A few years ago, I wanted to take our Halloween yard decorations to the next level without spending a fortune. I had fog machines, some tombstones, and the classic jack-o’-lantern but I felt like something was missing.

I wanted that one thing that would really make people stop in their tracks or maybe even cross the street.

That’s when I came up with the idea to make a life-sized dead body using nothing but plastic bottles, garbage bags, and a little imagination.

If you’ve got an hour, a roll of caution tape, and a bunch of empty bottles lying around, you’re going to love this project. It’s cheap, lightweight, and spooky enough to make your trick-or-treaters do a double-take.

What You’ll Need

• 2-3 empty gallon jugs (for the head and shoulders)
• 10-15 empty water bottles (various sizes work fine)
• Black trash bags (large, contractor-size is best)
• Packing tape or duct tape
• Scissors
• CAUTION tape (optional but highly recommended)
• Optional extras: red paint or fake blood, rubber gloves, old clothes, plastic limbs, toe tag printables

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Build the Skeleton Frame

Start by laying out your plastic bottles on the floor to form the shape of a human body.

You use gallon jugs for the head and shoulders as they give a nice bulky look and help define the upper body. Line up water bottles to form the spine, ribs, arms, and legs.

Don’t worry about perfection as this body is supposed to look lifeless and slumped.

Once you’ve got the shape right, tape the bottles together in sections. I taped the torso as one piece, then added the arms and legs separately. This makes wrapping easier later on.

Step 2: Wrap It Up Like a Body

Next, place your frame onto a large black trash bag and wrap it tightly.

Use another bag if needed to cover the whole form, especially the head and feet. As you wrap, tape along the way to keep the shape secure.

Make sure to cinch the bottom of the bag where the feet would be. This gives it that classic body-bag look. You can even twist the neck area a little tighter with tape to give the illusion of a head.

Step 3: Add the Creepy Details

This is where it gets fun. Take your CAUTION tape and start wrapping it around the body in a criss-cross pattern.

One band across the chest, another over the legs, maybe one more around the neck. It instantly transforms your trash-bag-wrapped frame into a realistic crime scene prop.

If you want to up the scare factor, splash on some fake blood, stick a rubber hand poking out of the bag, or print out a toe tag and tape it to the end.

You can even stuff an old hoodie or pants to create a more dressed-up victim.

Here're some Your Dead Body Display Ideas

Safety Tips

Before you go all out, you need to keep your prop away from candles or open flames (plastic bags and bottles are flammable).

Besides, avoid placing it in high-traffic walkways where someone might trip over it. If displaying outdoors, you need to weigh it down with a brick or stone inside to keep it from blowing away.