Halloween has a way of bringing imagination to life. Some households put out a few pumpkins and call it a night. Others take it as an opportunity to create something memorable and creative. Bas van der Ploeg, a tech enthusiast from the Netherlands, created the ultimate Halloween house powered by Homey.
When Bas came across a video of animated Halloween scenes being projected onto house windows in the US, he didn’t just watch it and move on. He borrowed a projector from a friend, hung a white bedsheet on his street-facing window, and hooked up some computer speakers. With just a few foam skulls and pumpkins, his first Halloween display was born.
To his surprise, a lot of children showed up at his home for candy that first year. Seeing the overwhelmingly positive reaction, Bas decided it was time to expand.
When Homey Turned Tricks Into Triggers
The following year, he added more decorations, more candy, a real speaker set, and a smoke machine. Year after year, his Halloween display grew. More visitors, more effects, and his favorite part, more technology. But the show was still missing a crucial piece. It lacked interactivity. He wanted his display to respond to people’s actions rather than just play in a loop. That is when Homey entered the picture, and the display transformed from a repetitive loop of effects into an interactive experience.
At that time, smart doorbells with advanced features weren’t yet common, so he took a simple KlikAanKlikUit wireless doorbell and connected it to his Homey Pro. Behind his front door window, he installed a projector linked to a MacBook running a Keynote presentation. One of the slides contained a carefully timed jump scare video.
To bring it all to life, he created a clever Homey Flow. Whenever a visitor pressed the doorbell, Homey instantly sent an SSH command to the MacBook. This command triggered a keypress and played the terrifying jump scare video on the door. The kids loved it, and his Halloween show officially had a brain.
The Button That Built a Community
A few years later, he decided to build excitement long before Halloween night. At the beginning of October, he placed a large countdown sign in his front yard showing how many days remained until Halloween. To make his display interactive, he decided to add a smart button that anyone walking by could press.
Since rain and cold are constant companions in Dutch autumns, the button needed to survive the weather and the enthusiasm of dozens of children. Bas took an IKEA Tradfri Shortcut Button, soldered wires to the contact points, and attached them to a large, mushroom button. Everything was fitted inside a waterproof enclosure, and the result was a durable Zigbee button that communicated directly with Homey.
Whenever the button was pressed, Homey brought his creation to life. The outdoor lights dimmed, colored RGBW spotlights lit up the display, and small animatronics powered by Zigbee smart plugs began to move. At the same time, speakers played spooky sound effects and smoke machines came to life, leaving his visitors in awe. To gain more control over the lighting zones, Bas also introduced a simple DMX controller to split light channels. Even in its early form, his Homey Pro was already coordinating everything through Flows.
At the same time, Homey also captured a photo from the doorbell camera and sent it to Bas’s phone so he could see who had triggered the show. Inside Homey, a number variable kept track of how many times the button was pressed. Every evening a Telegram message arrived with the total count and then the counter reset to zero. It was a huge hit, and it quickly brought the community together!
Building a Haunted Projection Stage
While the big mushroom button was really popular with kids in his hometown, the real show actually began on Halloween night. Bas covered the front of his house with a large white tarp, turning it into a projection surface that stretched across the entire facade. Across the street, he built a small scaffolding platform and mounted a powerful 4K projector. With some basic projection mapping, he started creating animations that matched the outline of his home, transforming it into a living stage.
As the show grew, he even added DMX-controllable bubble machines for atmosphere and real flame throwers to surprise the crowd with dramatic bursts of fire, all triggered through timed effects. Since playing multiple videos and effects across different devices can be challenging, Bas used dedicated QLab show software, which allowed him to mix animations, DMX lighting, smoke, and flame effects into single scenes. A Zigbee remote connected to Homey Pro sent web requests to QLab so he could trigger new sequences instantly. From across the yard, one press of a button set the whole house in motion.
Children, parents, and curious onlookers gathered every year to see what he would come up with next. It became a highly anticipated neighborhood event and something people talked about long before the night even arrived.
A Candy Dispenser With a Twist
Each year, Bas would make custom boxes filled with candy for his curious visitors. Hundreds of children, their parents, and other curious visitors would get a handmade box when they visited his Halloween house.
Last year, Bas added a completely new feature, combining human generosity with automation. Visitors could scan a QR code through Tikkie, a Dutch mobile payment service, if they wanted to make a small donation. Homey monitored his account for transactions that included the words Halloween Donation. Whenever someone made a small donation, Homey sent a Zigbee command which triggered an Aqara C1 Pet Feeder.
The feeder was brand new and filled with M&M candy. Bas placed the feeder inside a pedestal and decorated it with a 3D-printed statue and a separate 3D-printed lion head mounted on the front. When a donation came in, the feeder activated, and candy poured out of the lion’s mouth to the delight of everyone watching. It was the perfect mix of Homey logic, creative design, and humor — an instant favorite among visitors.
Looking Toward the Future
Bas already uses DMX lighting for basic effects, but he is eager to learn more advanced programming to create smooth transitions, timed chases, and synchronized light shows that match the music and projections. He is also exploring new stage effects like cold spark machines to make the experience even more immersive.
The project demands both time and resources, yet he continues to invest in it each year because it combines his love for creativity, technology, and community. Local businesses now help by sponsoring equipment and materials, allowing him to push the show further every season.
Homey as the Heart of the Show
From a simple bedsheet and borrowed projector to a full interactive display, Bas’s Halloween setup has evolved into a living performance powered by Homey. It connects Zigbee buttons, smart plugs, smart lights, flame throwers, and candy dispensers into one synchronized experience.
Every press of a button, every light change, and every burst of smoke is coordinated through Homey. What began as a small experiment has become a smart Halloween tradition that brings an entire community together year after year. Bas didn’t just decorate his home for Halloween. He built an experience where technology, imagination, and Homey come together to create something unforgettable.
What would you bring to life if Homey were running your Halloween? You can start simple with Homey Cloud or go full-on with Homey Pro.
