The Screening Room

The Halloween Video Library

A curated, searchable archive of the dark craft — DIY props and animatronics, home-haunt walkthroughs, makeup, lighting, fog, and effects. Every film embedded from its creator, organized so you can actually find what you need.

I Visited a Real Cemetery to Build Better Halloween Tombstones

VanOaksProps takes a research field trip to Charlotte's historic Elmwood & Pinewood Cemetery to study real tombstones, monuments, and statues as direct inspiration for Halloween yard haunt builds. The creator analyzes architectural details, weathering patterns, moss and lichen growth, and stone textures, then explains how each element could be recreated using accessible, budget-friendly prop-making methods. The video serves as both a design inspiration tour and a practical breakdown of techniques including XPS foam carving, Monster Mud, and fabric draping. It's an unusually grounded approach to Halloween prop design, rooted in real-world observation rather than guesswork.

VanOaksProps· 6,484 views

MAKING MONSTER MUD STATUES & LIFE SIZED PROPS W/ CHERYL CALLENDER: PROP SHOP #homehaunt

0:25

DIY PropsIntermediate

MAKING MONSTER MUD STATUES & LIFE SIZED PROPS W/ CHERYL CALLENDER: PROP SHOP #homehaunt

Hauntcast's Prop Shop segment features Cheryl Callender — a member of the Chicago Haunt Builds Group and creator behind the Creepers on Carlton home haunt — sharing her knowledge of building Monster Mud statues and life-sized props. Monster Mud is a popular haunt-community technique for creating durable, weather-resistant figures and set pieces at a relatively low cost. Cheryl walks listeners through her process, drawing on real-world home haunt experience to make the method accessible to fellow DIY haunters.

Hauntcast· 751 views

MAKING MONSTER MUD STATUES & LIFE SIZED PROPS W/ CHERYL CALLENDER: PROP SHOP

47:52

DIY PropsIntermediate

MAKING MONSTER MUD STATUES & LIFE SIZED PROPS W/ CHERYL CALLENDER: PROP SHOP

Hauntcast's Prop Shop segment features Cheryl Callender — of the Chicago Haunt Builds Group and the Creepers on Carlton home haunt — walking through the process of creating Monster Mud statues and life-sized Halloween props. The episode draws on Cheryl's hands-on experience building large-scale figures for a home haunt environment. It serves as a practical, conversation-driven guide for haunters looking to add impressive full-size characters to their displays.

Hauntcast· 166 views

How to Make Monster Mud & Monster Mud Alternatives

4:24

DIY PropsBeginnerlow (basic materials readily available at hardware stores)

How to Make Monster Mud & Monster Mud Alternatives

This VanOaksProps tutorial demystifies Monster Mud — a classic home-haunter staple used to coat and texture Halloween props like tombstones, reapers, and graveyard statues. The video covers what Monster Mud is, how it's mixed and applied, and how to protect finished props from the elements. It also introduces Monster Mud 2.0 (Morbid Mortar), a thinset-based alternative that offers additional durability and texture options.

VanOaksProps· 115,276 views