# Halloween Controls ## 3D Shadow Window Choose **Settings → Animation style → 3D Shadow Window** to see the nine 3D characters cast animated shadows onto a brightly lit window. The light is behind and slightly above them; standing characters initially meet the bottom edge at their waist, with about 20% clear space above their heads, including hats and horns. Harvest Horror walks with its feet just below that edge. Hold **Glass ↑** to shrink the shadow by moving towards the glass, or **Light ↓** to enlarge it by moving towards the backlight. The full range roughly doubles the shadow size, with standing characters filling the window in close-up near the light. Left/right moves sideways. Release to hold position. The character actions and **Spin around** change the shadow's shape. Demo starts with a shadow pointing to the QR, then all nine characters enter and leave in turn. Mirroring, Lean graphics and QR settings work as usual. ## 3D Choose **Settings → Animation style → 3D** for nine low-poly creatures animated in real time: Sheet Ghost, Grave Walker, Crypt Spider, Vampire Bat, The Horned One, Harvest Horror, Midnight Witch, Silent Reaper and Restless Dead. Their solid facets catch warm light against black. Hold **Closer ↑** to approach and grow larger, or **Farther ↓** to retreat and become smaller. Hold left/right to move sideways. Release the pad to keep that position while the character continues animating. Choose one of the three character-action buttons. The eight creatures other than Sheet Ghost also offer **Spin around** to reveal every side in a smooth rotation. Demo starts with a 3D skeleton pointing to the QR code, then plays all nine for 20 seconds each with complete entrances and exits; using a control returns to manual play. The display needs WebGL 1. If it is unavailable, the display returns to Simple and the phone shows a message. Lean graphics, mirroring, QR settings and saved style selection remain available. Every creature now offers **three character actions** in both 3D styles. Try **Remove the head** and **Zombie follow** on Restless Dead, **Cast a web** and **Curl and strike** on Crypt Spider, or **Cloak the wings** and **Hunting dive** on Vampire Bat. The skeleton rattles its bones and twists its skull; the witch weaves a curse and bows; the reaper sweeps and passes judgement; the demon swipes and lowers its horns; Harvest Horror snares and shudders; the ghost spreads its shroud and shivers. For Sheet Ghost, **Boo!** gathers the sheet and jolts upwards/forwards, **Spread the shroud** opens a broad canopy, and **Haunted shiver** ripples the lower cloth while the face stays steady. The ghost stays front-facing with three actions; the other eight also keep **Spin around**. Let a performance finish before choosing the next. Demo shows all three actions. Standing characters keep their waist-height framing and scale throughout Shadow Window actions; arms, hats and props can pass beyond the physical window edges. Hide the QR panel after joining for the clearest view. ![The 3D phone controls](/halloween/three-controller-preview.png) ## Window composition Choose **Settings → Animation style → Window composition** for nine original glowing characters: Phantom Butler, Key Keeper, Midnight Invitation, Passing Bride, Harvest Watcher, Moonlit Visitor, Last Guest, Lantern Doctor and Porcelain Spirit. Use **Appear left/right** to choose a side, slide left/right to position the visitor, **Lean closer** for a small final approach, or **Withdraw** to clear the scene temporarily. Figures approach smaller and softly focused, becoming clearer near the window. Demo gives each character a complete 20-second performance; the usual one-minute inactivity handover still applies. Align the display top at **2 m above ground** and its bottom with an approximately **1 m-high sill**. The characters keep normal adult head and hand proportions; portrait windows crop their sides. Hide the QR panel after joining. Mirroring and lean graphics remain available. See the [full window guide](/halloween/projection-guide.html) and [character guide](/halloween/appinfo) for setup and examples. ![Halloween icon](pwa-192x192.png) Your pocket remote for nine bright Halloween scenes, nine realistic Spooky Glow apparitions or nine atmospheric Shadow scenes. Jump Scares adds eight fast jump scares plus Surprise Me. Scan the QR code on a Halloween display or launch Halloween from the RCWeb app list. ![The nine scenes you can control](/halloween/characters-preview.png) ## Play - Tap a character picture to choose Mr. Bones, Slime Ghost, Pumpkin Patch, Bat Swarm, Itsy Bitsy, Watching Eyes, Broom Witch, Witch's Brew or Moon Mummy. - Hold an arrow to move only in that direction, even if your finger drifts. Lift to stop, then press another arrow to change direction. - To steer freely or diagonally, start in the centre and drag around the pad. Mr. Bones, Itsy Bitsy and Moon Mummy use a left/right pad. The moving centre and highlighted arrows show your direction. - Keep one finger on the pad and use another to tap an action button. - Tap the big action buttons to explode bones, spray slime, scatter bats and more. - For Mr. Bones, try **Wave!** and **Arms up!** while he walks. **Explode!** sends his bones flying, and **Rebuild** puts him back together. - For **Pumpkin Patch**, tap **Bounce!** to make the three glowing pumpkins hop in sequence, or **Glow!** for a bright, warm light pulse that smoothly fades away. They keep swaying and remain visible throughout. There is no movement pad for this scene. - For Broom Witch, steer the broom, do a **Loop!**, or cast **Magic bats!** from the wand. - For Witch's Brew, slide to stir. Try **New potion**, **Add eyeballs!** and **Erupt!** together. - For Moon Mummy, tap **Sleep** to return to the coffin and close its lid. **Wake up!** opens it and brings the mummy back out. Slide left or right to walk while awake. - Characters keep moving automatically while you choose what to do next. Scene changes blend with a short dissolve on the display, while its QR panel stays steady. Flight and direction changes ease smoothly. Multiple phones can join. One person steers at a time; the message below the controls tells you when someone else is steering. Your action buttons still work. ## Demo or manual The playback panel above the scene pictures shows the current mode and a live countdown. In **Manual mode**, **Demo in 1:00** counts down from your last controller activity. After a minute without activity, the display cycles through the selected style's scenes (nine in every style), spending **20 seconds** on each. In **Demo mode**, the timer shows when the next scene will appear. Tap **Start demo** to begin with the next scene now, or **Switch to manual** to keep the current scene and restart the inactivity timer. Picking a scene, steering, tapping an action or changing a projection setting also takes control immediately. Touching, typing and scrolling during manual play reset the inactivity timer; an idle connection does not. Mode and countdown are shared across all connected phones, including newly joined phones. Demo uses your existing projection settings. Simple/Cartoon includes Pumpkin Patch; Shadow cycles only its own nine scenes. It keeps cycling without phones connected. **Back to apps** stays on the app list during automatic scene changes. Each demo scene enters, performs and leaves before the next begins. Mr. Bones walks on and off; the witch flies through; bats flock away and the spider climbs out on its thread. Pumpkins rise and drop, eyes close, and the mummy returns to its coffin before it sinks below the screen. Shadow figures retreat, spirits disperse and Jump Scares finish their attack. The countdown follows the animation, so a slow or suspended display can complete its exit. Taking control cancels the remaining automatic actions immediately. ## Settings Tap a preview tile under **Animation style** to choose **Simple**, **Cartoon**, **Shadow**, **Spooky Glow**, **Jump Scares**, **Window composition**, **3D** or **3D Shadow Window**. Each tile shows the look and a short description; a checkmark identifies the screen's current style. The choice is saved on the display and shared across connected phones. Tiles are unavailable while disconnected. **Screen settings**, below the previews, groups QR panel size, Mirror projection and Lean graphics. Cartoon brings detailed rendered artwork to the original nine scenes; 3D has nine fully modeled creatures animated in real time. Artwork loads on the display the first time you choose Cartoon; Simple keeps playing until it is ready. **Shadow** replaces the scene list with nine realistic, unsettling silhouettes on white. These are slow, silent scenes with an adult atmosphere, without cartoon faces. Demo follows this nine-scene selection. Switching back to Simple or Cartoon restores the original scene list. - **Night Flight:** Steer the bats, **Scatter** or **Gather**. - **Passing Presence:** Steer the veiled shadow, **Materialise** or **Disappear**. - **The Rising:** Position the figure left/right, **Rise** or **Withdraw** from the bottom edge. - **Ceiling Watcher:** Position the inverted figure left/right, **Descend** or **Retract** through the top edge. - **At the Glass:** Position the hands, **Press closer** or **Release**. - **Distant Visitor:** Position the figure left/right, **Approach** or **Recede**. Shadow actions take several seconds to unfold, then automatic motion resumes after a short hold. All projection settings still work; hide the QR panel for an uninterrupted white background. The first selection loads the silhouettes, then switches reuse the cached artwork. **QR code panel** offers Extra small (50%), Small (75%), Standard (100%), Large (150%), Extra large (200%) and Hide. Larger panels fit the display. Hiding removes the joining panel without disconnecting your phone; choose any size to show it again. Choose Hide for a completely black display between jump scares. **Mirror projection** reverses the whole display, including the invitation QR code, for rear projection. Your phone stays the right way round. **Lean graphics** reduces effects and rendering resolution for older displays. These settings are saved on the display when browser storage is available. ## Connection and navigation Controls become available when a Halloween display is connected in the same room. On disconnection, held controls are released. Reconnection restores the current character and projection settings. Use **Back to apps** to return this phone to the app list without changing the display. See the [Halloween guide](/halloween/appinfo) for all scenes. ## Spooky Glow For a faster, scarier variation with black pauses and sudden attacks, choose **Jump Scares** in Settings. See the scenes below. Choose **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 **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. The **Sheet Ghost** always faces the screen in both 3D styles so its eyes stay visible. It glides without turning and has **Boo!** instead of a spin control.