Content Recast Tonight's build
Halloween window projection

EP 045 · First aired 2026-10-22

The Clock Tower

A crooked tower runs its hands backwards while bats pour out of the belfry.

My window clock struck thirteen, then apologised, then struck again.

Download the loop What this uses All builds
Live from the street House view first, then the loop that produces it.

Four steps. One evening.

Every build is made the same way

  1. 01

    Hang the fabric

    Pin a white sheer curtain or thin sheet across the window, on the inside. Keep it loose — wrinkles break the image.

  2. 02

    Put the projector behind it

    Aim the projector at the back of the fabric from inside the room. Nothing sits between the projector and the window.

  3. 03

    Kill every other light

    The projection competes with every lamp in the room. This step matters more than any projector spec.

  4. 04

    Play it and go outside

    Loop the file fullscreen, then walk to the kerb. If you can read it from there, it works.

The prompt that generated it

Paste this into a text-to-video tool to recreate or remix it at a different scale, speed or colour.

This build's prompt
Decorative Halloween projection animation on a black background: a crooked clock tower with hands spinning backwards, bats pouring from the belfry and a bell swinging wildly, all in bold black silhouette. High-contrast luminous tones, bold silhouette shapes, clean composition centred in frame, no text, no borders, seamless looping motion.
Write your own instead of buying a loop. No subscription or stock licence needed. Hand this to Claude or ChatGPT, fill the brackets, and paste the result into a video tool:
The recipe
Write a text-to-video prompt for a Halloween window projection.
Subject: [WHAT IT IS, e.g. a skeletal pirate crew on a galleon]
Style: pure black background, high-contrast luminous silhouette, bold shapes
Motion: [SIMPLE MOTION, e.g. drifting slowly sideways through low fog]
Framing: centred, wide 16:9, nothing near the edges
Exclude: no text, no watermarks, no borders, no camera shake
Loop: the first and last frames must match so it repeats seamlessly
Give me the finished prompt only, ready to paste into a video tool.

One subject per clip — crowded scenes turn to mush through a curtain.

Make your own version

The prompt above is the whole recipe for this build. Swap the subject, generate it tonight, and you have a theme that is not on this site — no stock footage and no subscription.

Browse the prompt library for the template and the six ingredients that make a loop read through a curtain.

What this build uses

Projector, screen surface, and the atmosphere items that make the street stop walking. Brightness matters more than resolution once a porch light is on.

Amyhill Carnival Fun Mirror, 16 x 39in Self Adhesive Funhouse Wall Decor 16x39in self-adhesive funhouse/carnival fun mirror panel Check price
AGPTEK Fog Machine, 400W 2000CFM with RGB LED + wireless/wired remote 400W smoke machine, RGB light effect, 2-3m fog throw, preheat indicator Check price
67in Animatronics Standing Clown, Sound & Touch Activated, Light-up Eyes 67in standing animatronic clown, motion/sound activated, light-up eyes Check price
L LOHAS LED Halloween Purple Outdoor Lights, Dusk to Dawn purple LED with photocell sensor, outdoor rated Check price
Mini Video Projector with WiFi Bluetooth Native 1080P portable Check price
Extra Wide Sheer Curtains White 84in Widest option, best for the street glow Check price
Portable Bluetooth PA Speaker 200W rechargeable, for the sound Check price
JOYIN 17" Foam RIP Graveyard Tombstones (5 Pack) with 12 Metal Stakes 5 foam headstones, 17in, 12 metal stakes, cemetery/lawn decor Check price

Buying the whole setup this year? See the full cost breakdown for what each budget tier needs.

Questions about this build

Short answers on the projection, the loop, and doing it yourself.

What is the Clock Tower window projection?

A crooked tower runs its hands backwards while bats pour out of the belfry. It is a looping video you play through a projector aimed at a sheer curtain from inside the house, so the image shows through to the street.

Is the Clock Tower loop free to download?

Yes. The download button on this page gives you the clean looping MP4, free for your own display.

What projector do I need for this?

Brightness matters more than resolution here, because the projection competes with porch lights. The list below covers a budget tier and a higher-brightness tier — either works for a window.

Can I make this myself with AI instead of downloading it?

Yes. The prompt used to generate this loop is printed on this page, along with a reusable template you can hand to Claude or ChatGPT and then paste into a text-to-video tool.

How long does the setup take?

About an evening. Hang the fabric, aim the projector from inside, kill the room lights, then check it from the street. Four steps, no tools, nothing mounted outdoors.

What equipment do I need?

A white sheer curtain or thin sheet to cover the window, a projector that can play a video file on a loop, and a laptop or USB stick holding the looping MP4. That is the whole list — nothing is mounted outside.

What fabric works best?

A white sheer curtain or a thin white sheet hung across the inside of the window. The fabric is the screen. Keep it white and thin so the image passes through, and it all comes down in minutes.

Do I have to mount anything outside?

No. Everything stays indoors: the projector aims at the back of the sheer curtain from inside the house, and nothing is fixed to the exterior wall, the frame or the yard.

How do I make it look good from the street?

Kill the room lights — the darker the room, the brighter the projection — then walk out front and check the effect from the street and adjust the aim. Brightness matters more than resolution once a porch light is competing with it.