Just sitting a coffin in your living room, on your porch or in your Halloween graveyard makes a spooky statement in its self. But there are a lot of things you can do with a coffin to raise the scare level. Below are a few of the things we've done with our Halloween coffins. Note - These effects have been used with the "Toe Pincher Coffin" bought from the Halloween Connection, but could be adapted for use with other types of coffins and caskets.

Trapped in the Coffin
For this Halloween prop, we bought eighteen feet of two-inch black or silver plastic chain from Mr. Chain and a couple of cheap padlocks from our local dollar store. We then wrap the section of the chain around the coffin and padlock it together as shown in the picture. You can add either a fake hand or skeleton hand between the lid and case as though someone is inside and trying to escape. Lastly, we place a CD player inside the coffin with a home-made CD of moaning and screaming, and set the CD player to continuously play.

If you want to take this prop to the next step and create a very realistic animatronic effect, you can buy a "Coffin Lid Banger" unit from the Halloween Connection. This device mounts inside the coffin and actually bangs on the lid of the coffin, causing the lid move and a real banging sound as though someone is inside and trying to get out. A very creepy effect!

Vampire Coffin
Here's an old classic. With the coffin is laying on a flat, solid surface, or if the coffin is standing up, place it against a wall for stability. Dress as a vampire and lay or stand in the coffin very still. When trick or treaters approach, open the lid and greet them.

About to be Buried
Dig a shallow grave in your Halloween graveyard and place the coffin next to it as though it is about to be entombed in the ground. Place a old-time lantern on top of the coffin and stick a shovel in the ground near it for added effect.

For a little more shock value, you can hang a fake hand or skeleton hand out of the lid. Inexpensive fake hands can be found at most department stores during the Halloween season. For a boney skeleton hand, the most realistic would be a "Bucky" skeleton hand, available from The Skeleton Store. The second option would be to buy an inexpensive plastic skeleton and remove the legs.

Possessed Coffin
Place a small fog machine with a fog machine timer/controller and battery powered strobe light inside the coffin and set the fog machine to come on every few minutes. This works best if the lid is propped open a couple of inches to allow fog to seep out.

If you want to add sounds effects, you can place a portable CD player inside the coffin with a home-made CD of ghostly sounds set on continuous play. Just be sure that it is powered by batteries and not AC current and that you place the entire CD player inside of a extra large Zip-Lok bag, because the moisture from the fog machine could cause it to short out and create a fire or electricution hazard.

Haunted Coffin
Glowing light from inside the coffin. Place two strings twinkle lights (Xmas lights), one green and one blue, inside the coffin, attached to an automatic,  two channel cross-fader. A cross-fader is a device that slowly fades the attached lights on and off, or in this case slowly between the two strings of lights. Digital SL has a cross fader for $30.00. To add sound effects, place a portable CD player inside the coffin with a home-made CD of ghostly sounds and set the player on repeat.

Skeleton in the Coffin
Place a full size skeleton such as a Bucky Skeleton (available at the Halloween Connection) inside the coffin. Attach fishing line to the outside edge of the coffin lid and run through one or more eyelets screwed into the ceiling. When trick or treaters approach, pull the line from a distance, and the coffin lid will open.

If you want the coffin standing up, instead of laying flat, you will need to attach the skeleton to the back of the coffin so that it stands up. We drilled two small holes about two inches apart in the back-board where the top of the spinal column would be. We then laid the skeleton in the coffin and used a black colored zip-tie to attach it around the spine and through the holes.

Halloween Party Centerpiece
Use the coffin as a center-piece at your Halloween party. For a stand, we use two thick logs, cut to equal height as the stands. Place a gothic style candelabra at each end. Make sure that the candle-holders have wax catch-wells, and only use drip-less candles, you don't want melted candle wax running all over your coffin. In the center of the coffin place a Jack O' Lantern or Halloween themed floral arrangement.

For our last Halloween party, we placed the coffin in-between a "Halloween Cemetery Entry" and it looked great! Click here for the Halloween Online review of this classy product.

Halloween Town Display
Use a coffin as the base for creating a miniature Halloween Town display.

Coffin of Bones
Place the coffin on stands and partially fill with Styrofoam chips to reduce the amount of bones you will need. Fill the coffin up the rest of the way with skulls and bones. Bulk bags of realistic skulls and bones are available from The Skeleton Store.

Body Raiser