The Three-Spired Haunted House

From pumpkin to porch

1. 1

   Pick a tall pumpkin and open the back

   Choose a taller, slightly slim pumpkin so the three spires have room to stretch upward. Cut a lid or an access hole in the back, not the top, so the front wall stays uninterrupted for the design. Scoop the inside until the front wall is about one inch thick, which makes clean piercing easier. A thinner wall also lets the light push through the arched openings more evenly.

2. 2

   Transfer your stencil

   Tape your stencil flat against the front and poke the outlines with a pin or transfer tool. Mark the central arched window, the round-topped door below it, and the narrow gaps between the three spires as cut areas. Mark the spire shafts and the cross arms as keep areas so you do not remove them by mistake. Step back and check that the center spire sits over a smooth panel between ribs, not on a deep groove.

3. 3

   Score the shafts and cross arms first

   Before any piercing, lightly outline the spire shafts and the small crosses so you always know where the solid rind must stay. These narrow uncut strips are what hold the whole design together, so treat them as protected zones. Do not carve into them. Keeping them intact now means the wall stays strong while you remove the openings around them.

4. 4

   Pierce the window and door

   Cut the central arched window and the round-topped doorway all the way through with a fine saw. Use short, gentle strokes and let the saw do the work so you do not crack the thin frames between them. These are the biggest openings and the brightest features, so cut them cleanly and smooth the inside edges. Support the wall with your free hand from inside as you go.

5. 5

   Open the narrow side gaps, then the finials

   Cut the slim gaps that separate the two outer spires from the center, working slowly since these are long and narrow. Once the arched window and side gaps are removed and the remaining wall is fully supported, cut the tiny cross finials at the very top last. They are the most fragile elements, so make each cut short and avoid twisting the blade. If a real pumpkin feels too thin here, leave the cross arms as shallow peeled lines instead of full cutouts.

6. 6

   Light it and photograph

   Drop in a battery LED, never a candle, since the thin spires and open arches can scorch easily. Aim the light low and centered so the arched window glows brightest and the spires catch a soft Gothic edge. Shoot in a dim garage or porch at dusk with the LED as your main light. Wipe the cut edges clean and rub a little petroleum jelly on them to slow drying.

Written with AI to match this design