Tools & Materials for This Project

All of the materials used on this prop can be found at home improvement stores and a few of them can probably be found in your garage.

2 X 4 or similar type lumber for constructing the spine

Sturdy lumber used for the base- about 14 inches wide, 12 inches long and an inch or so thick

Some form of tubing used for the ribs - like flexible PVC (I use the 1/2 inch diameter type used for irrigation/drip systems)

A piece of 1 inch (diameter) rigid PVC - 10.5 to 12 inches in length - used for the corpse's neck

Dry Wall Screws 1.5 to 2 inches in length

Extra strength glue - such as Gorilla Glue, Liquid Nails, etc.

Skull, arm, shoulder blade & hand bones - I purchased mine from Anatomical Chart Company

Several feet of thin wire - I use 6 inch Bar Ties (used to hold pieces of rebar steel together)

Needle nosed pliers, drill, phillips bit and at least three drill bits that measure 1/8 of an inch, 3/32 of an inch, and 1 inch

Miter Saw or a Skill (Circular) Saw - even a hand saw will work

Small Hack Saw

Elmer's Glue and one or two rolls of smooth textured paper towels for adding skin to the corpse during the papier mache process

Your favorite ghoulish color(s) of acrylic latex paint

Optional: Electric hand sander, router, Minwax Gel Stain, a hot glue gun, glue sticks and a can of Great Stuff insulating foam sealant. For the gel stain, I like the Antique Maple 603 color. It provides just enough color to look worn without over darkening the bones. This gives your corpse that fresh from the grave look!

Cutting & Securing the Base & Spine

When determining the length of your spine you may want to take into consideration how much of your corpse will appear to be sticking out of the ground. This is really a personal preference. On this particular prop the lumber being used for the spine is 18 inches in length.

After cutting the spine to length, I then use a Miter Saw for cutting a 33 degree angle on one end. You can also use a Skill Saw or even a hand saw if you aren't too concerned with how rough the angle of your cut comes out. If you prefer, you can leave the spine squared off without cutting any angle at all. For this particular corpse, I wanted him to appear to be leaning backwards as he breaks through the cool October earth. This angle helps to impart the image of him writhing around to break free!

I then use lumber that is an inch to two inches in thickness for the base. This ensures a sturdy place to ground our corpse. As you'll see, I tend to "bulk up" my framework more than may be necessary for your particular project. I do this for two reasons: to ensure the prop will last for many, many years and with all the additional materials ie. skull, tubing, arms, shoulder blades & hands being attached to the body, I want to make sure it doesn't tip over unexpectedly.

I cut the base about 12 inches long and 14 inches wide. After cutting my base to size, I then router the edges and sand the spine and base to a smooth finish. I include detail work like sanding and routering on my props, but it's certainly not necessary on your own personal prop building. I then place an ample amount of Gorilla Glue to the underside of the angled portion of my corpse's spine. I center the spine over the base, pressing firmly and while applying pressure I grab three, 2 inch dry wall screws (you'll find you need three hands to accomplish this one). I then drive them into the front and sides of the lumber being used for the spine, securing them to the base. Next, I do more detailing by making sure my screws are sunk in deep enough to allow a wood glue/putty finish to be applied over them. After allowing the putty/glue mixture to dry, the entire surface is sanded again to ensure a smooth finish with no screws showing.

Creating & Attaching the Corpse's Sternum/Breastbone

With the spine attached to the base we are now ready to create the corpse's sternum/breast bone using the 1/2 inch drip system/irrigation tubing. The image shows what a roll of this extremely sturdy, yet flexible tubing looks like. I cut a 15 inch piece of 1/2 inch flexible pvc with my hack saw. This next part takes a little patience- I spend several minutes shaping my pvc tubing into a design that looks somewhere between a half moon shape and the letter U.

While the pvc tubing for drip systems is flexible, it does take some gentle encouragement to achieve certain bends. If you force the plastic into a tight curve before it's ready, then you will begin to get crimps or "pinches" in your pipe. Not that this is a bad thing. In fact this material is so sturdy it doesn't hurt it at all, however my reason for keeping everything crimp-free (as much as possible) is purely for aesthetics as opposed to functional issues. When the skin is added to the corpse though it becomes pretty much impossible to see the crimps.

In this image you can see a close up of the bottom of the sternum attached to the 2 X 4 spine (the spine is laying flat against my work table). The empty space between the top and bottom of the sternum attachment is about 9 to 10.5 inches. After measuring out and marking my points of attachment I add some Gorilla Glue to both ends and then drive my two inch drywall screws through the tubing, into the spine.

I usually use one or two screws per end to guarantee a tight connection between the tubing and the spine. Be careful not to overtighten your screws as they can chew a larger hole in the tubing than is needed. This can also be remedied by using washers with your screws to prevent the heads from chewing up the tubing. We are now ready to give this guy some ribs.