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Spooky and spooky skeletons aren’t the only Halloween decor that’s sending shivers down our spines this year. TikTok creators have been posting terrifying DIY ideas for months—including tips for drawing a pumpkin—but Australia-based artist Sophie Brown (nesti_home) a huge black widow spider is undeniable.
A test of bravery for even the most daring trickster, the 13.5-foot-long spider — which Brown followers called Mavis — came alive after I followed a tutorial posted by villain-making experts on YouTube. Now, Mavis is waiting to make her Halloween debut in an area where trick or treating and wearing spooky costumes isn’t a widespread tradition.
According to Brown, Halloween is not widely celebrated in Australia, but the holiday has gained popularity in recent years, especially with her children, who helped her give Mavis her signature black and red. As a budding Halloween enthusiast, Brown—who started pursuing her passion for DIY art at the start of the pandemic—did her best to follow the step-by-step Wicked Makers tutorial, documenting the process on her Instagram Stories along the way. “I love all that weird, sticky texture of the foam on it. It just makes it even more terrifying,” she told PopSugar, adding that the foam and water technique she used to cover Mavis’ body was the hardest step to replicate.
“I’m nervous about his comment.”
After a few trips to the hardware store to collect supplies—including wrapping wrap, hot glue, expanding foam, PVC tubing, acrylic spray paint, and more—Brown spent two days bringing Mavis to life, using a balloon and an exercise ball. Base for a haunting spider. Once the spider was complete, Brown hung it up briefly to test its durability, adding that the strange creature was able to withstand a massive storm last year.
When she’s not clinging to a bed of cobwebs at the front of the house, Mavis is resting on the floor in the family living room, her legs across the room in a cardboard box. But it’s time for Mavis to really shine. “I’m nervous about her comment,” Brown says, adding that she’s glad she “didn’t make any kids cry” last year when Mavis was first introduced. In a neighborhood where Halloween has become a growing phenomenon, the giant black widow will surely spend her time in bright spotlights, and Brown hopes that Mavis isn’t the only spider hanging on someone’s doorstep at Halloween.
“I love teaching people how to make things and coming up with ways people can be creative, because when you’re an adult, you can’t take those times to be creative,” she says. “My focus [helping] People make things they love but also get a lot of joy out of the process of making them.”
Creating a giant spider from scratch takes a lot of work, but retailers like Grandin Road, Amazon, and others have you covered. Ahead, shop giant spiders, and watch Brown’s step-by-step tutorial as you get ready for Halloween.