Funeral Parlor Upgrade for 2005

I rearranged the furniture in my living room and dining room this summer so, the whole Funeral Parlor set-up has changes.
I decided to purchase a bunch of skeletons (10 different ones) and arrange them sitting on the sheet covered furniture as if guests for a viewing.
The coffin has been moved to between the living room and dining room  and is no longer visible from front door.
For more atmosphere, I bought a bunch of white sheer curtains from the Thrift store and covered the large living room window with them.
I place a fan behind them so they would billow and move.
I added two walking/crawling hands in 2003. (After Halloween 2005 bought several more crawling hands... next year will be fun).

Chillin' on the couch in the Funeral Parlor
(...When are they bringing out the food??? We're starved to death!!!...)

The new "Bucky" skeleton comforts my drop-eye skeleton seated next to the "dearly departed"
Misting/smoking fountain is to the left
(Now I know why they are called Bucky skeletons - they have buck teeth!!)

Two new Gothic Gargoyle lamps divide the hall from the living room. Very Gruesome!!

Entrance Hallway to the left
I used stone-pattern SceneSetter material on the walls inside (used outside for the dungeon and standee) to give the place a gothic/medieval flavor

Instead of spreading them out all over the house, I put all my Halloween nicknacks together on my living room shelves.

New Hear No, See No, Speak No Evil Gargoyles on top of wall unit.
These guys stay up year-round.

Skeleton Organist added 2006
(Bucky is now a musician)

The view as you enter the Funeral Parlor - 2006

Prior to 2005

Since 1995 I have set up an open coffin with a body and placed the treat bags inside near the feet.  The coffin is the lightweight cardboard type.  For the body, I stuff some old clothes with large empty drink containers and newspapers.  I use a full head mask of an old man  for the head which is also stuffed and has battery-powered blinking eyes.  I fold one arm across the stomach and place a wiggling hand coming out of the sleeve.  Various vermin are places about.  I decorate around the coffin as if it's a viewing at a funeral parlor, except all the flowers are dead.  I go to a local cemetery in early October and speak to the maintenance department and find out when they clean off a new grave and ask them for the flowers they remove.  By the time Halloween arrives, they look pretty ratty.  I always place screaming mats under a rug near the foot of the coffin for a startle effect.

Since 1999 I've placed the coffin inside.  To decorate the room, I cover all the furniture with white sheets (purchased from Thrift stores).  The pictures on the wall and the lamp shades are askew with spider webs around the room.    I build a fire in the fireplace. Two "Flying Bats" on short leads circle overhead. I placed another coffin upright with a skeleton whose eye falls out and talks at any loud noise (at right with my neice and nephew).  I have several other noise activated items around the room and as I escort people in, I stomp to set everything off.  Eerie music completes the effect.

I would like to design a device that would lift and lower the upper half of the dead body about 6-12 inches.

 

 

A special Scream to "Ed", manager at the cemetery, who has been extra helpful with the flowers since 2001.
You're the Greatest!!!

©Holly A Zell
Revised:  October 10, 2007 22:10
All Original Artwork Copyrighted.