On Halloween, one of the “darkest” of nights, proper lighting is crucial to the spook factor.  Lighting plays a huge role in setting a “dark” mood, and can help create the sinister shadows that are perfect for Halloween.

Add creepiness to your Halloween party with special lighting effects! There are lots of ways you can illuminate this delightfully dark holiday with spotlights, window lights, strobe lights, colored bulbs, and more.

Light strings are a good starting point when thinking about Halloween lighting. They come in a variety of colors such as orange, black, green and purple as well as other colors and they are relatively inexpensive. They are also available in different Halloween shapes like skulls, pumpkins, goblins, ghosts and candy corn. They can be hung from trees and shrubs, strung along fences or attached to the eaves of the house.

Other popular choices for Halloween lighting are flickering candlelight or black lights.   Black lights produce a dark purple glow after the sun goes down and highlights costumes and makeup that are fluorescent. You can purchase black lights by themselves in most hardware stores and replace existing outdoor lights or buy them complete with a fixture.

Strobe lights create a  Halloween lighting effect  that teases the senses to a razor edge. The flashing itself is frighteningly disorienting. Add the apparent disjointed movement of a zombie or a monster, and your guests’ emotions will be piqued for any terrifying surprise you wish to spring on them.

Be sure to use some type of lighting on your walkways and paths to make sure that small Trick or Treaters or guests coming to your Halloween party can see their way clearly. Halloween luminaria, or candles places in paper bags filled with sand, are an excellent choice for people with uneven sidewalks or long driveways.  You can also buy Glow Sticks as party favors, so that guests and Trick or Treaters will have lights that they can carry with them to help them see their way and be safe while they’re out having scary fun.  Happy Halloween!

DISCLAIMER:  The following post is intended for entertainment purposes only.  ScaryHalloweenFun.com and the Ravenloonatic are not responsible and will not be held accountable in the event any of these “tips” are interpreted in any other manner other than for the intended purposes of humor and entertainment!  That said:

As we all prepare for the upcoming Halloween season, please take a few moments to read these simple reminders to keep things nice and scary.

• Don’t ever assume the telephone calls are coming from another house.

• When it appears that you have killed the monster, NEVER check to see if it’s really dead.

• Never read a book of demon-summoning aloud, even as a joke.

• Don’t go into the basement to check the power when the lights go out!

• If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they should not know, shoot them immediately. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. However, it will probably take several rounds to kill them, so be prepared. This also applies to kids who speak with somebody else’s voice.

• When you have the benefit of numbers, NEVER split up and go it alone.

• Don’t make out during Halloween season. Especially if you’ve noticed a few of your friends are missing!

• As a general rule, don’t solve puzzles that open a portal to Hell.

• Never stand in, on, or above a grave, tomb, or crypt. This would apply to any other house of the dead as well.

• If you’re searching for something which caused a loud noise and find out that it’s just the cat, don’t stand there sighing with relief, it’s never the cat, get the hell OUT!

• If appliances start operating by themselves, don’t bother to check for short circuits; JUST GET OUT!

• Do not take ANYTHING from the dead.  They will come back for it.

• If you find a town which looks deserted, there’s probably a good reason for it. Don’t stop and look around.

• Don’t fool around with recombinant DNA technology unless you’re sure you know what you’re doing.

• If you’re running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice, more if you are of the female persuasion. Also note that, despite the fact that you are running and the monster is merely ambling along, it’s still moving fast enough to catch up with you.

• If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes, increasing hairiness, and so on, find new companions.  Immediately!

• Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (you’re in trouble if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine.

• If your car runs out of gas at night on a lonely road, do not go to the nearby deserted-looking house to phone for help. If you think that this is strange because you could swear you had a full tank, jump off the nearest bridge instead. You are going to die anyway, and will most likely be eaten.

• Beware of strangers bearing unusual tools. For example:  chainsaws, staple guns, hedge trimmers, electric carving knives, combines (?!), lawnmowers, butane torches, soldering irons or band saws.  They probably are up to no good and you should stay far, far away.

• If you learn that your house is built upon a cemetery, now is the time to move. This also applies to houses that had previous inhabitants who went mad or committed suicide or died in some horrible fashion, or had occupants who performed satanic rituals in your house.

Happy Halloween!!

Dracula’s Delight

Serve this drink in a nice wine goblet – Dracula wouldn’t be caught dead using a mug!

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce Bourbon
• 1/2 ounce Lime Juice
• 1 teaspoon (hah!) Tequila

Directions:

Pour over ice in a goblet and top off with Tomato Juice.  Stir, sip and enjoy!

Pina Ghouladas

A delightfuly Ghoulish drink!

• Garnish your glass or goblet with Vampire Blood.

To make Vampire Blood, color clear Corn Syrup with red food coloring.  Paste food coloring works best because it won’t add any liquid to the syrup.  But regular food coloring works, too.

Pour the Vampire Blood onto a saucer or shallow container and spin the rim of your glass or goblet in the blood.  When you turn the glass upright again, the “blood” will ooze down the sides.

Pina Ghoulada Recipe

Ingredients

• 20 ounces pineapple juice, more if needed
• 1 can cream of coconut (15 oz size)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup orange juice
• 10 ounces good-quality rum (optional)
• Ice

Directions:

Whisk together pineapple juice, cream of coconut, heavy cream, orange juice and rum, if using. Place 2 1/2 cups ice in a blender, and add 1 cup drink mixture. Blend until smooth; add more pineapple juice if mixture is too thick. Repeat with remaining ice and mixture. Carefully pour into prepared glasses; serve.

Frankentini

Ingredients:

2 parts vodka
1 part white creme de cacao
1 splash of creme de menthe
ice

Directions:

Mix ingredients together; shake with ice; pour into chilled goblets

Witches’ Brew

Ingredients:

36 ounces Unsweetened apple juice concent — thaw, undiluted
5 cups Water
4 cups Vodka
1/2 cup Lime juice
1/2 gallon Lime sherbet — softened
8 cups Club soda — chilled

Directions:

Combine apple juice, water, vodka, and lime juice in a large bowl. Cover and chill. Just before serving, spoon sherbet into a large punch bowl; slowly pour apple juice mixture and club soda over sherbet, stirring gently.

It’s a time for children to dress up as princesses and pirates and go from house to house, calling, “Trick or Treat!” Their eyes will get big as they are rewarded with treasures and sweets. And perhaps you will celebrate Halloween by going to a costume party or a haunted house. But did you ever wonder where all this holiday gaiety came from and what it means? Author Silver RavenWolf  reveals the answers in Halloween: Customs Recipes and Spells. The book begins by sharing the history of where this harvest holiday came from. Did you know it was originally called Samhain? Samhain means “the end of summer”. Learn what the ancient people did to celebrate this holiday and how the ideas about it have changed over the years.  Did you know it has really become wildly popular in the U.S. only over the last 100 years? It’s true! You’ll also find out why ghosts and skeletons, jack-o’-lanterns and vampires are associated with October 31 of each year. (more…)

You may think that Halloween is only about ghosts, ghouls, and goblins. However, there is much more behind this spooky holiday.

For Pagans the world over, Halloween is a time of magic and divination–a night for honoring ancestors, celebrating the harvest, and ringing in the New Year.

In A Witch’s Halloween, bestselling author and Wiccan High Priestess Gerina Dunwich dispels the myths of this holiest of Pagan holidays and its most famous celebrants.

A Witch’s Halloween tells you all that you need to know about this sacred holiday, from the history, folklore, myths, and spells to Sabbat rituals, recipes, divination,  Halloween superstitions–and much more.

This insightful book is a complete (Click Here For More…)

If you’re planning on having the scariest Halloween bash on your block this year you might want to spruce up the old place a bit beforehand.  This book, written by Shawn Mitchell and Lynne Mitchell offers lots of ideas and spooky tips.  The projects in this book are not intended for children but for the creative adults who want to handcraft their very own Halloween home haunt and graveyard fun!

Order your paperback or Kindle version copy here.

Now that October is here, we all know that Halloween is just round the corner. These few weeks before Halloween will be spent creating costumes and decorations, and preparing for Trick-or-Treat.

Halloween is a great time for lots of family fun! However, celebrating a safe Halloween is also an important part of the celebration. This means we should be spending some time planning for the event too.  Special attention should be paid to making Halloween costumes. You want to be sure that the costumes are bright and reflective so that drivers can easily spot Trick-or-Treaters.  Note that the costumes are not so loose or ill-fitted that the kids can trip on them as they scream through the streets.

Another important aspect is the makeup. While many parents prefer to give their children masks to wear, it is advisable to use non-toxic makeup instead. Masks can hinder vision or cause breathing problems. All costumes and wigs should be fire-resistant. Also, all costumes need accessories. Make sure they are soft and pliable. Care should be especially taken for accessories like swords, knives, guns and sticks. You do not want a potential weapon in your child’s hand, nor do you want your children to injure or maim themselves or each other with their accessories.

Another important thing to consider is the decorations.  Who doesn’t like to decorate the front yard for Halloween with eerie monsters, coffins, goblins, and superheroes?  Make sure your yard is clear of garden hoses and sticks, bicycles and toys, anything that could be tripped over in the dark.

And of course, any Halloween Night celebration is incomplete without going out to Trick-or-Treat! Chart out a route for the children to take and make sure an adult or older sibling accompanies them. Carry a flashlight so that you are prepared in case one of the children accidentally wanders off.  If the children are not accompanied by an adult (hopefully they’ll be in a group), make sure they have their own flashlights and educate them not to enter into people’s homes or vehicles. If at all possible do not send the children out on their own.  Older siblings might not be overly enthusiastic about this task, but you’ll feel better knowing the kids are all together looking out for one another. Follow all these simple and easy tips this Halloween and have a safe and laughter-filled night!