The Few, the Far and the In Between

In a couple of ways, I miss the very first few days of this blog. It was a wild, frontier-time when I was writing for writing's sake; when I was a mere amateur, not ever published, so my only writing pressures were my own; when I suffered from just one mental illness; when I somehow managed to write once every three days & - although I do not regret having work to look forward to - when I had less "projects" going on, so that I could more readily focus on this blog and my readership.

I honestly don't know how I managed three blog posts a day. I think I cared a little less, or maybe nowadays I care a little too much. One of the reasons I'm writing this is because, despite not feeling confident enough to write an entire blog post about some of the ideas I have, I do want to keep writing this. I love having a blog, my little foot in the door between me and the great world at large. I have an awful lot of pride in this blog, such that even though I don't like change, several times I found myself changing this blog to better suit the style that I wished it to evoke. And I am in fact honoured that people come here to read it, and occasionally leave comments.

This is entirely my own, and I do hope - one day - to become a published author, and on that day I still hope to have this blog, and update it. Even if someone insists that I have a "proper website", I still want to have this one handy. It is entirely mine, entirely self-motivated and entirely for fun. I like the atmosphere it has, and wouldn't trade that for anything.

So, please, do not take it the wrong way when I say that I am too busy to update. But, the fact of the matter is that I consider this blog part of my "writing work", and lately I have been working on some other writing projects.
There is one collaborative writing project that I was accepted into almost a month ago, called ODIN. I've been working on a serialized story for the project in the time I would usually spend working on personal writing projects and/or blogging. It's a lot of fun, lots of folks are taking part and I'm enjoying the challenge, but it means this blog has fallen to the wayside. I'm working to write more blog posts, but you definitely can't expect them as frequently as I once wrote them.

Although, on that note, ODIN is looking for more writers. There's a bit of a screening process, but if you are a writer and are keen to take on a significant writing challenge (although enjoyable and rather fast and loose, this will be relatively labour intensive), and if you like science fiction and adventure let me know that you're interested, and provide me with a link to an example of some of your writing. If I'm impressed, I will bring you to the attention of the Head Writer.

There are some other ideas I've been toying with lately as well. As you can tell, I did my Halloween Countdown recently (it was actually the last thing I did on this blog, oh my how time flies), but that also means it was my birthday.
The present I got for my birthday (alongside some lovely chocolates) was, in fact, a mobile phone. For the last 8 years, I have had one phone, it was a great phone. In fact it still is a great phone, a Nokia X1-01 and I would still be using it today, except . . . Vodafone happened. My provider decided that, because I hadn't made a call in 6 months (I had no disposable income and was looking for work, so I was receiving calls but could not afford to make them from my mobile phone), they put my number in something called "quarantine", as the phone number would eventually transfer from my SIM to be recycled into the network.
Which is a fancy way of saying: "Well, you're not giving us money, so fuck you we're taking your phone number away."
And since I needed a new SIM card, and they don't sell 2G cards anymore, I was forced to upgrade my phone.

So, I got a new phone. This one another Nokia, since I love that brand, and since I was upgrading I figured I'd try for a smartphone so I got a Nokia Lumia 532. In my eternal quest to stay just behind the cutting edge of technology, I bought a phone that they don't make anymore, the "Lumia" series goes all the way up to the 900s now which meant my phone was very cheap despite coming with a pre-packed SIM card. Also, because Vodafone was such a dick, I switched to Telstra.
Anyway, my point is, I have a phone, a Microsoft Phone (because I do not like iPhones) which means it came prepackaged with Microsoft Word.

And all of that was a long way of me saying that I've been looking into cell phone novels lately. Or, since I am not an American , I would prefer to call them phone novels. They are meant to be written on a phone, so I thought it would be interesting to see if I could actually accomplish that.
Don't get all excited, I haven't planned anything, I just think it's a cool idea, with a fascinating medium and style, so I might see if I can actually do something like that. In short, if you're interested, it's a style of writing whereby each chapter is the size of a text message. It forces the writer to resort to greater poetry and use of whitespace to express the story, and a lot of the plot is concealed (due to writing limitations) which adds to the theme and style of the genre.

And thirdly, there are several blog post ideas that I am interested in writing, but I keep forgetting or getting side-tracked. So, I figured, rather than keep getting all flustered, I'll do what I often do to organize my brain . . . lists. I can't give you a deadline, since with Christmas coming up, family responsibilities, job-hunting & ODIN work to do, I will be quite busy; but, I can give you a checklist. So, here are seven blog posts that I am going to attempt to write for this blog in the near future:

1. Healing Diary: A Tribute to Dr Mona
• (Where I talk about my psychologist, because she was nice)
2. WotD: "Speech"
• (Where I talk about Freedom of Speech)
3. Blogfiction: "Creature Fluff"
• (I promised my girlfriend I would write some light, cute fiction for her)
4. WotD: "Selfie"
• (I want to talk about selfie culture, photography and self-portraiture)
5. WotD: "Doxxing"
• (Apparently, this happens a lot. I want to look at the word and the phenomenon)
6. Duke Forever - Chapter 12: Party Crashers
• (I want to continue this story, I'm getting to a really good bit)
7. WotD: "Special"
• (I want to discuss what does and does not make us special)

So, you see, I haven't been out of ideas . . . just busy. I will, in time, write about all of these things. Of course, I may occasionally write a few more posts like this in between. And I may do a special Christmas and/or New Years post around these as well. It's going to be pretty fast and loose. But, I will get around to them all, in time. All I ask is that you be patient.

I'm the Absurd Word Nerd, and until next time, feel free to leave comments, keep in touch, I'll be around . . . I just have a few stories to write first.

Me Only

Ed crouches by the ravine, glaring at his reflection. The reflection in the water is warped and burbled by the fast running water.
Look at what you’ve done, says the tangle of weeds beside the water, rustling with each syllable.
Momma won’t be pleased says the Dark Ed in the water Not with sad, Lonely Eddie
“Leave momma out of this,” says Ed, “What she don’t know won’t harm her.”
But she’s so ashamed, Eddie the Dark Ed teases, making the weeds snicker. The trees sway back and forth mockingly,
“No. I don’t want it, Ed is a good boy.”
Eddie’s no good, Eddie’s all alone. The Lonely One . . . says the Dark Ed. You’re Lonely, and Just One, and you deserve no better. You’ll be alone forever.
“I didn’t mean to . . .” sobs Ed,
But you did. That kind girl. Now she’s dead rustles the weeds.
“I’m sorry. I said I was sorry! Didn’t I?!”
Perhaps . . .we should leave . . . the trees groan in unison
Leave the Lonely One alone . . . whispers the ravine, rushing vibrantly,
Like he deserves says the Dark Ed.
“No, NO! Please don’t leave me!”
Ed can’t be trusted! sneers the weeds
“Please, I’ll do anything . . .”
Will he now? says the Dark Ed . . . we will see.
THIS . . . WAY . . . creaks the little bridge. Ed is confused, but to keep the world on his side, he nods and heads to the bridge.
Follow the streetlights hum the fireflies, as they bother him down the path. Ed looks to the street beyond.
“We’re going to the girl’s house. The one from the druggist’s.”
The sky above doesn’t respond. As he steps onto the street, a mailbox suddenly screams WAIT!
Ed jumps back off the road. He walks over to the mailbox.
“Why?”
It’s not time yet . . . says the mailbox.
“I don’t like this,” says Ed, “I don’t like it at all.”
You will do as your told . . . says the mailbox, it’s lip clanging loudly as it speaks, What would you be without us? NOTHING. That’s what. Lonely little Ed and his lonely, old momma . . .
Ed is upset about them talking about his momma like that, but he bites his tongue.
Now, come here! sings the empty glass on the porch. Ed does as he’s told. He steps up to the door.
Come inside . . . says the door, with a suave demeanour.
“I don’t want to,” says Ed.
There is a scream in the distance, making Ed flinch,
I SAID COME INSIDE roars the door as it swings wide open.
Ed slowly creeps inside and the door slams shut. The house is silent.
“I don’t like it here.” Says Ed.
Here is where you wait says the door with a chuckle.
“I don’t like it here . . .” Ed whimpers to himself. As he waits, it starts to get darker, and the clock ticks mockingly
“Please, can I leave?”
NO! Roars the comfy sofa,
“But I hate it, I hate listening to you!” yells Ed.
You need us . . . flickers the light,
What would Lonely Eddie do without us? teases the Dark Ed in the hall mirror, You’re nothing without us.
And you’d be all alone . . . taunts the door.
“You know what? I don’t need you.”
All lies, you couldn’t last, Lonely Ed! The world screams.
Ed puts his hands to his head
“No! NO! I can do this alone. Me, alone, on my own. Me, Only Me! So all of you . . . SILENCE!!!
As Ed looks around the room had fallen deathly silent. Then he hears a scrambling at the door. He says to himself,
“I can do this on my own . . .”

Monster Bash, Tier 3: Final Match

  “G’day everyone, how are you all goin’? Good? I hope so . . . We have had some god-damned amazing fights in this arena, now. Battles have been waged; blood has been spilled and champions have risen from the ashes! . . . and now we come to the pointy end of this competition.” I say, adjusting my headphones as I walk towards a whiteboard with a contest bracket drawn on it, which looked like this:

 Tier 1   Tier 2  *Tier 3*  WINNER

WEREWOLF┐                        |

        ├WEREWOLF┐               |

GHOST───┘        │               |

                 ├─DEMON──┐      |

ZOMBIE──┐        │        │      |

        ├─DEMON──┘        │      |

DEMON───┘                 │      |

                          ├─ ??? |

VAMPIRE─┐                 │      |

        ├─HUMAN──┐        │      |

HUMAN───┘        │        │      |

                 ├─WITCH──┘      |

TROLL───┐        │               |

        ├─WITCH──┘               |

WITCH───┘                        |

  “Now this . . . uh this . . .” I stammer and start laughing. “The hell is this? What am I meant to do with this? What?” I stop as someone is talking into my ear. “Yes, I know it’s live, doesn’t change the fact that I don’t know what to do with this . . . okay, look, ladies and gentlemen if you’ve missed the previous fights, they’re in the blog archives, you should check them out.”
I pause for a moment as my headphones keep talking at me.
  “Pfft, no fuck off, I am not recapping the whole lot of matches, that would defeat the . . . you know what?” I take my headphones off and throw them over the fence. “We'll do it live, fuck it. Ladies and gentlemen, this evening, I am proud to announce that I am once again joined by the stunning Miss Jayalaw. Are you excited to be here?”
“Maybe not excited, but I am curious to see who will win. Both the contenders have fought through quite a bit and given their hundred and ten percent, but it’s going to be hard to go back to trick or treating and candy after this.”
  “Especially for our losers,” I say, sitting down on an Esky behind the desk. “But we have one hell of a fight this evening. So, I have to ask, which of our two monsters are you backing this evening? Will you make a call on the final fight?”
“Technically witches aren’t monsters, but I see what you mean. I do hope Melissa wins because she has been through a lot at this point.”
  “But not Carver? She did rip off her fucking hand, come on . . .”
“Ah good point,” Jayalaw admitted. “At this point I’m going to sit back and watch . . . are you drunk?”
  “Psh . . . barely. But I am looking forward to celebrating later," I say, tapping my 'seat'. "And y’know what? You're right. It’s all come down to this, I don't want to spoil the surprise by trying to analyse this to pieces. Let's just wait and see what happens. Oh, and here come our contestants now!”
On the left side near trees, On the other side of the field, three stagehands entered with summoning materials. They set up the pentagram as one of them chanted. As the ritual was complete, the candles each became a fireball that merged in the centre of the symbol to become Carver, the red-skinned, yellow-eyed woman with horns and a tail. Her right hand was replaced with a hook, and she wore a burnt bikini.
  “In this corner, Rkk’lugh O’ash’sh kss-Ra, a demon also known as ‘Carver’. In her first round, she lost her hand, only to smash her opponent’s brain, and in her second round she tore her opponent up and shoved her hook through his face! She’s a devilish beast, give it up for The Demon!”
On the right side near the church, a short woman was lead through the gate by two stage hands, one holding each arm. She was wearing a black, draping dress and a wide-brimmed hat, and had a pair of handcuffs on her wrists. One of the stagehands unlocked the cuffs and they both left to leave her standing, solemnly, with her head bowed.
  "And in this corner, Melissa Maitland. In her first match, she faced off against a powerful troll, and despite being outclassed in size, she used her ingenuity and ripped off his head. And in her second match, although there was a close call near the end, but she managed to snap his neck. She’s one Magical Mistress, give it up for The Witch!"
I jump up and scream. “Without further ado, Tonight is our final match! it’s Sorceress versus Succubus, who will win? Let’s get ready to RUMBLE! Three . . . two . . . one, FIGHT!”

Carver began by walking down the path towards her prey. with a flick of her left hand, her talons sparked and ignited, and flames crawled up her fingers to rest in her palm.
Meanwhile, Melissa just began dancing. She started by humming and slowly stamping her feet. She lowered her hands and stamped faster, singing wordlessly as she spun in a circle, and the demon watched this, smirking. As Melissa spun, the sky grew dark and the stars disappeared behind clouds. She stamped faster and faster, clapped her hands, then jumped forward held up her hands and whistled long and low. Instantly, there was a rumble of thunder, and rain began falling down, and the demon’s smile dropped.
The flames in her hand fizzled and spat as rain fell. Before it could douse it entirely, the demon growled, and the flame burst much larger and brighter. The rain fell and sizzled, but it was hot enough to stay lit. She thrusts her hand forward and sends a bolt of fire at the witch. Melissa throws her hands in front of her face, as she does, raindrops around her collect into a wobbling blanket of water. The fire extinguished as it hit the water. Then Melissa dropped her hands and the water splashed to the ground.
  “You pathetic maggot!” screamed the demon as she ran forward. She threw a fireball, and Melissa countered it with another swipe of water, which turned into steam. But Carver closed the distance between them and swung her leg. She kicked Melissa in the face, making her double back. Melissa grabs more water and smacks it into the demon, but Carver grabs her by the front of the shirt, lifts her from the ground and raises her hook to swipe.
Melissa slaps her in the face and throws out both arms. A sudden and quick gust of wind grabs the witch and she flies up into the air.
  “Don’t flee from me, human!” yells the Demon, and she throws up both hands, sending a spurt of flame high up into the air. The fire encompasses the witch’s body and she screams. As she swipes at her burning clothes, she drops out of the sky, smoking.
She hits the ground heavily, and collapses onto her back. She cries out in pain. The rain extinguishes the last of the fire, but she grabs her leg. It wasn’t broken, but she winced as she kneeled to stand up again.
  “You are weak and pathetic,” said the demon. “I tore off my own hand, and I am still standing. you twist your ankle, and you look ready to cry.”
Through gritted teeth, Melissa pointed towards the demon with her hand, and spoke in a strange tongue. In a flash, lightning cracked loudly. striking just behind her. Carver jumped and hissed. Melissa continued to speak, and swirled her hand as though casting a whip. Again, lightning struck, Carver dove aside, and the lightning struck where she had just been standing.
  “You can keep casting your magic at me all you like,” said Carver. “But you know, the moment I get my hands on you, I’ll rip your pretty tongue out.”
Melissa held her hand forward and clenched the air in front of her, then pulled down. As she did, Carver stumbled, but soon regained her footing. Melissa tried to magically grapple her again, by throwing her hand to the side. She managed to pull Carver over, but she quickly got back on her feet.
  “I think you’re growing weak, mage,” said the demon. She flicked her talons and they burst into a flame, which she quickly flared brighter as the raindrops sizzled around it, so that it wouldn’t be extinguished. “and I am growing impatient . . .” She reared her arm back so she could shoot the fire, when Melissa swung both arms around her and with a rushing sound, the ground in front of her was scooped up and she threw the dirt and mud at the demon.
The mud splattered her from head to toe, and she stood there for a moment, looking bewildered. Her hand had been extinguished, and she stood there, spitting dirt out of her mouth as Melissa gestured around her, gathering water with her hands, and she collected it all into the ditch she’d carved into the ground in front of her, until there was an oddly-shaped puddle.
The rain washed the dirt off of the demon’s face, and she looked at the witch, who was breathing heavily, exhausted. The demon looked at the puddle, and began to laugh.
  “Give up, human,” said the demon, smiling cruelly. “You might as well come here and let me kill you. Do you honestly think this little moat is going to stop me?”
The demon stepped into the shallow puddle and marched towards her pray. Melissa took a breath and spoke, which surprised the demon.
  “It’s not a moat, it’s a ‘fossa’.” said Melissa. “Also known as a murder-hole . . . or drowning-pit.”
Melissa once more held up her hand to grapple the demon, then she plunged her hand down, and the demon was thrown face-first into the puddle.
Melissa crouched there, catching her breath as the demon struggled. The water around her splashed as she thrashed with her hands and tail. She even tried to throw fire, causing the water to burble and let off bursts of steam. Melissa stayed there, holding her down with her magic. She didn’t even flinch as lightning struck in the distance.
Carver continued to fight and thrash for her life, digging at the mud with her hook, kicking her feet, but after the first minute, bubbles floated around her head, then her movements slowed considerably. The thrashes turned into light slaps at the surface, then she fell limp. Even after she stopped moving, Melissa kept holding her down.

A bell rang and I jumped up.
  “We have a winner!” I scream, running over, my suit soaking in the falling rain. “And not just any winner, the winner. The ultimate champion! This is incredible. Melissa Maitland, how does it feel?”
  “Is she dead?” asked Melissa.
  “I think so,” I say, kneeling down. “Either way, we’d call that a T.K.O . . . woo! That was pretty intense. But you’ve won! You’re Monster Supreme 2015. You are the ultimate monster. How does it feel?”
  “I think I need to lie down,” says Melissa. “I twisted my ankle.”
  “Oh yes, of course, of course. we’ll get the medic over here soon. But, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the Witch!”
Everyone claps as we hear the ambulance driving up, in the distance.
  “Yes, you saw it here first. We put eight monsters in the ring, and in the end, only one was left. And that answers our question: Who is the ultimate monster? I’m proud to say, without a doubt, that the Monster Supreme for 2015 is the witch.”
  “I want to give a shout-out to the folks who own Horton-Meier Cemetery, for lending us their grounds for this arena - don’t worry Glen, we’ll clean this up soon. I want to thank the Tsukiyama family for their generosity. I want to give a great, big thank you to all of our contenders who participated. And finally, I want to thank you all for joining us, it’s been a pleasure. Goodnight, everybody!”
With a sigh, I throw the microphone into the puddle, and walk off the page.

Cheap Halloween Decorating Ideas!

I was looking up some ideas for posts that I could do for Halloween, for my countdown, and there were quite a few suggestions about economic ways of celebrating the scary season. Cheap Halloween Costumes, Cheap Recipes, Cheap Celebrations , etcetera.
It seems like everybody likes to celebrate, but these people don't want to lay down their hard-earned cash just to spook their family and friends.

So, I've got a couple of ideas for Halloween Decorations which you can achieve on a budget, but will still manage to scare the bejeesus out of your friends, neighbours and any trick-or-treaters that come around!
I have three little decoration ideas that you can pull off yourself. But before I start, a couple of little  but first, I need to get you in on some "Cent-Saving Suggestions":

• D.I.Y. or Die: Never buy anything store-made. Anyone can write "Happy Halloween" on a banner; anyone can make spooky paper cutouts to stick on their windows & anyone can bake a cake with a spider drawn in the icing. Saving time is wasting money, but if you want to go to the effort to decorate, then don't skimp on time by spending money, or it will become a budgetary burden.
• Recycle: Have you ever been walking through your house at night, and caught sight of a shadow flicking past that made you jump? Have you ever had to get something out of the cupboard and felt uneasy about the weird-looking stains on the shelf? Your house already has the capacity to be terrifying. Look around for what materials and scary things you already possess, and use them to your advantage.
• Creativity is Free: If you have a talent for craft or drawing or art in any way, or if you have a flair for make-up or putting on a creepy voice, then employ that creativity. After all, if you - for example - know how to draw a realistic pair of eyes, then all you need to do is draw eyes on several pieces of A4 paper and stick them in your windows. Already, you've made your house a little creepier, and it only cost you a pen and a piece of paper. So, use your own talents, and you can reduce your budget tenfold.

Alright, those are just a few tips. Now, here are a few ways that you can decorate your house this Halloween, that is guaranteed to bring on the screams! I use this to decorate my home, and I always enjoy the looks of fear on everyone's faces.

The Door of Doom!!!
Why go the the trouble of outfitting your whole house with fake cobwebs and carved pumpkins if all anyone will see is the front door? Don't waste time on the small stuff, go straight for the throat and outfit your door to look like the entrance to something a great deal more terrifying than a suburban home.

You Will Need:

• 1 large axe
• Paint (preferably quick-drying), whichever colour(s) you have
• Paint Brushes
• Drop Cloth (I use an old bedsheet)
• Double-sided sticky tape

Optional:

• Measuring Tape
• 1 box cutter, or scissors
• Lighter or Matches
• Stapler
• Pens and Pencils

Method:

1. You may want to start by planning your design. Maybe draw yourself an outline, but I find that a more organic look is best. Use your axe on your front door, so as to cut some nice gouges in the wood. Remember though, you're not chopping it down! Just a cut here and there to add some unsettling disorder to your front entry. Perhaps take a few swings at the banister or mailbox to mix things up.
• Caution: Be careful with your axe, you don't want to hurt yourself.
2. After you've created some nice dynamic damage to the front, you will want to get some paint on your paintbrush, and use it to write a message on your door. You could perhaps draw something, like a smiley face, or a cross. Personally, I like to go for the short but effective: YOU WILL ALL DIE.
• Note: If you're concerned about getting paint on the ground, lay down your drop cloth before preparing your paint.
3. This is where you can get creative. That alone will do, but you might want to burn some of the wood and paint with some matches to get an unsettling look and smell. or, for something simple but effective, you could use an old knife or hatchet, gouge it into the wood and leave it there, sticking out. That's one of my favourites!

This is a great way to meet, great and trick-or-treat your guests. If you want to make it even spookier, you may want to put on some eerie music, or sounds in the background. My trick is, I put on a horror movie and turn the sound up really loud . . .

Bag of Tricks
One of my favourite money-saving tricks, is to find something cheap that you can use all over the place, to cover the whole house in creepy. Some people buy bags of "cobwebs" for this very reason. But you can recycle all kinds of things around your home to make several things at once.

You Will Need:

• Several large, black garbage bags.
• Twine or sticky tape
• Gloves (I use gardening gloves

Method:

1. First, put on your gloves, then find some spare material around your house, anything you can find to fill them up. Laundry, pillows and blankets work well, but also, don't be squeamish about using actual rubbish and compost to fill your bags. I tend to have a lot of old meat and empty clothes in my basement that I can fill them with.
• Note: Something that often terrifies people, but which is sorely underutilized, is smell. After all, a werewolf wouldn't be as scary if he smelled like fairy floss. We're scared by sour, rotten, burnt and unusual smells. So, why not use that to your advantage.
2. Next, for that extra touch, feel free to put some aromatics into the bag. I find that milk works best, especially if you do this ahead of time, to allow the bags time to go sour. But, you may just go for eggs or cheese if you don't have any meat around, but this step is optional.
3. Now, tie up your bags with your twine. This is where you might want to get creative, with some clever arrangements of bags and tying, you can even make what looks like a make-shift body bag,
4. Lastly, move your bags into place, around the front of your house, near the garden, behind the doors and wherever you think would be the most unsettling.

For something a little extra, you might want to try putting a possum or a neighbour's cat inside, to give people an extra scare!

Dope on a Rope
People always find death very unsettling, so why not rub it in their faces with this fun and creepy hanging house decoration? It's guaranteed to put anyone at unease if they ring your doorbell, but it's really cheap to make and incredibly simple, anyone can do it!

You Will Need:

• A set of clothes you're not using
• A long rope or chain (at least 5 metres)

Optional

• A counterweight (I sometimes use a pillowcase full of bricks)
• Knife

Method:

1. First, you'll need to get yourself something to fill your clothes. I find the cheapest method is to get some clothes which are already filled. To save time and effort, I sometimes wait until Halloween itself, and get the help from anyone that comes by.
• Note: You may need a knife for this part. Just remember, the larger the victim, the heavier the corpse; pick someone easy to carry.
2. Once you've got what you need, you just need to tie the rope around their neck. You may want to go the extra mile and tie a noose, but any old knot will do, just make sure they won't slip.
3. Finally, tie the other end to the edge of your roof or in a nearby tree. If there's nothing to secure the other end of the rope to from your roof, you may need a counter-weight, just tie the rope to it and place it just over the apex of the roof.
• Note: Be careful as you lower it into place, you don't want to break something.

This one is so quick and easy, you may want to make more than one. It's a clever trick to just do this a few times throughout the night. As long as you have enough supplies, you can make dozens of these and turn your home into a real horrorshow!

- - -

Anyway, those are my decorating tips. So, as you see, you don't need to break the bank to make your house spooky. I find that I we everything we need to scare your friends, neighbours and guests within the walls of your very own home. With just a little ingenuity, you too could turn your Halloween into one your neighbours will never forget!