Welcome to Tom's Night Terrors

My name is Tom and I make Halloween props. I have lived in the Chicago area almost all of my life and with my wife, Judy and our two dogs. Judy has always tried to inspire me to make scary motion picture-like Halloween props. I finally took her advice and started making a prop. This led into making more than just one! When I was working on the props, I never had plans or designs. These creations came from within me. I have always loved Horror movies, Haunted Houses, Jack-O-Lanterns, scary props and any thing that could put a good scare into a person. In my youth, I tried never to miss an episode of Creature Features and collected and made all the Universal Studio Monster models. I made a large vampire bat out of paper mache. I also made a Wolf Man’s mask

( if you’re wondering where I got the hair for the mask, let’s just say that our family’s poodle came in handy ).

The Halloween props I created this year are as follows:

-Thirty mummified- looking skulls that are placed in bushel baskets on and around a large wooden sign that reads "HOME GROWN CRANIUMS".

-A scarecrow that has a sinister pumpkin head that is approximately eleven feet tall with an arm-span of approximately ten feet across. The scarecrow’s chest cavity has green guts coming out of it. The scarecrow’s head, the base and torso are illuminated in red at night. There is a similar prop I have displayed at a local coffee shop. It hangs off a ceiling beam and looks like it’s flying down on you when you enter the store.

-The most elaborate prop is the one we call L.O.T.Z. (Lord Of The Zombies). It’s approximately seven feet tall draped in a hooded black cloak. The eyes are translucent and light up like fire at night. The upper torso can be posed in numerous positions. The flesh on the head and hands are made from yellowish /white latex rubber that I sculpted. I use a green floodlight to shine down on the head and hands to enhance it’s evil red eyes at night.

Halloween / horror movies has always been dear to me. A dream of mine is to open a year round Haunted House that people would want to come to and get scared. There is a real art to putting together a house of horrors like this. I love to put a good scare into the trick or treaters and their parents and enjoy when someone tries to scare me! I know if you are viewing this website, you, or someone you know must feel the same way I do. If you have any question about the props, you can contact me via e-mail: