Want to have a transparent ghost floating around in your haunt? Want to bring Tupac or Michael Jackson back from the dead to perform for your guests? The latter may be a bit more complex than what you can do at home, but this article will teach you how to create the illusion of a transparent ghost, person, etc. in your Haunted House. The "Pepper's Ghost" is a method that's been around since the 1800s, and is incredibly simple. If you've ever been to the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland, you've seen this method in action.
Materials Needed For Your DIY Pepper's Ghost Hologram
• Sheet of glass, plexiglass, or transparent film
• Black backdrop, or flat black paint
• Light source for the object to be "ghosted". Flashlights work well for this.
The basic idea of a Pepper's Ghost hologram is to put the item/person to be ghosted in front of the black background, out of sight of the viewer, and then place the glass on a 45° angle between the ghosted object and the area where you want the ghost to appear.
Instructions:
1. Put the object or person to be ghosted in an area out of the view of your viewers
2. Use a backdrop or flat black paint to color the background of your hidden "ghost" area. Otherwise, other objects in this area could be reflected along with your ghost.
3. Place your glass, plexiglass or transparent film on a 45° angle between the hidden area and the viewable area.
4. Use a light source (like a flashlight) to illuminate the object that you want to show as a ghost.
You should now see the reflection of your ghosted person or object from the viewable area.
Video: You can also use video in your Pepper's Ghost hologram, rather than a live person, if you wish. This is how they make the ghosts in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion appear in your ride car. There's a video being projected from below with the Pepper's ghost method.
