This is a fun project that uses a pane of glass to create an optical illusion that really looks great. It creates a ghost THis is a fun, unusual, and unique cardboard box project you can easilyl make.

And the pane of glass is simply taken from a picture frame you can buy at the dollar store.

This is a quirky and fun project that uses an optical illusion to create a ghost inside your box. It really works and it really looks good.

This project is based on an 18th century technique called the "Pepper's Ghost Box". That was before movies and it was a very popular thing; even being used full human size on stages.

Here on this page is a full tutorial on how to make it. But I also have a video tutorial for you at the bottom of the page if you would like watch it.

And, let's not hold off the suspense. Here is a quick video snippet showing you the illusion (33 seconds).

Here is how the box is designed and how it works. This view is from the top; looking down into the box.

You look into the opening where the eye is. And you look right through a pane of glass at a 45 degree angle. The glass is very clean and the inside of the box is rather dark so you do not see the glass at all.

What you see is the scene built. I have labeled this "Normal scene". It can be anything you want. You create your own little scene. And I have created two different scenes as you saw in the video.

Our ghost is to the right in that lower right quadrant of the box. And it is in darkness. But, when you illuminate it with a flashlight it shows up on the pane of glass. And it will appear right in the middle of the normal scene.

It really is that simple. And it really is a whole lot of fun. So, let's make it! And you have a lot of freedom as to what size box you use and what kind of scene you make.

Glue two pieces of cardboard into the box like this. It is about 1/4 of the box. Think of it as a quadrant.

Cut a slot right down the full height right at the corner and insert your pane of glass.

Think about what scene you want and what kind of ghost you want. I chose two different scenes. And make them on simple cardboard stands that can be inserted right into the box.

The four pieces that make up my two scenes.

We are almost done. Just a couple more things we need to do.

Cut an observation hole in the front of the box right along the center of those two quadrants on the left. I have added a yellow line to the picture to show you what I mean by along the center of those two quadrants.

Cut two flaps in the top of the box to allow light in. Flap 1 is right over the center of the normal scene area. And we make a flap so we can open and close it as needed to control the amount of ambient light that gets in. We want to softly illuminate that area without being too bright.

Flap 2 is not over the center of the ghost area. This flap is left of the center of that area. It is toward the glass pane.

This is so we can shine a flashlight on the ghost. That is what will make it show up. The arrow shows how to shine the flashlight so it illuminates the front of the ghost.

Finish it off by sealing any of the cracks and edges of the box so no stray light leaks in.

What kind of creative ghost ideas can you make in your ghost box? Have fun!!

Here is the youtube video showing the complete assembly process: