Life Hackery

During Halloween, villages and communities turn into eerie locations. Houses suddenly become haunted mansions as ghouls and ghosts infest the visible corner of every home. To produce such scary effects, people have to buy a plethora of Halloween decorations from department stores. You can minimize expenses and maximize the scare factor by creating Halloween decorations out of simple materials. Don’t you think it is possible? Perhaps you should watch more MacGuyver.

Almost any material can be turned into a scary Halloween object. You will see the potential in every household item, as long as you have a playful imagination and an extensive set of tools. Just ask yourself the question, “What would I do if I was MacGuyver?” and you’ll be fine. To give you a clearer picture, here are several “MacGuyver-esque” Halloween decorations:

1. Evil Apples – If you thought pumpkins were the only scary food products during Halloween, you’re sadly mistaken. The apple is just as creepy if you tweak it a little. Cut an apple in half and remove the middle portions of each half. Use a paring knife to carve the jack-o-lantern-like features on one side of the apple. Place a lit inside one of the halves. Now, stick the halves together to finish your creepy creation. Do this for several more apples and spread them throughout your house.

2. The White Lady at the part– Most haunted houses are known for having female ghosts dressed in white. These angry spirits are usually found at the porch or near the main door. Create your own white lady using wicker baskets of different sizes, a blanket, a large Styrofoam ball, a mask and a white transparent veil. Stack the baskets from largest to smallest. Cover the entire stack with a white blanket. Get the Styrofoam ball and cover it with a female-faced mask. Once done, put the mask on top of the basket stack. Place a veil over the Styrofoam ball to finally form your white lady. Set the white lady under a dim light and watch how it sends shivers down your bravest friends’ spines.

3. Tormented Souls – Many characters die gruesome deaths in scary movies. Just by looking at their facial expressions, you’ll see how dreadful their conditions are. You can use these photos to create simple scary items for the visible corners of your room or your office cubicle. Download several images that show movie characters dying. Use the Adobe Photoshop to isolate the characters’ heads from the photos. Enlarge the heads and enhance the resolution, colors and the picture sharpness. Print the heads on a sturdy type of paper. Cut the heads out then tape each of them to a barbecue stick. Once done, your tormented souls are ready. Just don’t use the heads of famous celebrities because your creations will look more comedic than scary.

4. Gruesome Hands – Going upstairs is not an easy thing to do when a large monstrous hand is waiting to grab your leg. Given its scare factor, you can use that gruesome hand as the inspiration for this creation. Purchase a pair of plastic or leather gloves (largest size available) from a hardware store. Prepare some paper mache paste. Once done, dip small strips of newspaper in the paste and stick them to the gloves. Wait for the paste to dry. When the paper mache hardens, paint the gloves and turn them into a scary pair of hands. Include veins, wounds and other bloody features that you can think of.

5. Monster Panties – Give your partner a jolt of a different kind by making a monster on the front side of your panty. Sew a pair of googly eyes on the top portion. Beneath the eyes, stitch a felt paper based nose. Make the nostrils emphasized and the bridge of the nose should have veins. Below the nose, stick an oblong-shaped piece of black felt paper. Sew white felt paper for the fangs and red felt paper for the snake-like tongue. When your partner sees the monstrosity beneath your pants, he will surely yelp like a poor puppy.

6. Eyeball Stew – Witches are known for their creepy concoctions. Be a wicked witch yourself and create your own scary stew with a pair of eyeballs as toppings. Mix some cornstarch with water until the solution thickens. Add red food coloring, so the stew will have a bloody red hue. Get a couple of ping pong balls and color them like a pair of real eyeballs. Make them as realistic-looking as possible. When the ping pong balls are ready, set them on your stew. Dress up like a witch then serve this dish to your friends come the thirty first of October.

7. The Eerie Toilet Bowl – The toilet bowl is a place of sanctuary for some people. Disturb the solemness of bathroom moments by turning the toilet bowl into a devilish creation. Clean the toilet bowl then mix red food coloring to the water inside. When the color settles, add some vinegar and baking soda to the mixture. Drop a good amount of dry ice inside the bowl. In a few moments, fog will come out of the bowl. When one of your friends mistakenly open the toilet lid, he will see a pool of blood slowly rising from inside the bowl.

8. The Haunted Water Bottle – Spirits are said to inhibit various places in your home, including five-gallon water bottles. Make this claim true by turning a five-gallon into a hideous monster face. Cut the top of the water bottle and cover the inside surface with a sheet of red, brown or black art paper. Bore a small hole at the center of the bottle. On a sheet of bond paper, sketch the scariest set of facial features that you can think of. Include fangs, bloody lips, large ferocious eyes. Tape the face onto the bottle. Insert a carrot or any pointed object in the hole for the nose. Place a lamp or a tealight inside the water bottle, so it will look scary when the lights go out.

9. Monster Feet – Inside the office bathroom, you will know that it’s your turn when you see the pair of feet from beneath the cubicle door move. What will you do if the pair that you see aren’t exactly human? Let your friends answer that question by creating a pair of monster feet. Make paper mache feet using an old pair of long boots. Paint your creation to look like feet that haven’t been washed for a year. Add talon-like nails and a ton of bloody varicose veins. Bore tiny holes on select portions then stick tufts of bristles to the holes. Once done, place the pair of monster feet inside one of the cubicles in the female comfort room. You will know that your devious plan succeeded when you hear a chorus of blood-curdling screams inside the room.

10. Jack–O–Lantern – In the spirit of Halloween, let’s add something traditional to this list. Purchase a large pumpkin from the grocery. Cut the top portion of the pumpkin and remove the “meat.” Use a paring knife to carve the eyes nose and mouth of the Jack-O-Lantern. Place a candle inside the pumpkin to make it look even scarier. When you’re done, return the top portion to its previous place. Set the pumpkin at your home’s visible corners for instant scares. (For Jack-O-Lantern costumes, read how to make a Jack O’ Lantern Costume)

Each of these Halloween decorations are pretty cheap. Most of them actually wouldn’t cost you beyond three bucks. The best part is, most of the materials are readily found at home. Just tap your creative juices then do a little work. You’ll be the MacGuyver of Halloween ornaments in no time. For more ideas on Halloween Party, read Halloween Parties For Children.