6. The Grim Reaper’s Swamp
Turn your ordinary green lawn into a murky, terrifying bayou guarded by the ultimate symbol of death: the Grim Reaper. To set the stage, lay down large sheets of black plastic sheeting or dark reflective tarps over a section of your yard to simulate a stagnant body of water. Surround the edges of your “swamp” with piles of decaying logs, weeping willow branches, faux Spanish moss, and cattails. Place a weathered, wooden rowboat in the center of the dark water, letting it sit slightly lopsided as if sinking into the mire.
The centerpiece of this display is a towering, seven-foot-tall Grim Reaper figure standing at the bow of the boat or at the edge of the swamp. Construct the Reaper using a PVC pipe frame draped in heavy, tattered black velvet or burlap fabric that completely conceals the face, leaving only a dark, hollow void beneath the hood. Place a glowing red LED light deep inside the hood to represent glowing eyes, and position its skeletal hands gripping a long, menacing scythe. A fog machine equipped with a fog chiller will allow thick, heavy mist to crawl across the surface of the “water,” completing the swampy, damp atmosphere.