by Steven Keltsch on September 1, 2009
Which makes for the best Halloween mask may be a matter of personal taste. But the following categories keep coming back year after year.
Scary
Scary works, for sure. But gross works even better. Make it grotesque, make that mask really creepy, crawly and otherwise disgusting and you’ve got a hit.
Once-popular monsters like Frankenstein are passé. The character is just too camp to make anyone shiver today. But Grub Face or Gooey Flesh, yeah that’s still tops. Of course, you could get any of the masks of popular politicians and really frighten the horses.
Creatures
Sometimes a creature mask might be that of a cute Wookie. The ever-cool Planet of the Apes mask continues to be a favorite years after the last movie was made and forgotten. The choices here are endless.
Seventy years after the original movie was made The Mummy continues to be a Halloween perennial. Even the 1940s Mr. Hyde somehow keeps coming back generation after generation. And the book was first published in 1886! But some of the latest creatures are bound to become classics, too. Alien will never go out of style. The Green Ghost from Ghostbusters is a favorite of many. Yoda is here to stay, like it or not.
Animals
For the young kids, animals are a simple and cute option that is perpetually popular not only with parents but the kids themselves. An original idea that’s hot today is a bird’s beak. Flat masks are the norm, so having something with a little bit of depth is a way to be a little different.
Pig Masks are another way to give a mask a good 3-D effect, but with less risk of the nose bumping into something. They’re easy to make, too. But a pre-made latex option doesn’t have to be expensive, and they’re sturdy and comfortable.
Make-It Yourself
Masks are especially fun when your young one gets to make it. Plaster of Paris used to be the way to go. But that’s a lot of work. Today, you’ve got much easier methods available. A digital camera can take a snapshot of your child, the family dog, or a bird that hangs around the yard.
Take the digital snapshot, transfer it to the computer. Then just use the digital photo software that came with the camera to print out a color photo on heavy card stock. Cut-out the mask, slip some string through a couple of holes and you’re ready for Halloween.
Take a photo of each of the kids, then have one wear the photo-mask of another. That should confuse everyone!
The great thing about any of these choices is the mask works all by itself, with or without a full costume. The idea is to create a recognizable character and any of these will certainly do that.
by Steven Keltsch on September 1, 2009
Halloween has become a great festival, filled with fun ghoulish decorations and silly costumes. You can add to the fun and complete the look with a range of holiday-themed props.
Decoration Props
Decoration props sit, hang or otherwise remain stationary. They can decorate inside or outside the home.
Standard round gravestones make for a great prop to use for a front yard cemetery. But even cooler are the centuries-old Saxon Cross tombstones that really add a sense of style. Anything that evokes a time long gone by fits right in with Halloween, which had its origins in the Middle Ages.
A fog maker is another excellent addition to the toolkit, both for cemetery scenes and near the front door. They can run for several hours and create just the right atmosphere for a spooky Halloween scene.
Don’t forget the bats, either. What would Halloween be without lots of scary bats? Evoking vampires, dark caves and things that grab your hair in the night, they’re the perfect prop to add to your holiday fun.
Costume Props
You might need a prop not so much for decoration but to complete a costume. Plenty of choices there.
One is a simple skeleton’s arm that pokes out above the back of your collar. Sew it to an undershirt and let the hand grab the back of your neck. Add to the effect with a little stage blood and you’ve got a great looking prop.
Fake hands are a staple of Halloween props, just as they are in horror movies. Sprinkle a little stage blood on the end and let it sit on your shoulder. Sit one on a table to guard your drink. Creep out your date by dangling it above her head as she adjusts her costume in the mirror. Use your macabre imagination, you’ll find a dozen uses for these props.
Your character this year might be Leatherface, Jason, or Freddy Kruger, two favorites of many Halloween partygoers. A prop chainsaw, machete or those scary razor hands are essential to complete the look. What would those ghouls be without their slicing tools?
Animatronics
‘Animatronics’ used to refer to robotic animals used in films, at Disneyland and elsewhere. Now it means any prop that moves. And there are plenty.
An animated gargoyle is the perfect prop for the front door. He comes alive right when the trick-or-treaters reach to knock on the door. Or, put one in the window and let some sound effects complete the ghoulish display.
Coffin lids that open by themselves are always great fun at Halloween. Add a bloody hand that crawls out from the crack and you’ve got a holiday hit. Put a leaping spider or flying bats inside and no one will want any candy after that.
Complete your Halloween fun with the right props for decorating and costume completion and get the most fun possible out of this spooky holiday.
