A few Halloween tricks for scaring up some fun

Do you have the uncanny feeling that something is creeping up on you?

Well, it is! It’s almost Halloween, so don’t be caught unprepared.

Here are some festive tricks and treats to help get you in the mood.

Batty reflections

You might think you’re all alone in the room – until you catch a glimpse of bats “flying” nearby. Fashioned out of black adhesive shelf liner, flying creatures can be affixed to a framed mirror to create the illusion of an infested room.

Draw bat shapes in different sizes with a pencil onto the backing of black shelf liner, and cut them out with scissors. Then peel off the backs and arrange the bats on a mirror. They can easily be pulled off when the holiday is over.

Talking pumpkin

Give trick-or-treaters a scare by placing a jack-o’-lantern that talks on your front step. This simple trick can be performed easily with the help of a baby monitor.

Place the parents’ unit (which receives the sound) inside a carved pumpkin. Kids can hide nearby and speak into the transmitter when other kids come up to the door: “Boo! Who’s taking my candy?” or “Eek! A vampire!”

To make sure no one sees the unit inside the pumpkin, use pushpins to tack a piece of black fabric or paper behind the carved pumpkin face.

Easy ‘icky’ costumes

A mouse in your hair or cockroaches running up your leg will leave anyone who sees you speechless.

Purchase rubber vermin at a Halloween store. To weave mice into your hair, push the flat side of a bobby pin into the underside of each rubber mouse, and then clip the pin in place. Arrange several mouse pins around your hair so the creatures appear to be crawling all over.

For a quick costume that will make your skin crawl, affix rubber cockroaches to your arms or legs with eyelash glue or peel-off skin adhesive.

Mad-scientist invitations

Let friends know what madcap adventures they’re in for at your Halloween party. Send party details with test tubes that are filled with creepy “specimens.”

You’ll need: paper price tags, white card stock, a cup of brewed tea, paper towels, matches, a black-ink pen, corn syrup, red food coloring, a fine paintbrush, plastic floral tubes, fake bugs, 5/8-inch corks, black thread, small cardboard boxes and wood shavings.

Start by giving all your paper materials an aged look by dipping the tags and card stock in brewed tea for a minute; let them dry on a paper towel. Once dry, carefully singe edges.

Use a pen to label the specimen tags: “Specimen No. 1” or “Creepy Crawlies” or whatever you like.

To make blood-colored ink, combine 2 teaspoons corn syrup, 3 teaspoons water and several drops of red food coloring.

To make the invitation, use a paintbrush to write party details on a piece of card stock. Fill each floral tube with fake bugs and top with a cork; attach a “specimen” tag with black thread.

Place each invitation (with specimen) in a cardboard box filled with wood shavings. Check with the post office for mailing specifications or deliver the invitations yourself.

Eye-popping soup

At your party, serve up a gruesome yet surprisingly delicious first course of hot “eyeball” soup. Cook a batch of tomato soup and keep it warm. To make an eyeball, scoop out a little chunk from a mini-mozzarella ball, and tuck an olive slice into it. Float several eyeballs in each steaming bowl of soup.

Ghostly treat

For dessert, give ghoulish guests white-chocolate lollipops in the form of ghosts, complete with mini-chocolate-chip eyes.

To make about 18 lollipops, melt 12 ounces of white-chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl over simmering water; stir occasionally. Remove the bowl, and mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil.

To make a ghost, drop 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto a baking sheet covered in wax paper; use the back of a teaspoon to quickly spread the mixture into a ghost shape with a head, arms and a trailing tail.

Place a lollipop stick at the base, spinning it to coat. Add mini-chocolate chips for eyes.

Refrigerate ghosts for 5 minutes, then peel off.

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