[blueikaos]

Ok. So I decided to try my hand at a Monster Mud reaper yesterday for the Halloween haunt I work at. My fiance is the supervisor of a trail this year and I'm helping him make some props.
Needless to say, I am not very happy with this one but he likes it, so I guess that is all that matters. I think using more "practical" materials would have been better, but since we use stuff for free that is laying around the farm we have to make do.

I started out by finding what looked like a coat rack of some sort sitting next to the barn, so I used that as my base structure, attached some PVC and was feeling real good at this point. I can vision it!



The chicken wire they had laying around the barn was all tangled and I was having a heck of a time trying to unravel it. Who knew chicken wire could get knotted. (Not I. I never worked with it before!)

My fiance decided to just plop the whole thing on the top and mold it to the structure. I don't have a photo of this since I was beyond ticked. haha.

Back to using the available materials, there was tons of coffee ground burlap bags laying around so instead of nice long pieces of flowy burlap, we had to piece them together. (All you craft blog/pinterest people- I cringed too using these burlap bags. They sell for a decent amount of money to crafters to make pillows and reupholster furniture and other neat crafty things with)



Looks like a walking burlap blob.

Next was the monster mud itself. I swear I got more on me than I did on the reaper.
This was definitely not a one person job, thankfully my sister and fiance were there to help.

Since they were burlap "pieces" it was hard to get them to stay in position- they were SO SO SO heavy with the monster mud on it.

We just slid the fake head in there to help mold the hood- it will come out when the hood dries.



And there "it" is.

Whatever "it" may be.

I still want to accent it in black and grays and seal it. Add a bony hand coming out of its left arm.

Anyway, I do want to attempt another one for my own use, on a smaller, less "linebackeresque" scale.

[ghostface]

I think it looks pretty good. A bony arm sticking out would be a perfect touch.

[zombombie]

I like it! I think it's size is really imposing and adds to it! I agree though, a bony arm and some accents and I think it'll look fantastic!

Seriously, well done on using what materials you had and for coming up with a great creation!

[blueikaos]

Thanks, guys. Hopefully once I tinker with it, I'll start to like it!

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

I love seeing progress shots of haunt builds. Thanks for taking these photos and for posting them!

This just goes to show that you can make some pretty cool Halloween props with fairly basic materials. In your case, you made great use of what you had available. PVC pipe and chicken wire are classics. A coat rack always makes a good base for a figure, good find!

The stitched together burlap must have been a challenge to position, especially once the weight of the monster mud was added. I think it was worth all the effort. While he might look a bit like a linebacker, the size is imposing. It's makes for a strong silhouette, not something you'd want to run into in a dark alley.

You say the head was just to help hold the shape until it dries? I assume you'd aiming for the classic faceless reaper hood look. But the face is creepy too. I agree, some black and grey accents could benefit the robe. Help accentuate the folds, with some simulated shadows and highlights.

And of course a bony hand would be a good final touch. Or any prop. Perhaps holding a scythe or lantern or... maybe there's a pitchfork laying around the farm?

blueikaos, care to share any tutorials you followed when making your monster? Any tips on the recipe for your "monster mud."

For those interested, here's a link on HauntProject.com with several examples of props made this way.

[sloaner]

Great site Ryan. Makes me want to do something like that myself. The fog chiller tutorial caught my eye.

[blueikaos]

Ryan, you are right. I should have credited the site I followed, I apologize.

My favorite reaper that I followed came from Halloween Forum

I didn't use the exact measurements they gave for the monster mud considering the joint compound bucket wasn't full. I just mixed it up and tossed some black paint in.

I do think the faceless reaper is more intimidating and was the look I was going for, we had tossed around the idea of putting red LED's in the hood as glowing eyes.

We also made a human spit the other day which I will post pics of soon.

I think I might try my hand at some of the Stolloween pumpkins.
My fiance really likes this guy.

[monstermash]

Your reaper is brilliant blue. I think some moss and lichen here and there always adds a nice aged look. I'm planning on taking the plunge and making my own monster mud statue this year. I need to get my hands on some pvc pipe then im ready to roll. Also a good tip is you dont have to use burlap, in fact if you use a thinner material you will get more folds in the reapers cloak. I plan on using old thick cotton sheets. Goodness only knows when i'll get round to it but i'll be sure to post a progress thread on here.

[staticfurball]

Thats mreal cool for odd materials, Who says you gotta buy new to get what you need......a nice spooky twist to recycling!