Shadow Plague

In 2011, I designed a spook alley for our local elementary school that was based on the popular novel, Grip of the Shadow Plague, by Brandon Mull. Because of that, I didn't have much time to design anything different for my own home haunt, so I went with the same theme.

Guests began their visit with a note by the doorbell, encouraging them to "Drink the Milk." In Fablehaven, if you want to see magical creatures, you have to drink magic milk or eat walrus butter. I opted for milk--in sweet vanilla or chocolate flavors, as the guests chose.

Then guests took a seat to listen to Graulus, a sickly demon, tell them about the Shadow Plague that was taking over all the fairy creatures of Fablehaven.

I made Graulus with the electronic "Fur Real" dog that belongs to my daughter. I've used it many times for Halloween, because it's fairly large, moves by itself, and makes noises. I dressed the dog in black fabric and a spooky mask, and warped a voice recording of myself explaining the situation at Fablehaven so that it sounded like a sickly demon.

One of the teenage characters in the book (played by my daughter) then arrived to escort guests into Fablehaven. The graveyard wasn't exactly part of the book, but I needed to fill the space. Graveyards are always a tried-and-true stand-by for haunted houses.

I had fun with my blacklight, designing a mini village for the nipsies--tiny people--who are being overrun by the shadow plague.

I created the village from Christmas houses I typically use in the winter (for the good guys), and Halloween houses I decorate with in the fall (for the bad guys). The nipsies were polly pocket dolls I swiped from my kids' collection. I recorded a soundtrack for the tiny battle going on, that I filled with high-pitched voices, bugle horns, and sword clash sounds.

Guests then had to walk past our (empty) swimming pool and risk getting grabbed by a naiad. This effect didn't work out quite as well as I would have liked, and I didn't get a good photo of it.

Toward the end, guests spotted the Black Lady, source of the Shadow Plague, by a tar pit (our trampoline) with long black lines extending out from her across our big lawn and headed toward them.

I didn't get a good picture of my Black Lady, a dummy strung up on a pole, before one of my teenage helpers roughed her up a little too much, so she's a little saggy-baggy in this photo.

The black lines coming out of her were made with black drip lines we use in our garden every year (and which we were then finished with for the season).

Just as it seemed all was lost, guests found the Fairy Shrine, where the Fairy Queen saves them from the evil of the Shadow Plague. They were then free to return to their cars and their trick-or-treating.

My daughter did a great job of decorating the shrine with silk flowers, electronic "candles," and a figurine on the steps of our camp trailer.