DIY Halloween Prop - Long Fingered Ghoul

Laying inside this makeshift wooden coffin lies a gnarly, sunken faced ghoul! Who's long, boney fingers once scraped down it's victims back. Now, laying helplessly with its arms folded over it's chest.

RIP! you poor soul...or are you just napping?!

Anything in a coffin spells terror for Halloween home haunts and with the threat of something evil coming to life it adds even more intesity. In the dark shadows of Halloween night Trick or Treaters won't know if he's dead or alive. Hide a Scare-Actor beneath the Ghoul and give it moments of movement that will have em' screaming!

The Coffin Ghoul Halloween prop was very easy to make just a little time consuming because the fingers on the ghoul are done with paper mache.

Supplies required...

- 6 large plastic bags

-  a small plastic bag for the head

-  newspaper (both whole and torn into narrow strips)

- chicken wire

- thin gauge wire

- scary mask

- tape

- paint; green, black and white 

- metal snips

- coat hanger

- one coffin

 This particular coffin was slapped together by hacking up a sheet of particle board and some scrap pieces of wood for the backing, then sprayed with leftover black and grey spray paint. Granted in the light of day it doesn't look the best, at night you'd never know it was so cheesy ;)

- paper mache; flour, water and white glue

How to make Paper Mache paste...

Add equal parts flour and water and a dollop of white glue, stir. Add more water, glue or flour as required. Prepare the paper mache paste in a large container just before you are ready to apply the strips of paper.

Visit my Squidoo page for Paper Mache Halloween Props such as a lifesize Haunted Tree, a bloody Torso, torn off leg and 3 Eyed Creature! 

Steps to Complete the Long Fingered Ghoul

Hands...

 - Grab snips and chicken wire. Snip 10 equally long strips of wire about 3-4" wide. These will be the ghouls creepy fingers. Wrap into a tube and secure with wire, poking sharp ends into tube.

- Next, snip out two long rectangles, fold each in half to form the palm. Secure with wire then attach the fingers by securing with wire. Use snips to trim the ends and lengths of fingers. Now is the time to shape the final form of the ghoul's hands.

- Create the paste in your container.
- Protect the surface you are working on.
- Get your paper strips and begin to dip them into the paste. Make sure the strips are saturated but not glopped with paste. Running them between your fingers gets off excess, then place each strip over your wire frame one at a time. Attach a long piece of wire to the wrist of each hand, used later to attach to either ends of the hanger.
- Continue building up layers until you have reached the desired thickness and appearance. Keep edges pushed down and smooth on each layer. Leave to dry. The drying process can take a long time so to speed up it up by placing in sunshine, near air flow, or heat source (safe distance, it is paper!) or a dehumidifier.
- Once completely dry, it's time to paint! Give it a few coats, allowing each to dry before doing the next one. Put your details on in the final coat. Depending on the type of paint you've used, it may need to be sealed or protected from the elements.
- Once you've created the body (see below), attach the hands to the hanger by poking through the plastic wrap and securing.
- Use a garbage bag to swaddling the ghoul, being sure to hide any parts, wire etc.



Body...

- Poke the hanger thru the bottom center of one bag then tip over and fill with scrunched up wads of newspaper, tie knot in end to close.
- Slice open the bags into a full sheet of plastic then secure it to the shoulder area with a knot around the hook and wrap it around the body to form a swaddled mummy shape. Use the tape to shape your body, wider at shoulders or not, it's your ghoul!
- Form a head and secure mask of choice and attach to the hanger.

Keep the snips and pokey ended chicken wire away from children.

Variations - originally my Ghoul had wings and was a Nasty Bat like creature! It hung upside down in one of our trees by a cord attached to the hanger that came out through the bottom of the bag. The wings were large but sadly made of cardboard and only lasted two seasons and then the rope broke...hence him now laying in the coffin. Change up the body wrap by using weed barrier it's black and cheap, switch up the masks, add viens, englarge the knuckles, make a third eye or enlarged pointed ears all while you're already all gooed up!