Skeletons on a Rock Wall - Halloween Prop DIY

This prop was one of the first 'scary' Halloween decorations that I attempted. The idea came to me because we had received an 'assemble yourself' piece of furniture and suddenly had alot of scrap cardboard around. The creative genius came out and I came up with the Bonewall which can be used in one of two ways. Either as a static prop where it leans against support or a human-operated prop where someone stands behind the wall and moves the skeleton's arms.



The height and width of this carboard wall is approx. 9ft by 6ft, so it covers quite a bit of space. Here is how this Bonewall was made and what you're going to need to replicate: Cardboard, Paint (white & black), 2x2's (3), Pencil, Brushes, Wire (strong enough to bend, not weak enough to break), Scissors, Plastic Skeletons, Old Clothing and Wigs.

Lay out your cardboard on a flat surface and cover completely in black paint and allow to dry between coats(2 of them). Then put out a separate container of both the black and white paints. Begin in a corner and work your way across the entire surface painting on circles of various shapes and sizes using a mixture of both colours (one coat is good; use light to highlight, dark to create shadows). Let dry. Assemble the skeletons and dress them up in their costume rags (be sure to drag them around outside for awhile and get em' dirty looking). Then lay your skeletons out on top of the wall and place a mark on either side of their scrawny necks with a pencil. This will determine the height where they will hang (measure twice, cut once). Poke a hole with scissors then feed the wire through and back around, securing from behind. Do this with all of them and any limbs you don't want dangling.

Human Powered - Carefully cut holes in the back of the shirt and the cardboard directly behind that so you can slip your arms into the skeletons shirt sleeve. Now you can lift them up and scream as people walk by!

Tips: No kids playing with sharp scissors. 2x's are for support and strength, you will need them. You could also temporarily staple overhead onto a wooden brace. As always, improvise with what you have at home. Add cobwebs, spiders and bugs along with a red light and you've got an super eerie scene.