Ghostly Gotcha Door (Instructions about 2 or 3 hours build time)

If you have a doorway in a dimly lit hall you'll need a large piece of cardboard such as a refrigerator box side.  If you don't have an available doorway, you'll need the whole refrigerator box, but cut a 3x4 foot hole or larger in the back so someone can climb in.

For the hallway, cut the cardboard wide enough so it can be taped in place over the door way.

You will also need some brown and black poster paint, and maybe grey to paint dungeon rocks framing the outside edges of the door. You will need a roll of clear wide cellophane packing tape.  Your "prisoner" will need a large monster or warewolf hand glove from a costume store.  (Or they could use 'bloody" drooping gauze over their own hand or a pink or green kitchen dishwashing glove.)

On the front of the cardboard draw a large dungeon door with a small 8x8 inch window to be cut out in the upper center. (If a kid will be in the box, you might need a short sturdy stool, and cut the window a bit lower.)  Paint a narrow black frame around the window and when dry, cover it with clear wide cellophane packing tape so it looks shiny. On the backside of the window, duct tape two grey painted dowel rods, wrapping paper cardboard tubes, or grey pvc conduit for dungeon window bars.

With an extra piece of cardboard, (such as that back you cut out,) make two large triangles for hinges and a 4x5 inch rectangle for the latch.  Paint these black and then cover them with the clear wide cellophane packing tape so they are very black and shiny. 

Glue them to the front of the door as a top hinge and bottom hinge and opposite them the latch.  Now make a large locked padlock to affix to the latch, paint it black (or brass.) Then make a large jailer's skeleton key painted black (or brass.)  Hang this from the latch with a short string.

Now about 8 inches below the window in the center of the door cut out a Diamond shape (turn a 10x10 square to make the diamond.)  Tape a piece of black visqueen (or heavy duty black garbage bag) cut 18 inches long to hang down over the hole from the backside, taping just the top edge. Then cut up and down slits in it about an inch apart so it is shredded from an inch below the top edge all the way through the bottom.  From the front this will appear to be a shiny metal brace on the door.

On the front side of the door about 10 inches below the diamond and 10 inches above the window add two smaller 5x5 inch diamonds centered on the door, also painted black and covered with the shiny tape. (This will give the illusion of three shiny black metal bracings on the door.)

Now paint the front of the door to look like rough cut wide brown planks such as a dungeon jail door, with wood grain done with a few thin dashes of the black paint. Maybe add dungeon rocks framing the door.

Once dry, you can duct tape the door into your available door frame, or move the free standing 'fridge box to a dimly lit location.

Now it's showtime!  As folks at your party walk past the door, your prisoner wiggles fingers (of their ungloved hand) through the little window and peering out begs pitifully for someone to get the key and let them out.   As soon as someone steps close to the box.........

WAAAUUGH!...... With a roar your prisoner thrusts the monster hand through the shredded visqueen, their  fingers flared and grabbing at the guest who, suddenly seeing A MONSTER HAND APPEAR SEEMINGLY OUT OF NOWHERE, will jump out of their skin!

(Then they will want to get behind the door and scare a friend or spouse themselves!)

I invented this Gotcha Door for a boy scout troop haunted house more than ten years ago and it was always a big hit, and super cheap to do.  (Gotta love duct tape and those those 'fridge boxes!)

Enjoy!   Bwa ha ha haaa