16. Haunted Portrait Gallery
Transform your hallway into a creepy, historical corridor by creating a gallery of haunted portraits whose eyes seem to follow you as you walk past. This classic haunted house trick relies on a simple optical illusion called the “hollow-face illusion.” By printing out vintage, sepia-toned portraits and modifying the eyes to sit slightly back from the frame, you can create an incredibly effective, unsettling display that will have your guests doing double-takes every time they walk through your home.
Find high-resolution images of stern, Victorian-era portraits online and print them in black and white or sepia tone. Mount the prints inside ornate, dark thrift-store frames. To create the following-eye effect, carefully cut out the pupils of the subject’s eyes using a sharp craft knife. Behind each cut-out eye, attach a small, concave piece of paper painted with the matching eye detail, recessed about half an inch behind the main portrait. When a viewer walks past the frame, the recessed, concave shape of the eyes creates the illusion that the gaze is actively turning to follow their movement. Group several of these portraits together on a single wall, surrounding them with faux cobwebs and dim, flickering sconce lighting for a truly chilling gallery experience.