TheHorrordome.com are selling these cool ‘Flesh Eaters’ which basically attach to you using a chain, and can be hung (or worn) around your waist or neck, giving the impression that you are being attacked by a critter.

They come in three varieties, alien, demon and goblin (which looks a lot like a Gremlin, which is pretty cool).
Okay, they are a bit pricey at around $150, but they look like they’re of high quality, and if you’re not wearing it, you could always use it as a room prop. I can see it being the sort of thing that you could use every year.

Plus, they’re more economical than real demons/goblins, as you don’t have to provide them with the usual sacrifices and living meals.

There’s even a video with a guy demonstrating it (in a pretty over dramatic way!).

Another bonus is that if you don’t get any interest from the opposite sex all night, you’ll have a grisly dance parter by your side all night long!

But at the weekend they finally arrived and I was very pleased with what greeted me. It seems that Asda have been doing their homework again and have found a few really good, novel ideas for this year’s stock.
Here are my favourites:

Bangin Bones DJ

This little fella is a more street-wise goul. Wearing baggy jeans and a hoody, you’d be mistaken to think that this is simply a cool decoration for the style conscious.
Press the little button on his hand though, and he breaks out into a rap, scratching on his turntable as he performs.
He’s great fun, and although it’s a bit of a weird idea to have a rapping skeleton, the movement of his arm and the song itself are both party pleasers.
The only let down is that he doesn’t start on his own. Whereas some of the props are motion or sound activated, in this case you have to press the button on his hand to get this little DJ going.
He is also very loud, so shouldn’t be left anywhere that he might disturb any Halloween hating neighbours.

Check out the video here.

Rating:

Heads-off Harry

Harry as a problem. He seems pretty happy to have been resurrected from the dead and stitched back together. However, his creator forgot one thing – to attach his head.
Harry is excellent. His eyes flash, and his voice is very cool and spooky. Definitely more menacing that Bangin Bones DJ.
He stands at about 12 inches tall, so he’s a substantial size. Again, the only let down is that he is push-button activated.

I made a video of this one too. Check it out here.

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Hanging Ghost

Want to really freak out your party guests? Well, the best thing to do is have some kind of haunting figure hanging somewhere unexpected.
Unfortunately though, making something that looks scary enough is often too much like hard work, and so it’s great that Asda are selling something to save you the trouble.
This hanging ghost is excellent. Simple and effective.
You hang it using the chord attached to the head and then bend the arms into any menacing pose that you fancy.
The scream-esque face and rusty-looking chains are sure to give your friends a little fright.

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Scary dropping spider

In a similar vein (scaring your guests) is this little hairy chap.
Hang him  up on a wall, and when he’s triggered by someone, he’ll drop down the line that he’s attached to with his little red, beady eyes flashing. If placed strategically enough, this creepy creature could really get your victims squealing.
I thought the detail was pretty impressive, the little hairy area actually makes him look pretty convincing in the light of day. Imaging how petrifying he could be late on All Hallows’ Eve!

Rating:

Locked-up Lenny

I really like this guy. So much so that he’s right up there with my other favourite Asda prop this year – Mr Bone Jangles.
This small, but perfectly formed spectre, hangs nicely in the corner of any room.
Once activated he proceeds to talk and flash his red eyes at you.
He’s particularly good because he can really catch you off guard, starting his act with a ‘boo’ or ‘hey’. The sort of thing that could spook you more than once.
Best of all, mid-sentence, he pulls open the bars of his cage and pokes his head through. An excellent touch.
The only downside would be that he is very small. But if you’re like me and you have lots of decorations, space is limited and so this guy is perfect.

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Spinning Eye Skull

At first I really wasn’t sure what this guy was all about. ‘Okay, it’s a skull with one sinning eyeball? Not very exciting’ I thought.
But upon opening, my opinion changed.
This prop is very similar to another of my favourite Asda Halloween buys (from a couple of years back), the Skull fogger.
More of a decorative water feature than a device to amuse or scare, this little number could site nicely on a mantlepiece or in the centre of your dinner table.

You fill the inner section with water, add some red food colouring to create that ‘blood’ effect, then place the eyeball in the socket.
Once plugged into the mains, the blood-water is pumped through the eye, spinning the ball, and making a really gruesome centre-piece.

What’s most impressive is the detail. The skull on it’s own looks really cool, it’s weighty and shaded to look very real. The whole eyeball effect is a real party pleaser.

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I bought a brain-shaped jelly mould a couple of years back and it’s always great to use for a bit of Halloween desert, although it can be a little off-putting at times.
I found a video on Youtube where a guy has used the same type of mould to do something a little more creative.

I don’t personally think that the result are amazing, but with a little more time and care, you could probably use the same technique to good effect.

As an alternative, you could skip the DIY, and go for something like this:

I have only been able to find it being sold in the US, but if you live there, it would probably even work out cheaper!

However, over the past couple of years, a few UK stores have really improved their stock. One of which is Sillyjokes.co.uk.

This shops primary selling point is probably its costumes. It has loads, for adults and children. Some of them aren’t so great, but are still funny. Check out ‘Ghostly Gentleman’!

Not very scary.

It’s like one of their pirate costumes came out the wrong colour and they had to come up with a way to market it!
I like the way they try to make it sound better “Perhaps you jilted your bride NEW or you were both murdered on your wedding night……spooky.”

However, it’s the other little decorations and bits that I like best. They have an extensive range, and a lot of stuff to choose from. Ideal if you’re hosting a party.

They pretty much stock the whole Scene Setters collection, which are great on walls or windows.

They also stock ‘Halloween awards’ which are random, but pretty cool nonetheless.

All in all, a good place to look if you’re shopping online in the UK.

All you need is a small TV, DVD player, a sheet of perspex and a particular DVD that you need to buy – however, you could probably find it cheap on ebay. Or, if you have a camera, you could have a go at making your own film to show.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO WATCH THE ‘HOW TO’ VIDEO.

Spooky!