Rating: Summary: the only thing it's missing is photos Review: An excellent overall book on Halloween & ways to celebrate it. The party tips are well-themed & not cliched -- they're also geared towards adults, not kids. There's some unique decoration ideas here that will help make your party shine. The only problem is there are only a few photos in this book, & they're black & white so you can't see much detail. But the party suggestions are first-rate, & not the same old stuff as in other books.
Rating: Summary: the only thing it's missing is photos Review: An excellent overall book on Halloween & ways to celebrate it. The party tips are well-themed & not cliched -- they're also geared towards adults, not kids. There's some unique decoration ideas here that will help make your party shine. The only problem is there are only a few photos in this book, & they're black & white so you can't see much detail. But the party suggestions are first-rate, & not the same old stuff as in other books.
Rating: Summary: An Intelligent, Well-Written Information/How-To Guide Review: As a collector of Halloween books, I have bought my share of hokey, too-cutesy books and ones that aren't really practical. This is neither. I am very impressed with the content and the originality that is both practical and timely. For anyone who may want a book that encompasses a wide variety of Halloween topics from parties to history to props, I would whole heartedly recommend this book.
Rating: Summary: Scare Yourself Silly Review: Before some of my pagan friends get all upset, this book is about the All-American style hauntingly fun holiday, Halloween, not Samhain, not All Souls' Night, not All Hallows Eve though there are brief sketches about these feast days in the introduction. This is about trick-or-treat night! Haunted house week! Dress up and pretend night for grown-ups! Run around in the dark with the full moon sailing behind you night! This book is a delightful compendium of ideas that are refreshingly clever, from easy to semi-difficult, and are very useful in creating a Halloween atmosphere of macabre fun and celebration. Many of the ideas will work well for both kids' and adults' parties, but most of them are geared toward adults. There are not a lot of photos in this book and the ones that are here are black and white, but this is a book where the text is inspiring and where you will have a delightful time reading over the creative ideas almost as if you are brainstorming with a friend who is as in love with this mad-cap holiday as you are. There are chapters on decorating the house and yard, all about pumpkins, do-it-yourself costumes, parties, music and movies, recipes, actual expeditions to haunted locations, myths and monsters. The decoration ideas are not the same old tired ones we are used to seeing and are easy to create since the directions are so thorough. There's even a long list of clever epitaphs for your frontyard gravestones. The pumpkin chapter is loaded with wonderful ideas that even a modest reveller will be able to implement, plus legends and how-tos. Really innovative, funny, spooky and easy costumes are found in abundance in this book...did you know bird-seed makes the best false bosom? Need a recipe for some good fake blood? It's in here. Choose from quick and easy blood, soaking and spreading blood, or cheap two ingredient blood with a bit of concentrated coffee for realism. Do you want dead skin, rotting skin, or old wrinkled skin? No problem. Customize your Halloween party with any of these ideas and you will go down in history as a great party host or hostess. Why not try them all and land yourself in the Partier Hall of Fame! Invitations, theme party ideas, games that are actually fun, fortunes and favors, sound effects, lighting...it's all here. There are over 20 pages of really excellent recipes for party foods that are not only visually satisfying for Halloween fun but taste delicious, too. There's a good listing of classic Halloween horror videos broken down into categories, a list of spooky classical music for Halloween atmosphere, a list of the best Halloween scary stories, and a list of places to visit where pros do it up big in theatrical haunted houses. There's even a list of places reputed to actually be haunted..if you have the courage! Even if you have never really done much to get in the Halloween spirit before, this book is sure to infect you with the Halloween bug. The author clearly loves this holiday and she passes that love on to us with excitement and wonderful creativity. Don't miss it!
Rating: Summary: Halloween How-To Review: I borrowed this book through our local interlibrary loan system to review its content and I was sorely disappointed. I was expecting a how-to guide for children, based on the cover design, but the book is geared more towards the young adult and adult age group. I was terribly disappointed in the black and white photos the author used, which were tacky and useless. The layout of the page, (i.e., divisions of paragraphs, headings, fonts, etc) could have been vastly improved upon by using color divisions, bars,and such. For an author who prides herself on being a Halloween expert, she lacks the creative edge and eye in her choice of graphic quality to make this book outshine its competition. Also, being a spinal paperback, the pages were easily dislodge from the glue of the spine to be a keepsake book on your bookshelf.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Overall Guide for Anyone Who Loves Halloween! Review: If you are a big fan of Halloween, this book is for you! It touches on everything from the history of Halloween to modern day party ideas. I host an annual Halloween party and I got so many great adult party ideas from this book. A lot of the books out there are for kid parties. There aren't a whole lot of photos in the book; but, there are some that really get your attention. I really loved the ideas for invitations and the Halloween Resources section which gave great information on where to get Halloween stuff. Furthermore, this book gives unique ideas for decorating, costumes, and recipes. This book is a MUST for anyone planning an adult Halloween party. Overall this is an excellent, informative book for anyone who loves Halloween!
Rating: Summary: Excellent Overall Guide for Anyone Who Loves Halloween! Review: If you are a big fan of Halloween, this book is for you! It touches on everything from the history of Halloween to modern day party ideas. I host an annual Halloween party and I got so many great adult party ideas from this book. A lot of the books out there are for kid parties. There aren't a whole lot of photos in the book; but, there are some that really get your attention. I really loved the ideas for invitations and the Halloween Resources section which gave great information on where to get Halloween stuff. Furthermore, this book gives unique ideas for decorating, costumes, and recipes. This book is a MUST for anyone planning an adult Halloween party. Overall this is an excellent, informative book for anyone who loves Halloween!
Rating: Summary: Good reference for a grown-up Halloween celebration Review: If you are looking for a Halloween how to book for grownups, this is it. It is full of magnificent ideas for everything from parties to yard haunting. I love Halloween and I have many Halloween books. This one is the one I use the most. I especially loved the life-sized Grim Reaper. I made it for my yard haunt last year and received more compliments on it than anything else. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: Summary: Good reference for a grown-up Halloween celebration Review: Last fall, I checked this book out of the library looking for ideas for our annual Halloween bash and to decorate our yard. The book not only has a great wealth of ideas and tips, but also historical and sociological information on the holiday. This is one of the few books that I have found more geared towards adults wishing to celebrate the holiday. Most of what is out there leans towards the juvenile side of Halloween festivites. I agree with past reviewers' main gripes about lack of graphics. The book doesn't need to have glossy coffee table book-type spreads, but it is seriously lacking in useful illustrations
Rating: Summary: Something New Review: Since so many other reviewers give a good overview of the book, let me tell you what I found unique and helpful about this book. The best section of this book tells you how to hold a themed adult Halloween party. It covers everything from the invitations (really cool invitations, with relevant literary quotes), to the decorations, music, and costumes. There are many themes listed. I have never seen this in any of the Halloween books I have bought. This chapter alone makes it worth the price. Full-disclosure: My tombstone-making instructions are featured in the book. But I don't get a cut of the profits, just the recognition (Thanks for the mention Lesley!)
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