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Every year there's controversy over a certain Halloween costume, and this year it's the "Illegal Alien." The costume features an extra-terrestrial dressed in prison garb holding a green card (which is a legal document allowing you to work in this country, ha ha). If the pun is lost on some people, the words "Illegal Alien" are boldly stenciled across the front.
Depending on your point of view, it's either a hilarious pun, a political statement, or an extremely insensitive ...
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Nothing seems to evoke the spirit of Halloween quite like a graveyard in the fall, especially in New England.
The New England fall season is crisp with chilly air in the mornings, and a hard, penetrating light which makes the brightly colored leaves of the trees blaze across the landscape. These blazing trees, slowly losing their leaves to fall’s inevitable march towards winter, often stand guard behind the wrought iron fences and stone walls of the graveyards.
These silent sentries, amongst ...
Posted in 'How to' Halloween | 1 Comment »
I recently had a chat with Lewis Lehrman, professional watercolor artist, teacher, author and Halloween painter who showcases his work at his website Haunted Studio. He has created an incredibly rewarding niche for himself, whereby clients send him images of a house they love or have lived in, or describe a vivid scene they remember. Lew then creates a custom spooky painting for them, complete with a haunting backdrop, pets, hidden ghosts, people and decor.
His trademarked phrase ...
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How to Haunt Your House
By Shawn and Lynne Mitchell
Sometimes, just sometimes, a book comes across your altar that makes your hands go clammy, that sets your heart racing, that makes your eyes go bug wide in wonder. How To Haunt Your House...
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"Hubble, bubble, a dead man’s stubble, …
A poisoned well became my task,
A fog crowned night in stealth I crept
And in the vacant mouth I poured
A leprous flask of blasted sin."
...
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The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out! I dare you to enter this dark, spooky graveyard and dig in the dirt. When you do, you will discover worms and the slimy (but yummy!) layers beneath the dirt.
This gelatin concoction is great for kids’ parties. It is fun and simple for kids to make. The result is a festive, colorful presentation and a combination of flavors and textures that is completely delectable. It looks gross, but isn’t that the ...
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Boo! What is a Halloween party without a little haunting and some magic? This ghost will surprise and delight guests of any age when you turn off the lights and let the flaming eyes dance and dazzle. It will be spooky!
Not only is this cake simple and fun to make but you will find yourself using this very easy chocolate dump cake for all of your recipes. It is almost as simple as a mix, yet it turns out ...
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WARNING! You May Not Be Able to Go Back to Scrabble!
Sure, you can play Toss the Body Part or Bobbing For Apples or, heck, even Boo-opoly at your Halloween party, but what if you have some geeks ("Urr, we prefer to be called gamers, thank you") staring at you from beyond the half-empty bowl of cheesy Monster Fingers? We're not talking about nerds, those shadowy computer techies who constantly ...
Posted in Parties & Activities | 3 Comments »
Want a Halloween costume that really rocks? Then go retro. One of this year’s hottest trends, the retro costume is welcome at any party. Try our handy tips to create your very own blast from the past.
Why Retro?
Certain periods in history seem to bring about feelings of nostalgia and happiness—even if we didn’t actually live through them. Thirty-year-olds in full Lucille Ball regalia and teenagers in 80s neon are far from uncommon at today’s Halloween parties and parades. If you’re ...
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Your guests will be delightfully disgusted to see you serving a brain on a platter. Easy fondant icing helps you create a brainy surface that looks realistic. The fun begins, though, when you slice into it and banana pudding oozes out! Bring out your inner cannibal with this tasty idea.
Ingredients
2 boxes white cake mix
8 inch diameter stainless steel bowl
8 inch cake pan
spray oil pan release, like ...
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Editor's Note: Recently, we were startled by the visitation of a black-caped D.J., ghoulish in nature, and we thought for sure we were finally done for. However, he stood upright, his mouth turning to a wry grin, and he snapped his long fingers. A funky-sounding Halloween song suddenly began to play through a slight, autumn wind that blew from behind his cape. We began bobbing to it, and thought it a great addition for any kid's Halloween party. Here we ...
Posted in Halloween | 2 Comments »
A Detailed, Visual Guide to Creating a 7 foot Monster Prop as Part of Your Halloween Haunt
Written by Halloween Alliance and Screaming Scarecrow Studios
Anyone in love with Halloween knows that a must-have member in the home haunter’s repertoire is at least one good and scary monster to greet the Trick Or Treators (TOTs). Short and squat or tall and overbearing, these creatures of the night are often the spotlight decor of your Halloween haunt or party. With a well put ...
Posted in 'How to' Halloween, Yard Haunters | No Comments »
If you go to a certain quiet corner of Michigan in the fall, near the shores of Lake Huron, you’ll find quiet cottages, harvested wind-swept fields, and scarecrows with scythes, bloody eyeless skulls and severed limbs. It looks like you’ve reached Scarecrow Village, created by your dark entertainers for this chilly evening, Sandy Reebel and Sada Egenriether.
Sandy has been creating yard haunts and her delightfully gruesome “scrows” for many years, and when she isn’t preparing her village, she co-owns a ...
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Scary Halloween Patents
When decorating for Halloween, folks often realize better ways to do things or better ways to make products that they use in games, parties, decorating, etc. This is often a fleeting idea brought about by the frustration of dealing with a poorly thought out product or method. The idea may start with the thought "Why didn’t they build it like this" or "This would be a better way to do it." These fleeting ideas might be golden ...
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"Doom" has several different definitions. The most familiar meaning of the word is "destruction," or "ruin," but an older definition is fate or destiny. These cupcakes incorporate both meanings of the word. They are decorated for Halloween to look like a little slice of the graveyard, but they can also hide fortune, to reveal the destinies of you and your guests. Of course, the fortune-telling part is all fun and games. The cupcakes, on the other hand, are seriously ...
Posted in Party Tips, Recipes & Activities, Recipes | 2 Comments »
These sweet, squishy Halloween treats look positively unnerving staring up from a party platter. For the ultimate in gross realism, the eyeballs gush "eyeball jelly" when eaten. Gross… but very tasty! Kids love these, but they do have a lot of sugar. So, unless you have padded walls, it is probably best to make sure they have an outside activity to do afterwards - trick-or-treating, perhaps? These are much easier to make than they look!
Ingredient List
1 bag ...
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Over twenty years later, we may no longer have to fight for our right to par-taaay, but that doesn't mean we should stop. Throwing an 80's Theme Party is a fun way to be nostalgic, whether it was for your teen years or your childhood. Yes, mullets and shoulder pads were terrible, but they make for easy to find and fun to put together costumes. If you want to throw a tubular 80's party, keep reading for great tips ...
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Severed fingers with rotted black fingernails . . . hungry yet? A twist on the traditional pigs in a blanket, these delicious digits are simple to prepare, yet they look wonderfully gruesome on an appetizer platter. Everyone needs at least one quick and easy Halloween recipe. Kids will love these, and this recipe is easy enough that they can help make the fingers.
Monster Finger Ingredients
2 cans of refrigerated crescent roll dough, ...
Posted in Party Tips, Recipes & Activities, Recipes | No Comments »
Ever wonder what to do with old egg cartons? Make these adorable bats to decorate your house for Halloween!
Simple and easy to do, you can hang these lightweight bats anywhere. First, gather all of the materials you need:
Egg cartons (paper works better than styrofoam)
Scissors
Black paint and paintbrushes
Craft glue or glue gun
Googley eyes
Black pipe cleaners
Hole punch and thread or yarn.
Cut one three-egg section from the egg cartons for each bat. As you ...
Posted in 'How to' Halloween, Crafts | No Comments »
A Widow's Ball is the ultimate, gothic-themed night. Don your black and lace attire and get ready for a Halloween dinner party to remember. All the elements that go into planning a successful Widow's Ball are the same as a regular dinner party, just darker, spookier, and much creepier. To learn how to throw a memorable Widow's Ball event this Halloween, keep reading for great tips on invitations, decorations, and menu and gothic costume ideas.
A Gothic Theme ...
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