It's pretty easy to overlook a sense that can really drive up the eeriness of your haunt - smell.
In the past I simply burned incense just to create an atmosphere. Jumbo sticks are available that burn for hours so you can set it and forget it while busy with the trick-or-treaters.
However a couple years ago I found a company that is simply divine - Dark Candles. They've managed to craft unusual and unique scents that truly evoke the given name.
Cemetery Gates - smells like metal, not even kidding
Coffin - rotting wood and dirt? ✓and ✓
Graveyard - damp earth, stone, rot
Dark Grove - fragrant trees, damp earth, moss, woodland spirits
These are just a few of dozens of options. I place them in areas I knew visitors spend time, taking photos or waiting for candy. So they move through the gates and into the graveyard, past the coffins and then wait next to the grove for treats. It's fun to watch people stop, pause and take a deep breath, unsure of what's changed or why it feels different. A subtle touch that pays big dividends.
49 days till Halloween...
