Hocus Pocus!

Okay, I TRIED to blog everyday but failed on my second day! I started the blog but couldn't get my pics to upload, so I'm making up for it today. Last night we watched Cabin in the Woods and I made a pumpkin pie. The pie was yummy, the movie was just okay...

 

For our first night of celebrating Halloween, we watched one of my favorite movies, Hocus Pocus! I would love to recreate the costumes and go as one of the Sanderson Sisters one year, but I never plan ahead far enough. Besides, my nephew told me I need to quit dressing up like a witch every year, so I retired my hat for the last few years. Last year I was Bride of Frankenstein, the year before I was a scarecrow. I'm thinking this year I'll be a cat since I'm trying to scale back a little. My husband is playing music the night of our party, so I can't try to force him to dress up!! Last year he went as Napoleon Dynamite. We had an old mask with glasses and he had a "Vote for Pedro" t-shirt I found on clearance several years ago. I was already there when he came in and nobody knew who he was, including me, and I knew who he was dressing up like!

 

Every year we play "fear factor" at our party. Basically we just come up with food and name it gross stuff and make people eat it. We get everyone in a circle and draw a number for each person to see what they have to eat. Last year we changed it up and let each person choose what to eat and I think that was more fun because they all got to go check everything out. Even though I always tell them it's real food, some are really grossed out. My poor brother-in-law thought he'd be brave and play one year. His food was baby food (peas) and he looked pretty shocked when he tasted it. (Actually, I think he almost gagged!) To make it even worse, my sister had it on video and kept replaying it.... Another thing I did differently last year was make everything look like "specimens". I saw it on a blog somewhere, but can't remember where. I probably found it on pinterest! I took a few photos of our "specimens". I wish I'd taken pics of them all. I just saved up some old jars and painted the lids. On the computer I used an old typewriter font to make labels.  If you want to try this, just walk around your grocery store and use your imagination. Below are some of the things I made last year & what I really used. Some things didn't look like anything, but looked creepy, so I made them a "specimen of unknown origin" or something that sounds like it could come from a lab!

 

 

 

Teeth, unknown origin

 

I used water chestnuts and cut them into a vague tooth shape. I didn't get too detailed, just a rectangle and I left them in the juice from the can.

 

 

 

 

Stomach

These are artichoke hearts. I left them in the jar they came in, just painted the lid. I'm pretty sure there wasn't even a label on the jar.

 

 

 

Earthworms

I found a recipe online for earthworms using jello and some other stuff poured into a straw and chilled. I added some water and neon green food coloring to make them slimy and yucky. I wanted to fill the jar, but it was WAY too much work just for that little bit!

 

 

 

 

Eggs, origin unknown

pickled onions, also just removed the label & painted the lid, then added the label (plus they are pretty good to eat after the party!)

 

from Lake Expedition

In other words, I didn't know what this looked like. It's big pieces of onion slices boiled until transparent. I packed them pretty tightly and added the juice

 



unknown parasite, no. 4

I boiled some water and dropped eggs in strands into the boiling water to get this look. I added some chicken broth, I think, to get that cloudy look. I wanted it to look like it came from a lake  :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sample from Roswell, NM

My favorite specimen!

I dropped beaten egg whites in tiny strands into boiling water, then put it into some clear water with neon green food coloring. Neon green food coloring was my friend last year!!

 

There are other things I didn't get pics of, or things we have done in the past. Here are a few ideas:

 

Gross colored baby food-- can be any kind of "fluids". We used peas as "zombie fluids"

Boiled cabbage can be anything unidentified, unspecified, etc. Add food coloring for different effects.

Bat's blood -- Karo syrup, red food color and grenadine, if you have it. It looks more realistic if it's thick & dark.

Dried fruit, like cranberries or blueberries can be some kind of bug or beetle

Lychee fruit -- I haven't been able to find any, but have seen people use them as eyeballs. If you can't find them, I have used a melon baller to make canned pears into balls, poke a hole in the middle and add a blueberry in the center. Drizzle a little of the "bat's blood" over them in a jar.

Red peaches -- one year I was cooking some for preserves and they really looked like some internal organ, so I stuck some in the freezer for our party!

Don't forget to check the candy section--they have all kinds of creepy candy around Halloween

And don't forget to have something not TOO yucky that the little ones will eat if there will be kids there.

Use your imagination--I would love to hear what you come up with!!