Decorate with your dark side this Halloween What was More and more people are decorating their person. For the head, draw a face on a pump - homes for Halloween. Why? Because it’s so kin or old ball. Sit the person in a chair, or that noise? much fun! Besides, there’s no better occasion hang it securely from a tree or the roof. Dress Halloween is the one night of the year when every - to let your creativity run wild and come up it up like a vampire, a witch or the boogey - one loves to be scared. Many even go to great with original ways of frightening the neigh - man! lengths to organize hair-raising, spine-chilling activ - bours! Are you up for a frightfully-fun time? ities. If you’re looking to recreate a perfectly fright - Here are a few ideas to get your creative THE SKELETON ful Halloween this year, don’t just decorate your juices flowing… Have someone lie down on a large piece of home; include sounds that will add thrills and chills to the ambiance. THE HEADSTONE black cardboard and trace out the shape of the body. Next, cut out the tracing and paint white Cut a plank of wood into the shape of a head - bones on it to make a skeleton. To give it Many sounds are very easy to recreate. Hang two stone and paint it gray. Then inscribe a funny some movement, cut out the head and limbs metal chains or plates side by side in the wind so that epitaph. Place it on your front lawn, dump a and reattach them with string. Hang it on the they constantly bang and clang against each other. In mound of fresh earth in front and strew a few wall or front door. the middle of the party, suddenly turn off all the flowers around it. Has someone been recently lights and let out a blood-curdling scream. That’ll buried—or unburied?! THE GHOST send shivers down everyone’s spine. Or why not make your own homemade cassette of dreadful THE BOOGEYMAN Cover a ball that isn’t too heavy with a large sounds? The key to recording scary Halloween piece of white fabric. Tie a piece of string sounds is to leave long stretches of silence between Stuff some old clothes with straw, fabric or around the cloth just under the ball to shape the sounds. If the sounds are continuous, they’ll lose plastic bags until they take on the shape of a the head. Draw a scary ghost face on the head their creepiness factor. After all, it’s those sudden, and hang it up. Attach the ghost unexpected noises that always make us jump out of so that the fabric is lifted up here our seats. The sound of a slamming door followed and there – it’ll make it look like by nothing but silence or the approach of slow, it’s on the moooove! heavy footsteps will certainly create a few goose bumps. Knocking on the door, the sudden crash of a Now that you have your cast of falling object or falling rain—created by dropping characters in place, don’t forget rice on an aluminum plate—will result in a few the backdrop. Add some lights gulps and nervous laughter. Just use your imagina - and play some spooky music for tion and have fun. extra effect. Old and young alike will love it! If you don’t have the time to make your own Halloween soundtrack, there are a number of cas - Give your trick-or-treaters settes and CDs you can purchase. They can usually a spooky visual feast this Halloween! be found in stores that offer a wide selection of Halloween decorations. These recordings include a number of sounds that will leave your guests trembling with fear, such as thunder, breaking glass, diabolical laughter, coyotes howling and all sorts of dreadful screams. No one will be left with steady hands! ! Publishers t comes CD-ROM tha Use the t to is supplemen with th eet his page to m redesign t s. market need your specific

TOOLBOX , SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2003, PAGE 65