Every October, the Make: Editor Slack fills up with links. Someone posts a skeleton carving a pumpkin, someone else responds with a 30-foot puppet, and by Halloween we have a full haunted house’s worth of inspiration. Here are some of the buildings that keep reappearing in the canal, from animatronics and puppets on a yard scale to costumes and creepy decor. Most come with build videos or write ups, so you can borrow an idea or two for next year.
1. Light-Up Modular Devil Horns by Anouk Wipprecht
Fashion-tech designer Anouk Wipprecht brings wearable tech to Halloween with these glowing devil horns. They are 3D-printed in translucent PETG on a Prusa CORE One+, so the LEDs inside shine right through. An Arduino Nano powers the lights, and the design leaves room to grow: add a sensor and the horns can react to light, sound, movement and more.
Get the files on Printables · Instagram: @anoukwipprecht
2. The Eldritch Horror by Brandon Hardy
When a storm destroyed the Halloween display he had planned for 2021, puppet designer and scenic artist Brandon Hardy gave himself three days to build a replacement. The result was the Eldritch Horror, a 30-foot-tall skeletal puppet that hovers over his yard. In photos on his site you can see him standing under the scale.
Check out the project · Instagram: @brandon.hardy.art
3. Pumpkin-carving skeleton of death on design
This skeleton never finishes his jack-o’-lantern. Dead On Design’s version 2.0 build video covers everything from cutting the foam to connecting the motors to designing the mechanisms. The cutting arm runs on a car windshield wiper motor, a home-haunter favorite, and a second motor turns the skull.
Most of the rest comes from the hardware store: plywood, 2x4s, XPS foam for the cutting board, and PVC pipe, plus hinges, brake cables, and a flame-effect light bulb inside the pumpkin. He also shares a PDF of building plans with measurements and wiring notes, making this one of the easiest projects here to replicate.
Watch the build · Instagram: @dead.on.design
4. The Halloween Watcher by Will Cogley
Animatronics maker Will Cogley has built a robot whose eyes follow you around the room, which is just as unsettling as it sounds. His 8-minute video walks through the construction, and he offers a free instructions and downloads pack for anyone who wants to make their own.
Watch the build · Instagram: @will_cogley
5. Beetlejuice Yard Display by Brandon Hardy
Hardy took a more elaborate approach for Halloween 2024, filling his garden with life-size puppets of the Maitlands, Lydia Deetz and Betelgeuse. The showstopper was Betelgeuse, who rode a giant, two-headed sandworm that launched candy and mist from its mouth to catch trick-or-treaters. His gallery is worth a look for anyone interested in large-scale puppet making.
View the gallery · Instagram: @brandon.hardy.art
6. Ghost Manor, New Orleans
Ghost Manor is a fully automated theatrical production created by David Gentry and staged on the facade of his 1892 Victorian home in New Orleans. Custom built animation and digitally animated characters perform choreographed musical scenes with synchronized lighting, projection and effects.
The last scheduled shows of the 2026 season are October 30 and 31, 7-10 p.m., weather permitting. The full “Hello Darkness” performance (her newest scene in the rotation), set to “The Sound of Silence,” is here.
Visit Ghost Manor · Instagram: @ghostmanornola
7. Rib Cage Lamp by Ira Morgan
SFX artist Ira Morgan’s anatomical rib head lamp starts as a 3D print and is painted with realistic bone texture and shading. With a warm LED bulb inside, the light shines through the ribs and casts dramatic shadows across the room. She shares her build process on Instagram, a good resource for anyone looking to build up their printmaking.
If you’d rather not make your own, she sells ready-to-order lamps through her shop, Morgan Creations.
Check out the lamp · Instagram: @iramorgan.fx
8. Articulated Bowser Tail by Tiffany Dean Cosplay
Australian cosplayer Tiffany Dean got so many questions about her Bowser costume’s floating tail that she made a 22-minute tutorial about it. There are no electronics: the living movement comes entirely from the structure.
They build layers of high density 10 mm EVA foam, padded seat foam, and heavy non-stretch fabric, mounted on an old thrifted belt. A super-stretchy fabric sock covers the internal skeleton, and faux crocodile leather forms the scales. Read their material notes before purchasing. She bought three rolls of faux leather and says she ordered four.
Watch the tutorial · Instagram: @tiffanydeancosplay
9. Roman helmet from a floor mat by LostWax
Not every great suit starts with a specialty foam supplier. This Instructables project turns an ordinary rubber floor mat into a Roman legionary helmet, with 32 photo-illustrated steps. It’s a great choice if you need a costume piece quickly and want to work with what’s already in the garage.
View the Tutorial · Read the Instructable
10. Garage-Built TIE Advanced x1 by Steve Can Make It
Not strictly Halloween, but it made the channel and we couldn’t resist. Steve built Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced x1 in his garage, starting from a small 3D printed model and building it up into a full size version. Using a tabletop print as a working reference is a smart trick for any oversized props, and a great excuse for a very ambitious costume backdrop.
Watch the build · Instagram: @steveieslakey