightweight to medium-weight props.
This short build video walks through the construction of decorative cemetery columns for the Village Mire Yard Haunt in South Yarmouth, MA. The columns are built using a simple wood frame of 2x3s, skinned with luan, and detailed with Foamular foam for a convincing stone-column look. The result is a sturdy, weather-suitable outdoor prop well suited for graveyard-themed yard displays.
Distortions Unlimited showcases their lineup of zombie-themed Halloween animatronics and static props, spanning grave busters, shocktronics, frightronics, zombie dogs, crawling figures, standing zombies, and cemetery accessories. The video highlights the range and quality of their products, which are built for durability in professional haunted attractions as well as home yard haunts. Distortions Unlimited is an established name in the dark-attraction industry, having been featured on the Travel Channel series Making Monsters.
Monster Tutorials offers a walkthrough tour of his 2019 home Halloween graveyard display, giving viewers an up-close look at how the full cemetery scene came together for the season. The video is framed as a personal showcase for the creator's fan community, known as the PropMob. It serves as both seasonal inspiration and a peek at the scale and style of a dedicated home haunter's outdoor setup.
This step-by-step tutorial walks viewers through building a mechanical, animated hand shadow prop that casts a moving ghostly hand silhouette — an effect famously associated with Disneyland's Haunted Mansion dark ride. The prop combines a slow-turning motor with a shaped hand cutout to project a creeping shadow across walls or ceilings. At 16 minutes, the video covers the full construction process in an approachable, beginner-friendly style. The finished effect works equally well for front porch displays, yard haunts, and indoor haunted house scenes.
This short-form video from Horror 365 showcases zombie-themed animatronics, likely as part of a yard or home haunt display. The title suggests an exciting reveal of moving zombie figures, though no detailed build or tutorial content can be confirmed from the available metadata. With no description or duration provided, specifics about the props or setup remain unclear.
This short clip captures live scare reactions at a residential yard haunt powered by Distortions Unlimited's Shocktronic Scream Generator prop. The Shocktronic is a hybrid device that combines animatronic elements with a live actor to deliver high-impact scares, complemented by integrated lighting and sound. The result is a fun compilation of startled guests and genuine screams. Distortions Unlimited, a long-established Halloween animatronics manufacturer, is highlighted as the source of the featured prop.
This tutorial walks viewers through building animated caged creature props using an eclectic mix of scrap and repurposed materials, resulting in a moving, shaking Halloween display piece. The design is intentionally flexible — creatures can be made frightening or whimsical, large or small, depending on the builder's vision. Battery-powered mechanics keep the build accessible and cord-free, making it suitable for tabletop, porch, or yard placements. The project is positioned as a fun family activity as much as a haunter's craft.
VanOaksProps walks viewers through the art of designing compelling, realistic tombstone epitaphs for DIY Halloween cemetery displays. The tutorial covers choosing carve-friendly fonts, balancing text layout, and incorporating decorative symbols to give each stone a story-driven, authentic feel. Free font resources are shared to help haunters get started quickly. The result is a polished, atmospheric graveyard prop that stands out in any home haunt or yard display.
Monster Tutorials shares a walkthrough of their evolving Halloween yard display for 2020, highlighting how the setup has grown incrementally each year. The centerpiece this season is a funeral hearse, complemented by custom LED lighting. The creator also teases an upcoming dedicated lighting tutorial for the LED work featured in the display.
Distortions Unlimited showcases Rotten Rover, their zombie dog animatronic prop from their 2019 Halloween lineup. The fully electric frightronics figure is designed to anchor a pet cemetery scene and suits yard haunts, home haunters, and professional haunted attractions alike. Note that the audio heard in the video may differ from the audio package bundled with the actual prop.
This video from Slash 'N Cast appears to showcase the arrival or unveiling of a large clown prop or creation nicknamed 'Klownzilla.' Based on the title, the video likely captures the excitement of debuting this oversized clown build or display. No further content details are available from the provided metadata.
This 16-minute tutorial walks builders through creating a motorized chained-skeleton puppet that rises and falls with eerie, lifelike motion. The prop is designed as a companion piece to the channel's Motorized Overhead Animator, which supplies the drive mechanism for a wide range of animated Halloween displays. The combination of clanking chains and rhythmic skeletal movement makes it well-suited for haunted house rooms, yard haunts, or indoor Halloween displays. Builders who already have—or plan to build—the Overhead Animator can use this project to expand a whole system of moving props.
A short-form video showcasing a friend's massive Halloween yard display featuring over 100 animated props sourced from major retail Halloween suppliers. The centerpiece appears to be a striking Pumpkin Man character, presented in a festive and spooky outdoor setting. The clip offers a quick but impressive tour of what a large-scale home haunt collection can look like at its peak.
A fun, lighthearted Halloween Shorts clip featuring trick-or-treaters dressed as Super Mario Bros. characters visiting a decorated yard haunt. The creator playfully pairs the footage with an audio clip from The Super Mario Bros. Movie for comedic effect. It offers a quick, entertaining glimpse into the yard haunt's Halloween night atmosphere.
