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Martha Stewart Would Be Horrified, But In A Good Way

I hoped to post some pictures of the floating ghost effect I created for Halloween. Unfortunately, I can’t find the pictures I took showing how it was set up. Luckily, Kelly did take a few shots of the ghost in action, as you can see by this picture and these.

The ghost was only visible from a spot right in front of the door. Often the kids missed it in their rush to collect their sugary loot. Only after I augmented it with a ghostly moan did it really start to attract attention.

The parts:

  • One flourescent light fixture. Lowe’s, $8 ea
  • Two blacklight bulbs. Lowe’s, $12 ea
  • 24×36″ Poster frame. A.C. Moore, $6.60 (on sale).
  • One bag of poly fill (for ghost). A.C. Moore, $2
  • Roll of 24 gauge hanging wire. A.C. Moore, $1.50
  • Spot of spray paint. Free.
  • Comforter cover. Free.
  • Speakers, etc. Free.

Total cost: $42. Total time: about an hour.

I spread the comforter cover out behind our porch swing, pinning it up on the back of the swing to provide a shield from the ghost. The ghost was placed on top of the comforter facing up. The black light was hung from the back of the swing, illuminating the floor below it.

To reflect the image of the ghost below, I drilled holes in the plastic sheet from the poster frame and hung it at a 45 degree angle from the bolts holding the swing. Originally I was afraid the plastic wouldn’t be reflective enough, but the sheet from the poster frame turned out to be perfect. It was light and thin, which made it bow a bit once I hung it. This uneven surface gave the impression of movement as one looked at one the way to the door.

The effect is that of a translucent ghost, hanging in air. The neighborhood kids were impressed. At least, the ones who looked up were impressed!

Hallie was so excited to help me put it together. She kept asking “Daddy, is it lit up yet?” Once it was lit up, she was still a little spooked by it, even though she helped me assemble it. I was amused.

Still, it wasn’t all perfect. I had hoped it would be visible from the street, but this turned out not to be the case. The neighbor’s porch light shone through it at a certain angle, washing it out. Pointing it towards the street would’ve also helped. I would have also liked the reflecting surface to be bigger. Maybe next year.

All in all, it was a great project. Now, what to do for an encore!