Being a chemist, I have been trying to come up with a mad scientist room for a few years now. It is hard cause there is no ventalation in the basement and even dry ice would be dangerous. I am thinking of doing a radioactive room, with variuos wast drums, glow in the dark things and a mad scientist. I just hope it doesn't end up cheesy.
I am not sure I read Needful things. What was the premis of that one? I really wanted to use some ideas from Depseration and the other similar one his alter ego wrote about the child whose drawings became the monsters that attacked..the one in the mine? That was a cool book...