Make Your Own Entertainment This Halloween

If for some reason you can't find much in the way of entertainment for this Halloween, don't fret. There are lots of things you can do to entertain yourself and your family.

As long as you have access to a microphone and a tape recorder (or a CD burner), you can do this project: make your own haunted house tape. Moan, scream, growl and howl to your heart's content. If you can, add some organ music. Some electronic keyboards can be made to sound like an organ. Try using drums or shaking poster board to make thunder.

You could also make your own scary movie or play this Halloween. Write up a script and get your family or friends to dress up and act it out. Short films or plays (under a half hour) might be easier to tackle than full feature length. The best part of taping your play is that you'll have something to chuckle at for months to come. Or blackmail with.

If you can't get to a haunted corn maze, make your own. Even if you use stacks of boxes in your basement, it can work. Add some cobwebs (you can make some by stretching out cotton balls) and a few black lights to set the mood. Just be sure people will be able to see where they're walking. Then just add some spooky music or a haunted house soundtrack - maybe one you've made - and get a couple people in costume to haunt your maze.

If there's an aspiring writer in the family, get them to write some scary short stories. You can type them up and have them printed and bound at a place like Kinko's, you could put them in a nice folder yourself, or you could make an ebook. This could be a fun Halloween treat for family or friends. At the least, the writer will probably be entertained by it.

For those who are creative and handy with a sewing machine, try designing Halloween costumes for your friends or family. You'll have a new creative outlet and your loved ones will be able to show up at a party confident that no one else will be wearing the same costume. If you're a fairly good artist but can't sew, try designing pumpkin carving patterns. You and your friends might like having a Jack O'Lantern with something other than the normal toothy grimace.

I hope this is enough to get you started with some Halloween entertainment. If you have your own ideas please share them!