Not sure if Halloween will be cancelled this year but I’ve been using the same setup for the past 3 years now and have received a lot of positive comments. I already have 90% of the decorations setup and will decide last minute if I “go live” this year. I’ve been surprised by the lack of Halloween automations on this forum so I wanted to share mine (plus I’m also looking to add something mechanical as well so any suggestions would be appreciated).
The setup consists of a variety of traditional Halloween decor (grave stones, skeletons, giant spider, jack o lanterns, etc.). Other non-SmartThings devices include a Perfect Storm lighting effects box, a PA sound system with sub, strobe lights, a black light and smoke machine. The automation, which is triggered by a motion sensor on the porch, controls 2 RGB smart bulbs, 4 smart switches and VLC media player installed on a laptop, connected to the PA system. This year I’m running a 2nd instance of VLC player to play barking dog sound effects.
As kids approach the house, I have “swamp sounds” playing and a friendly ghost is the first thing they see. The lightning effects and smoke are running continuously (I also use ice to cool the smoke so it stays low to the ground). Once the automation is triggered, all the following happens simultaneously: The porch lights (red on approach) and the entry light inside the house turn off , 2 strobe lights turn on illuminating a phantom and spirit, the friendly ghost’s white lights turn red and VLC player plays a spooky “I see you” track. This year I have a wireless speaker that will sit behind my skeleton dog and play the barking track. Everything resets when the front door is opened.
I thought about adding a fan to provide some movement to the phantom and spirit but it’s not dramatic enough. We have a rather innocent scarecrow right by the front door that I’d love to be able to shake or even turn its head. Any ideas on how I might accomplish this?
A short video clip from a few years back can be seen here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/nqe8s0i12frp559/Video%20Oct%2031%2C%206%2008%2020%20PM.mov?dl=0
Happy Halloween!
