Prepare for Halloween with fun websites, apps

BY

Kerry Keith
The Friday Flyer Columnist

Only eight days ‘til Halloween – are you ready? Below are some fun websites to make your Halloween frightfully fun this year.

• Pinterest.com is by far the best place to find hair-raising ideas for all things Halloween. Pinterest.com can be accessed by your computer or there is an app for Pinterest making it super easy to access it from a smartphone or tablet.

Pinterest is where anyone can post photos of almost anything. In the search box, type in anything you want to search for; example: Halloween costumes, Halloween decorations, Halloween invitations or even Halloween food. You will find cool homemade costume ideas, DIY projects and creative ways to make ghoulish goodies.

It’s sure to get you in the festive mood. If you scroll over a photo that you like, you have the ability to “Pin It,” which means it goes up on your board so you can access it more easily. The “Send” button allows you to send it to a friend; or you can “Like” the photo by clicking on the heart that is located in the top right hand corner.

If you are a DIY person and want to start posting photos on Pinterest, you must have an account and a board and then you can start taking photos and begin pinning them to Pinterest. Be careful, it can be wickedly addicting.

• YouTube.com is a great source for learning how to apply scary Halloween make-up, how to create a Halloween disguise, or tutorials on carving wicked pumpkins. You can access YouTube.com from your computer or from your mobile device using their app.
• If you need some music for your Halloween party try Pandora, either by accessing their website at Pandora.com or their app. Type in “Family Halloween Radio” and great classics like “Jump in the Line” or “Werewolves in London” will play from your device.

Pandora is free on the web, on home-listening devices and most mobile devices; however, there will be ads between songs. You can upgrade to Pandora One and pay $4.99 a month for ad-free music.

• There are countless Halloween flicks that you can watch on Netflix.com from any device. Frightful classics, such as “The Addams Family,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” or “Young Frankenstein” will make your Halloween complete. Plans begin at $7.99 a month or take advantage of a free month of service for new subscribers.
• You can also try House of Horrors on your mobile device to stream over 100 full-length classic horror films. The app is 99 cents.

Smartphone apps

Its Halloween time and the perfect opportunity to get in the Halloween mood by turning your smartphone into a device made especially for Halloween.

• Halloween! by Schatzisoft tells you how many days left until Halloween. It plays scary sounds to frighten your friends, helps you choose the perfect costume, learn some Halloween trivia, and there is even a Halloween flashlight. Free for iPhones or iPads.
• Android users can treat themselves to Halloween Popper, a customizable wallpaper app where you can design your own wallpaper with bats, pumpkins, ghosts and more for 99 cents.
• Soundboard is devilishly fun. Select a delay (from 5 to 60 seconds), choose the scariest sound from Psycho to Scarecrow, keep your phone hidden, and give your friends the scare of their life as the sound plays by itself. This app is free.
• There are some wicked Halloween games to play on your iPhone, including “Shoot the Pumpkin” ($0.99), “Zombie Smash” ($0.99) or “House of Shadows” ($0.99).

For Android users, try “Pumpkins vs. Monsters” (free), “Doctor Bubble Halloween” (free) or “Spooky Hangman” (free). Available on most devices is an all-time favorite “Plants vs Zombies” ($0.99).

• If you’re looking for scary Halloween stories, try “Creepy Tales,” a collection of marathon 100 short stories, tales and urban legends designed to disturb and scare anyone. This app is rated Teen for Violence & Blood (free).
• Just for the fun of it, try Hersheys.com. It has an enormous amount of ideas for food, crafts, party ideas, goodies and more. Their Gingerbread Haunted House recipe is super fun for kids to make and they don’t have to wait until Christmas.
• BenJerry.com has an entertaining video showing where some of their ice cream flavors go to die, plus other gravestones of ice cream that have been retired when you can click on the gravestone and view what’s written.

Now that you are ready for Halloween, join the party tomorrow morning, October 24, from 9 to 12:30, when Canyon Lake ‘s Chamber of Commerce is holding its annual Parade of Frights in the Canyon Lake Town Center. Businesses will be passing out candy, and there will be costume contests, carnival booths, jumpers and more.

The Canyon Lake Family Matters Club will hold its annual Halloween Carnival next Saturday, October 31, from 11 to 3 at Holiday Harbor. They’ll have game booths, costume contests, face-painting and prize drawing. Don’t be a zombie this Halloween; enjoy the magic!