How to Make the Lights and Power Go Out When Your Strobe Lightning Flashes on Halloween Night

Halloween Decorations and Halloween tricks have remained fairly stagnant over the years. I strive to load my Halloween treat bag with original, exciting treats. I will not be covering any baked goods with orange frosting, and there's no point in discussing pumpkins. Sure, we all do this stuff, but let's get a little more "cutting edge!"

Categories: Visual Effect. Cool. Clever. Technical based effect.

Skill level: Simple.

Time required: 5 to 15 minutes.

Cost: $15.00 to $20.00

"Power Interrupt"

Use your strobe lights more like lightning striking and less like a disco dance party light show by controlling them with a "winker" (or flasher) to light them up intermittently (because lightning is typically not always flashing).

Also, when the lightning strikes, have the "house" lights go out! Aside from this happening occasionally in reality (and always in scary movies) it adds more "light power" to the strobes because they are not washed out with ambient lighting. In fact, it will take you far longer to get the parts, organize everything, and read this than it will to build this Halloween Effect.

The simple idea: We will use a photo cell switch to "cut the power" when the strobes are engaged. You've seen these photocell switches before. They're typically built into light sockets for outdoor lamps. When the sun comes up, off go the lights. The only difference here is you want a photocell (search Amazon for "plug-in Lamp Photocell") that has an outlet rather than a light socket built into it.

Of course you'll want to have Thunderstorm sound effects playing during all of this. Since the speed of light is faster than the speed of sound, when you see lightning in real-life, the thunder follows afterwards. Ironically and thankfully, the random soundtrack that is not-in-sync-with the random lightning will be all-the-more life-like and convincing!

Here are the ingredients:

2 extension cords

PIN FLASHER or "winker"

Photocell switch

Night-Light (one with a small C7 "nightlight" bulb)

You'll also need:

strobe lights

tape

A "project box" to house this in---like a shoebox, food box, cardboard coffee can.

Clearly, you will also need some sort of other lights for the ambient lighting (the lighting that will "go out" with the power!)

Extension cord "A" will be your power source. You will plug this into the wall when you are finished.

1) Take the photo-cell switch and plug it into extension cord "A".

2) Plug the PIN FLASHER or "winker" into another outlet in extension cord "A".

3) Take the other extension cord, "B" and plug it into the PIN FLASHER.

4) Plug the C7 night-light into extension cord "B".

5) Plug your strobe lights into another outlet in extension cord "B."

6) Plug your ambient lights (window lights, outdoor lamps) into the outlet on the photocell switch. (300 watt max!)

The nightlight will be the light that triggers the Photocell to shut off. The enclosure will house this project so that outside light will not affect the operation.

7) Place the cords and devices into an opaque (no light can get in or out) enclosure. A shoe box or other small box is ideal. If you use one of those small plastic storage boxes (readily found at every store) then make sure it is opaque. If not, spray paint the outside of it.

8) Adjust the location of the nightlight with respect to the photocell sensor so that when the nightlight is dim or off (and strobe lights are now off) the nightlight does not provide enough light to switch the photocell off. When the nightlight is bright (and strobes are on) the photosensor should switch off.

9) Use the adhesive tape to tack down the location of the nightlight and the photocell socket so that the device works when you re-locate it to your party or outside decorated location.

That's all folks! Make certain you add this to your bag of Halloween Tricks. So few people do this "extra" effect, that you will stand out in the Halloween crowd!

Bill Lae is an award-winning visual effects artist and Halloween Haunter. As one of Hollywood's effects artists, Bill worked for all the networks using his magic touch on TV's top shows including The X-Files, Buffy, & The Outer Limits. He created BigScreamTV http://www.BigScreamTV.com a series of DVDs anyone can use to create in-home Halloween effects with a TV. He also shot a how-to DVD called X-Treme Haunted House Make-Over where he shows folks how to haunt the house for little cost. His love for Halloween started long before he came to LA. As a child he made haunted houses in his parents' basement. In LA, he began mixing easy-to-use technology (DVD players, computers, printers, lights) with other household items to "trick out" his own house every Halloween. At last count, he had 700 trick-or-treaters. "It's my favorite holiday," Bill says. "I especially love amazing the hardened, media-savvy, teen-age critics. And it truly is the one time when everyone has the opportunity to give unconditionally-giving candy to strangers!" For more Halloween Projects: http://www.booityourself.com

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Decorating Your House For Halloween Night

Don't have any ideas yet on how to decorate your house or apartment for Halloween night? I will give you a few.

First of all, you need to decide what do you want from Halloween this year? For example:

o You can create a spooky or scary look for your house and maybe yourself too. Or do you want to be funny and put kind of funny spooky decorations? Or maybe do you want to be weird with your ideas. Or you can combine scary stuff around with a joke at the end for your friends or family?

How much money do you want to spend for this? Is it going to be around $10 or $100? Do you want to buy a couple of Halloween pumpkins and put a broom by the entrance or hang a lots of Halloween decorations, get scary or funny masks for yourself and your household, make or buy Halloween costumes? If you have a dog or cat there are a lot's of Halloween pet costumes

o So, lets say you gonna spend a few bucks for Halloween decorations, what can you get done for a few dollars? For 1 dollar you can get a spider web. So get a few of them. They are very stretchy. Usually they look good in corners, especially corners of the ceiling, fireplaces, behind the door, on lights. Make sure you don't use those lights during the Halloween night to avoid fire hazard situations. Putting spider web on artificial plants gives dramatic look to the room. Make it as a centerpiece.

o Spending more then $50 on decorations. There are lots of ideas: starting with already carved pumpkins and crazy looking monsters in corners inside of the house as well on the yard. Like skeletons? There are tons of varieties of colors, sizes, bone or plastic ones. Some skeletons can hang on the trees around your house. Or how about moving skeleton? Br-r-r-r! I've seen those. I really like pirate skeleton. It will start to march on one place and shake your hand once you touch it in special place.

How much enthusiasm do you feel to do all this?

Do you plan to spend 15 minutes for setting all Halloween decorations or organize a Pirate party in your place with some Halloween pranks and freaky ghosts. You can organize a ball masquerade. It's all up to you.

Does not matter how far you want to go with a Halloween night you might want to check here for some specials on Halloween costumes or decorations.

I am a person who loves to perform and has a weird hobbies. I like to collect frogs, crocs... Joke. Anyway, I like many things and I have many hobbies, one of them collect silly weird things about simple things in a funny ways. I hope you got it.

Interested in more ideas for Halloween or other Party ideas? I am full of ideas for any party.

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Where to Find the Best Halloween Night Theme Party

Looking for an excuse to party? Halloween night presents one of the best opportunities for creative party planning. You may choose a generic "Halloween" theme or you may opt for a more specific theme from a horror movie, such as a pirate theme, a zombie theme or a Renaissance vampire theme. Once you've got a basic idea, the Halloween decorations, music, food and games will all fall into place. Oh, and don't forget to align your music selection and costume design with your theme as well!

Comedian ("Strangers with Candy") and Entertainer Extraordinaire, Amy Sedaris, recommends hosting a Halloween Night Movie Party. "The fun of the party to me is the movie I'm featuring," says Sedaris, who personally recommends classics like Dracula and Frankenstein, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, The Trilogy of Terror, The Bad Seed, and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Of course, there are countless movies from which to choose. To create the in-home theater, she moves the TV to the center of the room and arranges cushy beanbag chairs and furniture around it so everyone can see.

Then she places food trays around the room in accessible spots. She serves meatloaf, mashed potatoes and corn because "you don't have to see it to eat it" and she also highly recommends pumpkin pie dessert and pumpkin seed snacks. She likes to start the Halloween fun with a pumpkin carving activity too.

Drinks can include a Bloody Mary, a Berry Rum Punch, Sangria or a witch's brew. Sedaris also recommends sending out invitations that look like a movie ticket or film reel, draping red velvet around the room, playing elevator muzak, setting up 25-cent concessions booths and throwing a few of the more traditional Halloween decorations around. "Entertaining alone is one of the most creative and rewarding experiences I can think of," she concludes.

Perhaps you'd like to plan a formal Halloween Night Dinner Party. This is a great idea and works well if you'd like to make it a themed event. For instance, you could request that everyone dress up as pirates or in turn-of-the-century vampire/Renaissance costumes. For the best results, do a little research ahead of time and find adult costume sites to direct your guests to visit. HGTV has some good "eerily elegant" Halloween decorations recommendations for you at "Hgtv" and "Epicurious" offers a full selection of Halloween recipes for you to choose from. Your food should be planned out, from the appetizers and drinks to a main course and desserts, served up in themed kitchenware for the most memorable dinner.

Still wondering where to look for Halloween Night inspiration? HGTV has a great "eerily elegant" party planner on their site, located at "Hgtv", which gives you advice on stylish Halloween decorations and menus ranging from "dreadfully decadent desserts" to ghoulish grill outs." The website, "Epicurious", is noted for their comprehensive holiday planning menus as well.

For more Halloween decorations, check out "Fright Catalog" or "Old Fashion Halloween" for more ideas. If you're stumped on costume design, then consider "Costumzee", "Buycostumes" or "Halloween-Mask" for creative ideas. As with anything, becoming a master party planner takes time. It might be easiest to begin with a desserts or movie party this year and gradually add new elements as the years go by.

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Hen Night Party Ideas For All

When thinking about a hen night, the first image that comes to most people's mind is a bunch of women drinking and going wild in a dark, crowded bar. While that may be the right type of party for some women, you should know that it's not the only way to go, as there are many other manners to celebrate what is supposed to be the bride's last night of freedom.

The first and most important thing one should keep in mind when throwing a hen party is what the bride would like. After all, it's her night and she ought to be able to enjoy it. For example, if the bride is a mellow, quiet person, a very good idea would be to organize the party at her house (or at one of the bridesmaids'). This way, you will avoid the crowded and noisy club; plus, you can decorate the setting and set the schedule however you want.

Another great idea for a bachelorette party is to transform it into a day-long session at a spa. This way, you can all get pampered and have some quiet time before the wedding. Just make sure you announce the salon in advance, so they can help you with the details. Also, keep in mind that this type of get-together can get pretty expensive, so you might want to get a few more people to pitch in with money.

If, however, you decide to organize the party in a club or bar, a good choice would be to make it a themed party. There are loads of themes to choose from, according to the season or the bride?s preferences. For instance, a fun winter theme would be "Santa's Little Helpers", where the bride could be Mrs. Claus and the invites could play the roles of elves or reindeer. If the party takes place during fall, you could do a Halloween-themed bash or even a Thanksgiving one.

Whatever idea you decide on, remember that the whole point of this shindig is for everyone to have fun. Invite the closest friends of the bride and make sure you have enough drinks and treats for all the guests, as well as some entertaining options, like music or specific games.

Every Sexy Santa needs an equally sexy little helper, so don't forget to buy a Sexy Elf Costume!

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A Halloween Themed Party - Creating A Night Of Nightmarish Tales

A Halloween Themed Party - Creating a Night of Nightmarish Tales

Halloween is the only holiday of the entire year that truly inspires the imagination of adults and kids alike by encouraging the weirdest and most eccentric Halloween costumes for the numerous Halloween parties. The more outrageous a Halloween themed party is, the better. Halloween is the one holiday that is devoted to spooky fun!

It used to be that Halloween was reserved for the kids, and their Halloween themed parties at school indulges and trick or treating at night. However, a lot more adults are now calling Halloween their favorite holiday too. But why? Well, Halloween is an excuse to dress up in scary costumes and have some fun with their friends. It has also developed into the perfect family holiday, because children and their parents are able to enjoy time together. They can have fun while carving a Jack O'Lantern out of a pumpkin, transforming the yard into a spooky haunted house complete with Halloween style graveyard, creating their own Halloween costumes, or planning a terrifically terrifying Halloween party.

Where did Halloween Originate? A Brief History of Halloween

The name, Halloween, is derived from "All Hallow's Eve". This is the name given in a number of European countries, including Ireland, to the night before "All Hallow's Day", or "All Saint's Day" on November 1st. This evolved, over time, from "All-Hallow-Even", to "Hallowe'en", and finally to the spelling we recognize today of "Halloween". The celebration of Halloween on October 31st started as an ancient Celtic celebration, known as "Samhain", which signified the end of summer. The Celts lived in parts of Britain, and Northern France, over 2000 years ago. They believed that goblin, witches, and other dark spirits came out on Samhain, and would accompany the souls of the dead, in the form of ghosts, to visit the places where they had lived.

To ward off the dark spirits and witches, the Celts lit fires. They left food and lanterns to welcome the souls of the dead and wore masks and costumes in celebration. Nowadays, Halloween is more associated with more modern traditions such as 'Trick or Treating', Halloween parties, and Halloween costumes. Kids look forward to collecting their Halloween candy in countries all over the world. Halloween night os celebrated in a large number of countries with Halloween themed parties and games, imaginative Halloween costumes, delicious Halloween recipes and fantastic Halloween themed displays.

Halloween Themed Parties, Games, Crafts , Food

There is no doubt that Halloween themed parties have a magical air about them. There is such a wide selection of Halloween party themes that you can choose from that you are sure to find one that will make celebrating the holiday both spooky and fun for adults and kids alike. Some of the most popular Halloween images surrounding Halloween themed parties include bobbing for apples, caramel popcorn balls, creepy Halloween decorations, and a bowl of ghoulish green punch garnished with floating spiders and frogs. Halloween themed parties really are the perfect way of creating a Halloween night to remember.

There are so many ideas for decorations that you can adapt for your own Halloween party; including Halloween crafts and games, Halloween costumes, drinks and Halloween recipe treats. For example, some ideas for Halloween costumes for kids could include Jack O'Lanterns, black cats, werewolves, skeletons, ghosts, witches or monsters. A more adult Halloween themed party could have more of a sophisticated 'Day of the Dead' style, with wonderful Mexican food, or a Halloween masked ball with devilishly delicious Halloween desserts. You do not need to spend a lot of money to have a Halloween themed party. It can be as intimate as you like, and you may just want to invite a few friends over, rather than hold a huge Halloween bash.

Daryl Plaza is a regular contributor to SpookyNite.com A Halloween informational site with ideas on how you can plan your Halloweennight with costumes, games, crafts, food and decorations.

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Scary Halloween Decorations For An Exhilarating Fright Night

Who wouldn't anticipate this time of the year? Halloween season is the perfect time to hold spooky costume parties! Of course, adults and kids are both looking forward to wear their creative and unique costumes and revamp the house with scary Halloween decorations. Make your imagination run wild because the more creepy, unique and surprising your ideas are, the better!

Halloween party is not complete without great party decors because only these can set the right mood. There are wide varieties of ghoulish Halloween decorations you can use to heighten the eerie charm of the party venue. Dig out the spine chilling, deep rooted fright from your guests with these super scary Halloween decoration ideas:

Indoor Halloween Party Themes

Witch House Decorations

Transform a room, house, banquet hall or any indoor Halloween venue into a frightening witch home! Have life-size witch doll on a broom suspended in the air. Showcase a full size witch doll sitting on a chair or standing at the different areas of the house. Display witch potions, candles, skulls or other eerie witch bits and pieces as if used for doing rituals.

Haunted House Decorations

Bring the haunted house spooky atmosphere into your own house! Decorate the interiors of the party venue with ground and wall coverings and nettings to disguise the whole area. Set up a dim lighting and consider lighting some candles, skulls or bones and spider webs. Gore props, animatronics and ghost illusions also create a spine chilling mood.

Spider Webs and Spiders

Spider webs designed artistically are the classic decorations every Halloween. But what's great about spider webs is that they readily transform the venue into a scary nook. Oversize spider webs with black, hairy and authentic looking spiders can definitely give goose bumps. You can also have glow-in-the-dark spider webs on the murky areas of the house but make sure not to overdo it and keep the spider webs authentic-looking.

Lighting and Sound Effects

Screams and scary giggles or laughter are the most popular sound effects to boost the eeriness of the atmosphere. Archetypal orchestra music works great with a haunted house theme venue. Since a bright lighting is not at all fitting to Halloween parties and you can't party in pitch black, a dim and animated lighting is just perfect.

There are varieties of ways to capture that frightening mood with lighting effects. Halloween lights, LED lights, skulls and skeleton lighting and the classic candle lighting are all wonderful options to transform your house into a realistic, fear-provoking party venue.

Setting up the Halloween mood during costume parties or trick-and-treating is not difficult as long as you don't limit your ideas to the traditional party decors. There are tons of inspired and fresh Halloween decors out there! You can use the technology in carrying out cool lighting and sound effects.

Bedazzle your guests with realistic, scary Halloween decorations by really thinking on the concept and stick to it. Prepare your budget so you won't end up with a poorly decorated Halloween set.

As you can see, there are loads of scary Halloween Decorations to choose from to make your home the envy of your neighborhood. Don't miss out on what's hot by visiting my favorite spooky decoration website at http://spookyhalloweendecorations.org/.

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