Like others, I’ve seen many versions of a Zombie Pit/Cage popping up on the internet. I was intrigued by the idea, but felt I could take it so much further than what I was seeing. I always try to add a new element to my Halloween outdoor display each year, so with Halloween not too far away, my Zombie journey began.
First on the agenda... finding a wood pallet. The ones from the grocery stores were too dirty and soiled. I finally found some pristine pallets from an office supply company that were perfect. I left my wood pallet raw and a little dirty, and I didn’t feel the need to paint it at all.
My vision and prep sketches aimed for something like old storm cellar doors that angled up from the ground.
Wood pallet prep
Back support boards removed. I wanted one of the verical
slats to be broken, but not so easy. I had to saw a few shallow cuts before it would break. Not exactly the look I was going for, but still worked.
Pallet support
Up next, cutting and attaching the triangular sides. These will support the pallet on an angle to the ground.
Black beneath
After that I spray painted everything black in the underneath interior.
Iron handle
I knew I wanted a handle of some sort for the front, but when I found this iron door knocker it was more than I had hoped for.
It looks great and not expensive.
Zombie arrangement
Now it was time to start playing with the zombie bodies and arms and their placement behind the slats. I knew for sure that the green guy had
to be the one breaking through.
Stabilizing bodies & limbs
In order to attach the bodies from the back I used a staple gun, and in some cases sunk screws on
the back and ran a wire to support them. For arms closest to front and bottom, I staked them into the ground.
Fixing disembodied look
I know things look different in the dark, but it still bothered me that some heads and arms sort of
floated without bodies. So I shredded and dirtied some old shirts and hung them around the heads.
Lock 'em up
Important next step - add some sturdy chains to lock those Zombies in.
Bloody prints
After the chains were secured, I painted some red handprints on the wood slats.
Final warning
At this stage I painted a thin plywood board black and attached to the backend. This darkened up the interior nicely. Don’t
forget your sign warning of Zombies!
Lighting effects
Lastly, some lighting effects. Most examples on the internet seemed to use red lights, but I felt the green added
a more eerie, toxic look. I added black landscape fabric below to arrange the LED lights on.
Just the right creepiness
The completed assembly, viewed at night, turned out to be pretty creepy! Once set up on full display there will also be some flashing eyes staring up from the depths.
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The zombie portion of the completed 2024 Halloween display in front of house (shot at dusk).
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Dusk shot of zombie pit with graveyard off on the left side.
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If you look close, you can spot some of the colored eyes at bottom left and top right. In the end, I had to lift them closer to the wood slats instead of nestled at the bottom.
