18. The Evil Scarecrow’s Cornfield
Bring the eerie, isolating atmosphere of a rural Midwestern farm to your suburban front yard with an evil scarecrow’s cornfield. Transform your green grass into a harvested autumn field by arranging bundles of dried cornstalks into dense rows, creating a mini-maze leading to your front door. Scatter plenty of straw, dried husks, and rotting pumpkins throughout the stalks to give the impression of a long-abandoned farmstead.
In the center of the cornfield, erect a menacing, towering scarecrow mounted on a rustic wooden cross. Instead of a friendly, straw-stuffed face, give your scarecrow a head made of a carved, rotting jack-o’-lantern or a burlap sack with jagged, stitched-up eyes and a wide, toothy grin. Dress it in tattered, mud-caked flannel and overalls, with long, sharp twigs extending from its sleeves instead of hands. Use low-angle, warm yellow and amber spotlights to cast long, terrifying shadows of the scarecrow across your yard, making it look as though it could step off its perch at any moment.