I wanted a Grim Reaper for my cemetery, but all the instructions on the web called for a "tomato crate". Instead I decided to build a framework out of wood. I started with a 2' x 2' piece of flat wood and spray-painted it black. Onto this I nailed a frame of two-by-fours put together as legs and a "box" torso (thingking that eventually I could hide a tape recorder inside).

The arms are two-by-fours attached to the shoulders with a single nail each so that the arms could be "positioned" up and down. Then I put a cheap store-bought "Grim Reaper" cloak over top. On to the top of the "shoulders" of the frame I affixed the plastic base of a Talking Boris skull, then the skull could be set into the stand for the night, and packed away after.

For the hands I used an idea I saw on another site (I can't remember where). I cut up some wire hangers into various lengths and taped them together into the shape of a hand with Duck Tape. Then I cut and rolled newspaper into "digits", enough for each finger and thumb. Once that was done I covered them with "skull gloves" and then bent the fingers to the pose I wanted.

When I put it on the lawn, I had it hold a platic scythe in one hand. It was so popular people were posing to take pictures with it! The next Halloween I put it on the other side of the cemetery to make sure it didn't get damaged.