From the Editor's Desk . . .

I've spent countless hours scouring the furthermostest, most cobwebbiest corners of the InterWeb to bring you a mind bogglingly awesome assortment of spooky surprises and devilish delights. So thread your way through the styrofoam tombstones and mannequin arms that I've planted in the yard, dodge the rubber bats and spiders hanging over the porch and pay no attention to the motion activated chattering skull or that, that THING over there in the rocking chair (it's just Grandma). Now adjust your mask, reach up and ring the bell, then open your pillowcase wide because I've got lots and lots of goodies for you and you and yes, you too my pretty.

So let's get this party started, shall we?

(For more information on this Rankin Bass holiday classic, along with the cartoon follow up, "Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters" click HERE)

Are Ya Feeling Lucky, Punk (in) ?
Well are ya? In case you're not, here are some easy to follow pumpkin carving tips courtesy of HauntWorld.com
Hey, it's tradition. And who doesn't like roasted pumpkin seeds? Or pumpkin pie for that matter. Mmmm. Pie.

Tip One: Pick a nice round pumpkin or a pumpkin with a flat side on the front. Do not start with a pumpkin that has odd shapes or is already showing signs of rotting.

Tip Two: Get rid of the pumpkin stem by cutting a wide circle around it. Do clean the pumpkin's guts out. It is best to do most of this work with your hands then take an ice scream scooper to remove anything stuck to the sides.

Tip Three: Now take your Halloween Attraction design and tape it right to the pumpkin. Make sure the surface is dry and clean. Now you want to trace the design into the pumpkin with a pumpkin poker. Simply poke the pattern into the pumpkin by poking holes through the paper. When you remove the paper you will see the design poked into the pumpkin, however make sure you keep your design handy for reference.

Tip Four: Use your pumpkin saw to start the process of carving your pumpkin. Take your time to make cuts and never use a knife to carve your pumpkin.

Tip Five: Light your pumpkin. Today Halloween stores sell all sorts of battery operated lights, some that strobe and do other effects. Depending on what type of design you use will determine how much light and what type of light is required.

Tip Six: We suggest heading to your local art store, for those fine detail pumpkin carving projects. Art stores will have all sorts of carving tools for artists who normally sculpt clay or foam. These carving tools will come in handy to create the highly detailed pumpkin carvings.

Tip Seven: HAVE FUN! Take time to get your kids involved. This is a family project and what makes Halloween so much fun for most Americans. (Ed. Note: And don't forget, they all have knives now.)

Click here to Select your FREE pumpkin carving template!

More Pumpkin Madness!
Not bored with gourds already are you? No? Good! Then check these out:

The Phot-o-Lantern Instructions on to to take a photo of yourself, friend, family member or random celebrity (like The Office's Dwight Schrute over there to the right) and carve them into a jack-o-lantern.

The Pumpkin Gutter Photo gallery of Scott Cummins, World's Greatest Pumpkin Carver. Amazing.

More Free Templates Pretty pedestrian compared to Scott's stuff, but everyone's got to start somewhere!

Green Fire Jack-o-Lantern Sure, you could just stick a candle in there. But wouldn't you rather have it belch GREEN FIRE???

Fun stuff from YouTube: The Great Pumpkin Cannon, 900mph Pumpkin, Flaming Pumpkin Launch, Pumpkin Versus Van, Giant Pumpkin Dropped on Bus, The Best Pumpkin

All Dressed Up...
Okay, so punkins are nice and all, but first things first: Gotta have a costume, right? Now this is important so give it some thought. Don't wait until the last minute then run out to CVS and grab whatever's on clearance. Not only will you not be fooling anyone with how "retro" and "ironic" you supposedly are, but you'll also be running the risk of winding up with something like these:

 

Of course you could just wing it and hope for the best...

Or maybe wear a scary t-shirt...

But better yet, why not...

Get Your Face On!

                                                                    Before Tom Savini, before KNB Special Effects, before CGI, hell, almost before spirit gum, there was Dick Smith - the original "monster make-up" wizard (I was originally going to call this section "Put Some Dick on Your Face" but I thought it might be... misunderstood). Dick's career has spanned over 50 years with work in both television and movies. His accomplishments include being the first staff make-up man in television (for NBC-TV in New York) and receiving the 1984 Academy Award for Best Make-Up for his work on Amadeus. His other film credits include Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Little Big Man, The Godfather, The Exorcist, Taxi Driver, The Sentinel, Altered States, Scanners, Ghost Story and The Hunger.

But possibly his greatest accomplishment and contribution to the world was penning the book "Dick Smith's Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up Handbook." Originally distributed as a one shot magazine by Forry Ackerman's "Famous Monsters of Filmland" for the princely sum of 60 cents, this little gem fired the imagination of an entire generation of pubescent horror hounds. Among its many readers was a young Rick Baker who, as we all know, went on to become one of the leading SFX artists of HIS generation. Years later Baker sat down with his newsstand mentor to do an interview for the then fledgling make-up and special effects magazine, "Cinefex." You can download and read that interview HERE (please note this is a large 15mb .pdf file and, depending on your connection, may take a few minutes to download completely).

"Dick Smith's Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up Handbook" has gone through a number of printings and revisions over the years as well as going in and out of print at various times. Currently it appears to be out of print again, with used copies going as high as $50+ at amazon. Don't despair though because as a very, very special Halloween treat I've scanned and uploaded the complete "Do-It-Yourself Monster Make-Up" instructions for  four of the coolest ghouls in the book just for you! Below you'll see a rogue's gallery of creepy critters (which looks surprisingly similar to a page from my high school yearbook). Click on any or all of them, print out the pages and with some simple household items and a couple hours work you too can be "Split Face", "Martian #2", "Werewolf" or "Weird-oh"!

Split Face

Martian #2

Werewolf

Weird-Oh

Click here to continue to Page 2.  If you dare!!

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