My daughter thinks it’s too real and too scary

If you’re someone who loves Halloween and loves to decorate you need to hear about the latest trend called “Digital Decorations”. 

Maybe you’ve even seen this type of Halloween decorations in your neighborhood, but it’s fairly new and is guaranteed to draw attention. Using a video file, projector, and an old sheet or shower curtain, your house can be transformed into a house of horrors in under an hour. Here’s how to set it up:

Items needed:

  • Digital projector
  • USB flash drive
  • Some type of cloth or partially transparent material that will act as the screen
  • A video file you can find online

Steps:

  • I used a ViewSonic projector that I use for outdoor movie nights. Unless you plan to use the projector for other reasons, a cheap digital projector can be found online for under $100.
  • You’ll need the video file. I purchased one from www.AtmosFX.com for $12. Atmos has a variety of Halloween scenes that range from cartoon characters that are fine for trick-or-treaters and videos of frightening, ghostly, and monsters. The one I chose is probably too dark and scary for little kids. Atmos has videos that work in doorways, windows, and walls. Atmos has good step-by-step directions on its site as well as customer photos and videos. 
  • Once you purchase a video file and download it onto your computer you should copy the file onto an SD-Card or USB flash drive, whichever format your projector can play.
  • Since I will be projecting the video from inside the house and onto our front door, I used an old shower curtain liner that allows the image to be seen from the front yard.
  • The doorway video is vertical so I placed the projector on its side and pointed it at the shower curtain that was placed inside the glass storm door.
  • The video file also has audio so you can connect an external speaker to play the sound so it can be heard outside.
  • Video files are also made to play on garage doors and inside the house showing from a window.

It’s a fairly simple set-up and depending on the projector you buy, you can digitally decorate your house on the cheap. Since I already had the projector the total cost was $12.

How real does it look? Too real for young trick-or-treaters. If you usually get cowboys and princesses and other cute costumed children, take a look at the family-friendly options. Halloween isn’t the only holiday for digital decorations. AtmosFX also has projections for Christmas.