Build a "werewolf in a box" haunted crate for Halloween!

Guests to our Haunted House 2011 will be invited to sit on an old wooden crate while they wait for the tour to begin. Silently, a panel is removed from the box and SUDDENLY A WEREWOLF HAND GRABS THEIR ANKLE!!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!

No worries, it's just Joe with a werewolf glove on. In this Instructable I will show you how I made the "haunted crate". Check out the youtube video (below) to see how it works!

Tools and materials I used to build this crate:

raw 1x6 cedar (I got it cheap at Home Depot because i chose all the cracked pieces)
1 x 2s
chop saw
router
screws
drill
watered-down latex paint (for aging the wood)
paintbrush

Tools for the "werewolf-oxygen-intake fan build:
12V fan
8x AA batteries
12V switch
3/4 spade bit
spray paint

Step 1: Measure and cut the wood

The size of your crate will depend on how large a werewolf you're putting in it. Mine, sitting upright, was about 30" high, so I gave it some width (about four feet). I made the depth about 27".

This part is quite straight-forward so I won't spend too much time on it - it's really just a box build at this point. First I cut the lengths for the front and the back of the crate. I moved on to the sides. I measured out and cut the lengths for the top. I left the bottom open.

To figure out the length of the two vertical 1x2s I laid the boards on the ground and added the board I was using for the top - with this measurement I cut out the vertical 1x2s for the front and back of the crate.

For the removable panel I figured out where my vertical 1x2s would be placed (offset from the edges by 11") and used the 1x2s to hide the seams. That meant cutting the panel out at 11 1/2" from the sides.

Cutting tip: when cutting with a chop saw the blade is 1/8" thick. Make sure the blade is on the "cut off" side of the material you are cutting or you will lose an eighth of your measurement. It might not seem like much but it only takes eight mistakes to lose an inch!

Comments

[l8nite]

great idea ! I don't think I have room or actors for it in this years haunt but its going in my ideas folder ! Thank You for sharing

[damianzuch]

Hmmmm.... I wonder if you could design an actorless version... maybe a pressure pad that activates a pneumatic werewolf arm or something. If a guest sits down on the crate their weight makes the arm pop out?

[damianzuch]

Actually, that would be a hilarious "monster under the bed" prank... When you sit on the edge of the bed a mechanism shoots a prop monster arm out at your ankles. Hmmmm.... I have to figure this out!!

[tinker234]

wow just wow