# Halloween ![Halloween icon](pwa-192x192.png) Bring your window to life with nine playful Halloween animations on black, nine realistic apparitions in **Spooky Glow**, or choose **Shadow** for nine restrained, unsettling scenes of realistic silhouettes on white. Choose **Jump Scares** for eight fast jump scares plus Surprise Me. Control the projection from your phone. ![A rendered preview of all nine Halloween scenes](characters-preview.png) ## Join the mischief Open Halloween on your display, then scan its QR code to open Halloween Controls in the same room. You can also launch Halloween from **Back to apps → Visuals** on an existing RCWeb controller. One display hosts the experience; multiple phones can join. For a phone to reach a display on your local network, open the display using its network address rather than localhost. The invitation uses the address shown on the display. ## Meet the monsters - **Mr. Bones:** Hold left or right to walk in that direction. He steps backwards when needed, keeping his pose without suddenly flipping. Holding toward an edge slows him to a visible stop. Release to pause briefly before he wanders again; automatic turns happen offscreen. Tap **Wave!** for a friendly wave or **Arms up!** to raise both hands. He pauses to gesture while wandering on his own. An explosion requested at an edge waits until he is fully back onscreen. **Explode!** scatters spinning bones that bounce off the screen edges; **Rebuild** brings him back together. - **Slime Ghost:** Fly with the arrows and leave a dissolving green trail. **Boo!** makes the ghost swell; **Slime!** showers the screen with bright droplets. - **Pumpkin Patch:** Three large carved pumpkins glow and sway continuously. Tap **Bounce!** for a staggered hop or **Glow!** for a bright, warm light pulse that smoothly fades away. The pumpkins stay visible throughout, in both Simple and Cartoon. - **Bat Swarm:** Guide the flock, **Scatter!** the bats or **Gather** them again. - **Itsy Bitsy:** Move the spider sideways, **Drop!** towards the floor or **Climb** up the thread. In Cartoon style, a creepy bristled spider has amber eyes, curved fangs and eight jointed, hooked legs. Its bright ivory markings stand out against the black background. - **Watching Eyes:** Make the eyes look around, **Blink**, or **Pop!** them out to bounce around. They return automatically. - **Broom Witch:** Hold a direction to guide a witch and her cat that way, including backwards without flipping the broom. She stays visible when you keep holding toward an edge. Release to hover briefly before automatic flight resumes; automatic turns happen offscreen. Up and down adjust her height. **Loop!** rolls the broom right around. **Magic bats!** casts bright stars that turn into little flying bats, then disappear. A spell requested while the wand is offscreen waits for it to return. - **Witch's Brew:** Slide around the pad to stir a bubbling cauldron. **New potion** changes its colour. **Add eyeballs!** drops bouncing eyeballs into the brew. **Erupt!** sends up a smiling potion spirit and a shower of bubbles. - **Moon Mummy:** Walk sideways or tap **Sleep** to return to the coffin, fold your arms and close the lid. **Wake up!** opens the coffin and brings the mummy back out for another stroll. Tap a character picture to switch with a short, smooth dissolve. The QR panel stays steady while the scenes blend. The witch and skeleton keep their shape as they cross the screen and turn only out of sight. Ghosts drift smoothly, bats bank into their flight, and the spider sways from its thread. Each scene moves by itself when nobody is pressing a button. One phone at a time steers; everyone can use the action buttons. Release your direction button to let another person steer. The phone's direction pad also works by sliding: touch an arrow or the center and move your finger without lifting it. Slide diagonally with Slime Ghost, Bat Swarm, Watching Eyes or Broom Witch; Mr. Bones, Itsy Bitsy and Moon Mummy steer left/right. Witch's Brew uses the pad to stir. Lift your finger to release steering. You can tap an action with a second finger while moving. ## Demo and manual play After **1 minute without controller activity**, the display enters **Demo mode** and cycles through the selected style's scenes, showing each for **20 seconds**: nine in Simple/Cartoon, nine in Shadow, nine in Spooky Glow or nine in Jump Scares. This also works when no phones are connected. The phone's playback panel shows **Demo in 0:59** during manual play, or **Next scene in 0:19** while demo is running. Tap **Start demo** to begin immediately with the next scene. Tap **Switch to manual** to stay on the current scene and restart the one-minute inactivity countdown. Selecting a scene, moving a character, using an action or changing a projection setting also returns to manual play. Touching, typing or scrolling on the controller during manual play keeps the inactivity countdown fresh; simply leaving the controller connected does not. Demo also performs each scene's actions: Mr. Bones waves, explodes and rebuilds; the witch loops and casts a spell; the mummy sleeps and wakes. Shadow figures approach, pause and retreat, while Spooky Glow apparitions gather and fade. Pumpkin Patch glows and bounces throughout its turn. Taking control cancels the remaining automatic actions for that scene. All phones share the same mode and countdown. Demo keeps the selected artwork style, QR size, mirroring and graphics quality. Automatic scene changes do not pull phones back from **Back to apps**. Refreshing the display starts a new manual session with Mr. Bones, Night Flight in Shadow mode, or Veiled Wraith in Spooky Glow. ## Shadow projection Choose **Advanced settings → Animation style → Shadow**. The scene list changes to nine scenes on a white background, with black and translucent grey silhouettes. Natural human proportions, long pauses and gradual movement create a more adult, unsettling atmosphere. These scenes are silent, with no cartoon faces or sudden flashing. - **Night Flight:** A flock of bat silhouettes circles and crosses the light. Guide it with the pad; **Scatter** opens the formation and **Gather** pulls it together. - **Passing Presence:** A veiled human shadow drifts across the window. Steer it, **Materialise** to darken it, or **Disappear** to fade it away. - **The Rising:** A figure slowly rises from the bottom edge. Position it left/right, then choose **Rise** or **Withdraw**. - **Ceiling Watcher:** An inverted figure descends head first from the top edge. Position it left/right and use **Descend** or **Retract**. - **At the Glass:** Lifelike hands emerge from below and press against the light. Position them with the pad; **Press closer** darkens and enlarges them, while **Release** fades them. - **Distant Visitor:** A solitary figure grows nearer, pauses and recedes. Steer left/right and choose **Approach** or **Recede**. Actions ease in over several seconds. Automatic movement resumes after a short hold. Demo cycles only these nine scenes while Shadow is selected. Switching back to Simple or Cartoon restores the original nine-scene selection. Entering or leaving Shadow starts the first scene of that set and releases held movement. The style is saved on the display and shared with every phone. ![The nine shadow scenes](shadow-scenes-preview.png) Shadow keeps the standard QR panel, its size/Hide setting, lean graphics and whole-display mirroring. Hide the QR panel after joining for an uninterrupted white projection. Silhouette artwork loads on the first switch and is cached for immediate scene changes; a loading failure returns to Simple with a retry message. ## Rear projection Choose **Advanced settings → Animation style** on your phone. **Simple** is the original bright illustrated style. **Cartoon** uses detailed, rendered 3D characters for all nine scenes, including three glowing pumpkins, with the same movement and action buttons. Both styles keep the black background and child-friendly expressions. The first switch to Cartoon loads the artwork while Simple keeps playing. Once ready, scene and style changes reuse the loaded artwork. The choice is remembered on the display and shared with every phone. If artwork cannot load, Simple keeps the show running and you can choose Cartoon again to retry. ![All nine scenes in Cartoon style](realistic-preview.png) Open **Advanced settings** on the phone and enable **Mirror projection**. This flips the entire display horizontally, including the QR code and all text. The phone stays normally oriented. The setting is remembered on the display when browser storage is available. Choose **QR code panel** to use **Extra small (50%)**, **Small (75%)**, **Standard (100%)**, **Large (150%)**, **Extra large (200%)** or **Hide**. Larger panels fit within the display automatically. Hide removes the whole joining panel and gives the animations more room; connected phones keep working and can show it again. The choice is saved on the display and shared with all connected controls. For a completely black display between jump scares, choose **QR code panel → Hide** after joining. Otherwise the standard joining panel remains visible. Use **Lean graphics** for older screens. It reduces effects and rendering resolution while keeping the current style's scenes and their controls. The QR panel stays at the bottom right. Move the mouse or touch the display to reveal the full-screen icon at the top right; it hides again after a brief pause. Tap it to enter or leave full screen. These positions reverse when projection mirroring is enabled. The projector and screen affect brightness and QR readability. Check the image and scan the QR code from the audience side of the real installation. ## Leaving **Back to apps** returns only your phone to the app list in the same room. The display keeps playing. If the phone connection drops, held controls release and the display enters demo when its inactivity countdown finishes. A full display refresh restarts Mr. Bones while preserving projection settings. ## Spooky Glow For a faster, scarier variation with black pauses and sudden attacks, choose **Jump Scares** in Advanced settings. See the scenes below. Choose **Advanced settings → Animation style → Spooky Glow** for nine realistic, luminous apparitions on pure black. Original generated artwork brings detailed fabric, bone and spectral skin to a more unsettling projection style. - **Veiled Wraith:** Steer a drifting shrouded apparition. **Manifest** brings it into the light; **Disperse** fades it away. - **Grave Portrait:** Move a ghostly skull through the darkness. **Loom closer** enlarges it; **Recede** sends it into the distance. - **Lantern Keeper:** Guide a veiled figure carrying a cold lantern. **Light the beacon** strengthens the light and rising sparks; **Vanish** fades the figure away. - **Beyond the Glass:** Position two independently moving spectral hands. **Reach closer** brings them forward; **Knock** makes them press toward the viewer in succession. - **Peripheral Phantom:** A pale figure darts across your peripheral vision, leaving a faint afterimage. **Dart across** sends it past; **Flash nearby** briefly reveals it close to the edge. Slide to guide its height and crossing direction. - **The Watcher:** A hooded face peeks out from the darkness. **Peek out** reveals it slowly; **Rush closer** suddenly brings the face forward. Slide to choose where it appears. - **Banshee Rush:** A reaching apparition emerges from the distance. **Approach** draws it closer; **Lunge!** makes it rush toward the viewer and dissolve. - **Restless Procession:** Three restless spirits weave past one another at different distances. **Summon** brings them together; **Scatter** sends them outward into the darkness. Slide to guide the group. All nine scenes move by themselves and are silent. The new encounters alternate quiet, barely visible movement with brief appearances, gentle shimmer, cold glows and sudden approaches. Repeated taps cannot stack or rapidly repeat a reveal. Demo performs actions and cycles through all nine scenes. The style is saved on the display, while refreshing starts at Veiled Wraith. Artwork loads once and is cached for quick scene changes. Phones load only small preview pictures. The standard QR panel, size/Hide setting, lean graphics and whole-display mirroring still work. Hide the QR after joining for uninterrupted black. If artwork cannot load, the display returns to Simple and you can select Spooky Glow again to retry. ## Jump Scares Choose **Advanced settings → Animation style → Jump Scares** for realistic, high-contrast jump scares on black. Each scene opens after a two-second pause. Use **Time between scares** below the action button to choose **3, 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 seconds** between appearances (default five). This setting applies to all Jump Scares scenes, including Surprise Me, and is saved on the display and shared across phones. Changing it starts a fresh countdown without cutting off an active scare. **Scare now!** still triggers a manual appearance. Demo changes scenes every 20 seconds, with an opening scare even when the selected interval is longer. Each lasts around one second, then the scene returns completely to black. - **Surprise Me:** Alternates all eight scare types, attacking from different directions. - **Ghost Flyby:** A bright apparition races across the window with a fading afterimage. - **Grave Jumper:** A clawed creature leaps up from below, jolts toward you and drops away. - **Ceiling Spider:** A huge pale spider drops from above, bounces on its thread and retreats. - **Banshee Attack:** A distant ghost rushes straight toward the viewer. - **Face in the Dark:** A hooded face suddenly appears close up and disappears again. Tap **Scare now!** to trigger the selected scene. Jump Scares has no movement controls. A tap during a short cooldown queues one appearance; repeated taps during an active scare do not stack. All scenes are silent. **Demo** cycles through these nine cards and keeps their periodic scares running. The style is saved on the display; refreshing starts with **Surprise Me**. It shares its ghost artwork with Spooky Glow for fast switching. The standard QR panel, Hide/size options, lean graphics and whole-display mirroring remain available. Hide the QR after joining if you want the whole projection to disappear into black between scares. ## More window encounters Shadow, Spooky Glow and Jump Scares each have **nine scene pictures in a 3 × 3 layout** on the controller. - **Shadow — Raven Omen:** a circling bird silhouette with slow wingbeats; use **Circle closer** or **Withdraw**. - **Shadow — Lost Bride:** a veiled figure drifting behind the glass; **Materialise** or **Disappear**. - **Shadow — Floor Crawler:** a low silhouette creeping along the sill; **Creep closer** or **Retreat**. - **Spooky Glow — Spectral Bride:** a luminous, swaying veil with a subtle shimmer; steer her and use **Manifest** or **Disperse**. - **Jump Scares — Raven Strike:** wings and talons rush forward from above. - **Jump Scares — Veil Ambush:** a distant bride abruptly lunges closer. - **Jump Scares — Crawler Attack:** a creature scrambles in from the side, then retreats into black. The three new Jump Scares scenes have **Scare now!** and repeat automatically at your chosen interval. **Surprise Me** includes all eight scare types and uses the same delay.