A haunted house made of cardboard is a fun, affordable way to create a Halloween display. You get to use everything around your home—including boxes—and make something spooky. It is more attractive for kids. This article will discuss how to make a cardboard haunted house for your kid.
What is Cardboard Haunted House?
A haunted house is a type of Halloween decoration. A haunted house made of cardboard boxes is a real haunted house with a series of rooms containing different decorations, props, and characters. Out of cardboard boxes, the haunted house usually has a theme, such as a graveyard, forest, or home. Each room contains many items, including ghosts, skeletons, witches, goblins, and monsters. The haunted house is often painted black and sometimes includes a scary soundtrack.
Materials used to make a haunted house out of cardboard box
1. Boxes
There’s nothing scary about cardboard boxes! But they’re great for many things, including a haunted house. You’ll need at least three boxes that are roughly 10 inches deep. Make sure they have no holes or tears. If you want to make them look even scarier, use a black marker to draw eyes and mouths on them.
2. Scissors
Scissors are helpful and can cut anything from string to paper to cardboard. Using scissors can save time and money if you know how to use them. Use a sharp pair of scissors to avoid cutting yourself.
3. Tape
Tape is useful for many things, but it’s the best choice for making a haunted house. You’ll need masking tape, packing tape, duct tape, electrical tape, and clear packing tape. Use masking tape last at all times. Electrical tape is suitable for holding sheets of newspaper, and packing tape hold items together well. Clear packing tape is ideal for hiding mistakes before the final product goes out.
4. Newspapers
You’ll need several newspapers to construct your haunted house. The papers will protect the floor of your haunted house while giving it a realistic appearance.
5. Rope
The rope helps hang objects in your haunted house. You’ll only need about four feet of rope, but it may take some practice to get comfortable using it.
6. Markers
Markers help draw on boxes and other surfaces. Different colors can help you create a spooky environment. Black markers are perfect for adding details like shadows and writing messages.
7. Paint Brushes
Paint brushes are helpful in painting on boxes and other surfaces to add detail and realism. You don’t need special paintbrushes, just regular ones.
How To Make A Cardboard Haunted House?
To make a haunted house out of cardboard, you must first understand what goes into making an excellent haunted house costume. Then you can start building the haunted house. I will show you how to build a haunted house using cardboard and then cover the haunted house with fabric. You’ll learn about the materials and tools needed to complete this project. I recommend having some friends over to help you assemble this amazing haunted house.
- Find a large piece of cardboard (or two small pieces).
- Cut the cardboard in half lengthwise.
- Fold each side toward the middle so that you have four layers.
- Fold the top layer down.
- Repeat step 4 until you reach the bottom of the box.
- Unfold the sides and fold them inward.
- Repeat steps 5–6 until you get to the floor of the box.
- Turn the box upside down and cut along the edges of the box.
- Now you’re ready to decorate! Decorate the outside of the box any way you’d like. I chose to paint mine black and add spider webs.
- Next, turn the box right side up and use your glue gun to attach a bunch of spiders onto the inside.
- Once the glue dries, fill the entire box with glitter.
- Paint the backside of the box black.
How to Organize the Perfect Cardboard Haunted House box?
We each have a preconceived notion of what a haunted house should resemble. It should be scary, creepy, and filled with monsters and ghosts. But not all haunted houses are the same. Some are more realistic, some are fantasy-oriented, and some are weird. When you choose to organize the perfect haunted house out of a cardboard box, then follow these:
Find a big box
Look for boxes that are at least 2′ deep. You want enough space inside to fit your items comfortably. Also, make sure that the sides of the box are solid and sturdy. If they have holes or tears, you won’t be able to use them.
Get rid of the flaps.
Flap-less boxes are best. These are boxes where the top and bottom flap together. Flap-less boxes are great because they don’t require glue and tape, making them easier to assemble.
Measure the length of the box.
Measure how long the box is going to be. Ensure you leave room at both ends of the box for padding. You want to avoid ending up with a box that’s too small.
Measure the width of the box.
The box size should depend on what you’re putting in it. A large box will hold a lot, while a smaller box will hold less. Ensure your box is wide enough to accommodate whatever you’re storing.
Cut the box open
Use a box without a flap and cut it open along the length. You must first remove the side panels if you are not using a flap-less. Cut the box open once the side panels have been removed.
Locate the center
Locating the middle of the box is important. You want to put your heaviest item towards the back of the box. This way, if anything goes wrong, the heaviest object in the box will help to stabilize the box.
What’s the best-Cardboard Haunted House you can make?
The best-haunted house out of a cardboard box can be made using a cardboard box. It is not as scary as it sounds. The idea is to have a good scare and make the audience feel something, but not too much. The puppet show/red-lighted box is one of the best scare tactics that still work today. It needs a special box and a puppet show to make it work. Before you throw away your old newspaper, buy some good quality cardboard like this one here.
Read also: Kids And Their Love Woodland-Themed Children’s Rooms