Tech-Or-Treat! 20 Halloween Products
ZombieBooth
Your phone can turn you into a mindless zombie in more ways than one. With the free ZombieBooth app for Android, you and your friends can transform each other into a legion of undead monsters. Your zombies will shriek, feast upon your blood and, if satisfied, give you a burp. Shaking the phone gives a zombie different skin lesions, teeth, and soulless eyes. You can also use the app to zombify your pets or pictures of celebrities. Zombie Charlie Sheen, anyone?
Exorcist Head on a Platter
It’s not Halloween without animatronics or possessed children. Get both with Regan’s rotating head on a platter, which features light-up eyes, jaw movement, motion detection and six phrases from The Exorcist, including “Do you know what she did?” and “Aaaaah! It burns!” For an added thrill, try balancing a tray of snacks on her head – your very own holiday Lazy Susan. The prop is available here for $69.99. Buy your own pea soup, because projectile vomit is not included.
Angry Birds Costumes
Last year’s Halloween saw a fair number of homemade Angry Birds costumes out on the streets. But this year there are mass produced costumes available that should satisfy your avian cravings without making you resort to a sewing machine. If you like to play the villain, go as the big green King Pig. To fight for the side of good, there are yellow, red, and black birds are available. If you have some spare time, enlist a few friends, construct a giant slingshot and some cardboard fortresses, and bring the game to life. Please be considerate of small children when firing your bombs. Costumes are available here for $52.99.
Haunted Mirror
This two-way surface conceals an LCD screen that can play back any number of videos – including the wailing specter of Bloody Mary. The best part? You can get a remote to set off the theatricalities from afar. Nothing improves a bathroom experience like being accosted by a screaming woman. Check out the video here. Be warned: with a starting price of $1,699, this mirror will make your wallet scream – or at least groan. However, this might be the rare Halloween item to leave up year-round; hearing someone shriek at the sight of your bed-head will surely wake you up in the morning.
iPhone Hand Case
Finally. A phone you can high five. This iPhone case is reminiscent of Thing from “The Addams Family.” One can only hope that your iPhone won’t simply walk away. While increasing the creepiness factor of your phone tenfold, the handy design has its perks. Feeling lonely? Now you can hold hands. Need to practice your palm reading skills? Grab your phone. Accidentally get your hand chopped off in an unfortunate milling accident? Instant prosthetic. If you take a lot of photos with your camera, however, make sure to keep those pesky digits away from the lens. The hand comes in child and lady varieties, and is available here for $65.40.
Green Lantern Power Battery
You may not be able to actually join an intergalactic peace-keeping force, but with some DVD covers, cardboard, and an LED lamp, you can make your own Green Lantern costume complete. Instructables teaches you how to construct a lantern power battery from mostly recycled materials and paint. It won’t give special powers to any of your jewelry, but it will provide ample light to count your loot from trick-or-treating. Even people who aren’t fans of the comic book series (or the recent movie adaptation) will appreciate the detail and ingenuity incorporated into this prop. Check out the full how-to here for free.
Baby Satan
“Aww, what a cute little baby… aaaaaahhhhh!” For all the childless adults – or parents with children that are just too adorable to pass for devil spawn – there is Baby Satan. This little bugger turns his head 180 degrees to cackle and show off his pentagram scar. And then – get the video camera ready – his first words! “I’ll stop crying – if you come a little closer.” The sudden drop in his voice suggests this baby is either possessed or hitting puberty way too soon. Regardless, men, make sure you smother your baby with love and affection. Ladies love a man who is good with kids. Available here for $79.99. Not appropriate for October baby showers.
LED Vampire Teeth
“Twilight” has taught a generation that vampires sparkle, which might explain why this year you can buy vampire teeth that glow with red, orange, green, and blue flashing LED lights. This is perfect if you have ever thought, “I vant to suck your blood – but I also vant it to look like I’m at a rave.” The mouthpiece is made of soft rubber and is no doubt causing Dracula to turn angrily in his coffin. This combination of traditional Halloween icon and current technology is one way to modernize that old vampire costume. And at less than $4, the cost is certainly enough to brighten your smile. You can get your fangs here.
Steve Jobs Costume
With his recent passing, Steve Jobs promises to be one of the most popular costumes this Halloween. What better way to show your Apple love than by paying homage to His Steveness? Links to buy the goods for an authentic-looking outfit – assuming you don’t own jeans and a black turtleneck already - are compiled here. It should cost about $100. While it’s hard to find full rubber head masks of Jobs, you can always cut out a paper likeness for free here. Some might say it is still too soon, but for those irreverent fans, remember that Zombie Steve Jobs and Angel Steve Jobs also have a lot of potential.
USB Ghost Lamps
Afraid of the dark? These lamps feature light sensors that automatically turn on when the room gets dark. By day they are decorative table toppers, but by night they are helpful phantoms that can keep you from stubbing your toe on the coffee table. They can also satisfy your secret arcade craving. Their shapes (though not their colors) are similar to those of Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde - the ghosts from Pacman. See them in action here, and decide whether you want to spend $10 on a USB gadget.
8-Bit LED Jack-O’-Lantern
Sure, you could carve a pumpkin, get covered in strings of gooey pumpkin innards, and smell like a gourd. You could scrape and cut and slice until your arm becomes so sore you wish a stranger in a hockey mask would lop it off with a chainsaw. Or you could spend $10 on an LED pumpkin with flickering lights that looks like it hopped out of Super Mario Brothers. Down side: no seeds to roast. It’s a toss-up. If you decide on the technological, harder-to-smash-on-asphalt route, go here.
Ghosts of History DVD
Want to scare the daylights out of children but just don’t have the energy to dress up? Pop the Virtual Ghosts of History DVD in, hook up a projector, hang a sheet in the window and let the magic begin. The ghosts are dressed in Victorian and colonial garb, and nothing terrifies children more than powdered wigs and the idea of life without internet access. If ghosts aren’t your thing, consider the vampire edition instead. Dead people may not have any use for money, but you’ll have to hand over $42 here to get them to haunt your house.
Animated Chomping Skull
It is a sad state of affairs that few people deck out their cars for Halloween. Fortunately, this light-up skull has suction cups for eyeballs and is happy to go for nighttime rides in the passenger seat – so long as no one accidentally rolls down the window. The flat panel is an eighth of an inch thick and can also be staked in your front lawn. Alternatively, carry it in front of your face and let it chew merrily on invisible candy. Combine it with a skeleton costume and high-pitched, maniacal laughter for best effects. You can pick one up here for $24.80.
USB Skull MP3 Player
Ever feel like the music at a party is so loud it rattles your brain? Imagine how this guy feels. A popular version of this skull stereo was available last year in black, but this year he’s back in retro style. The skull is a portable speaker that connects to your computer or Mp3 player. If you’re not in the mood to hook up cables, it can read SD cards directly through a slot in the back (watch out, occipital lobe). He must also have some sweet fillings in his jaw, because this skull can tune in to FM radio. And yes, lazy bones, he even has a remote control. Blasting “Monster Mash” from a portable skull – can you get any more Halloweeny? For $43, he’s yours. More pictures here.
Demented Clown Animatronic
While this is not a clown you would want to invite to your five-year-old’s birthday party, it will certainly do the trick for Halloween. The animatronic clown is nearly six feet tall, rocks back and forth psychotically, and comes with a clown laugh track so that you don’t have to sit behind it and chuckle all night. Those without a lifelong fear of clowns will probably have nightmares. Those with a lifelong fear of clowns are likely to soil themselves. For $900, you can scar someone for life. Check availability here.
EvilTron
Other than April Fools’ Day, Halloween is the one time of the year when pranks are appreciated rather than frowned upon. Enter the EvilTron. It’s roughly the size of a quarter (read: easy to hide, hard to find) and produces six spooky noises, including: scratching sounds, creaking, gasping breaths, and (my favorite), “sinister child laughing.” The battery is guaranteed to last a month – meaning you can hide it somewhere on October 1 and get your whole office in the mood for Halloween. Which coworker will go insane first? Deborah in accounting, or Stacy over in marketing? Place your bets, grab one here for $10, and let the madness begin.
Batman Signal Key Chain
If you plan to dress up as the iconic superhero this year, consider investing in a Batman signal-shaped key chain with a Batman signal-shaped light. You’ll ooze with batty authenticity. In addition to being a handy light, it also has the potential to get you out of boring conversations with strangers at a party. Just shine the light on the wall, slip into the most gravelly voice you can muster, and say, “Gotham needs me.” Then walk away and enjoy your sweet, sweet freedom. Add one to your utility belt for $24.50 here.
Zombie Golf for iPad
It’s tee time with your iPad. Your golf club? A bloody chainsaw. Your ball? A zombie’s head. Your course? An abandoned road in a wasteland, populated only by boxes of dynamite, flaming barrels of toxic waste and head-smashing stop signs. It’s a golf enthusiast’s Halloween dream. Channel your inner zombie hunter, take a wide stance, and make some heads roll. This game is also enjoyable for people who enjoy the non-stop moaning of the undead as background noise – hook your iPad up to some speakers and let it provide ambiance for your haunted house or next cocktail party. Download Zombie Golf for free through iTunes.
Talking Vampire Busts
At last, a bust that does more than sit on a mantelpiece. These polyresin vampires, much like real ones (so I’m told), are turned on by motion and sound. I assume they would work if you bled on them, too. Once activated, the two busts will talk to one another, move their heads, and flash their beady eyes. They are well-suited for haunted houses or lonely people who could use some company. For $119.99, you can have your very own vampire party. Order them or check out the video and reviews here.
Pick Your Poison Drinking Game
Just when you thought Halloween-themed glasses couldn’t get any better, someone decided to add Russian roulette, alcohol, and two AA batteries. Turn the machine on and lights will blink around the shot glasses. If your glass stays lit, you are the one to drink. In the event of a zombie apocalypse, this system can also be used to choose who will have to leave the safety of the house and chase the zombies away from the car with a flaming torch. Get creative – you can also turn it into a Fear Factor style competition by putting something disgusting (eyeballs?) in each of the glasses. All of these possibilities can be yours for $29.77 here.