Horror Movie Inspired Door 🚪🪓 Halloween Decoration

This Instructable will show you how to build your very own horror movie inspired door!

I actually made this for our horror-themed Airbnb in Big Bear, CA but I think it would make for an incredible Halloween decoration! You could fairly easily swap it out with a regular door in your house just by pulling the pins on your door hinges and swapping it out.

It features a small door that opens for a Jack Torrance-style moment and even includes an embedded axe!

Let's get to it!

Supplies:

1. Solid wood, four-panel door in your desired width and height
2. These can be a little tricky to find. You may have better luck finding a six-panel door which I think would still give you a good look even though the movie uses a four-panel. But make sure it is solid wood so that you can cut out the jack Torrance hole!
3. Painter's tape
4. Small Hinges
5. Sandpaper
6. White Bolt Latch
7. Door handle and lock
8. White paint
9. Axe
10. Construction adhesive
11. Wood filler
12. Red paint for “Redrum” text

Tools:

1. Jigsaw
2. Router
3. Screwdriver
4. Vinyl cutter (optional for stenciling)

Draw the cutout shape where you want the small door to open. Use movie screenshots for reference to get the right look.

Apply painter’s tape around the edges of the cutout to prevent chipping while cutting.

Use a jigsaw to cut out the shape. Make sure to keep the cutout piece for later as it will become the small door.

Tip: Try to keep the saw as perpendicular as possible for a cleaner cut.

Sand down any rough edges from the jigsaw cut to ensure the small door fits smoothly in place.

If the fit is tight, sand the edges until the small door moves easily without getting stuck.

Attach the small hinges to the cutout piece to make it a swinging door. Place the hinges along the straight edge of the cutout.

Take your time fitting the hinges. Minor adjustments may be needed to ensure the door opens and closes smoothly without rubbing against the frame.

I ended up using a Bolt Latch because it's simple and visible, so folks know it’s locked just from looking at it.

Install the latch to the interior of the door. If the first latch doesn’t fit or work properly, keep adjusting it as needed.

Install a standard door handle and lock to your solid wood door. You can follow general instructions for this step—there are jigs available at home improvement stores to make this process easier.

Now before the hardcore fans leave a comment, I know this isn't screen accurate to the movie. But since this was going in our cabin, I wanted the outside of the door to match the dark wood esthetic of the rest of the cabin so I stained the outside a dark brown.

The inside had to be white though, This was a bit tedious having carefully tape off all corners and edges to prevent paint from bleeding.

For Halloween decorations, painting both sides white would be easier and more accurate to the film.

Using a router, carve a small slit in the door where the blade of the axe will sit.

Dull the axe blade for safety, then secure the axe into the slit with construction adhesive.

For extra stability, drill a screw through the back of the small door into the axe handle.

Fill the screw hole with wood filler, then paint over it for a smooth finish.

You can either stencil the “Redrum” text using a vinyl cutter or freehand it with a pencil and paint it on with red paint. In the movie, it’s written with lipstick, so feel free to recreate that authentic look.

There you have it–an iconic horror movie-inspired door, perfect for Halloween! Hang it in your haunt, bathroom, or even on your front door.

Hope you enjoyed this project and please let me know if you decide to make this or have any ideas for improvements!

Find me @travisderose on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for more projects like this!

And check out our horror-themed Airbnb in Big Bear, CA if you're interested. Aside from the Classic Horror Film Replica Bathroom, it's got Ghostly Special Effects that randomly flicker the lights, turn on TV static, & play ghostly sound effects! Plus tons of the Scary Movie Nostalgia and even an Escape Room-type of puzzle to uncover the Mystery of the cabin's previous owner.

-Travis