Are you sick of seeing the same Hallowe’en decorations every year? No, us neither. But we think they sometimes look outdated. Old-fashioned, even. We can upgrade a few of them with readily-available technology.
Now, to be fair, a Jack-O-Lantern is traditional. But it’s still due for an update; carving out a face and inserting a tealight into the hollow squash just isn’t going to cut it any more.
Modern Alternatives to Jack-O-Lantern?
The more modern alternative is – what else? – a tiny lightbulb. This Aurora LED marker light is perfect for the purpose, with a small 1 metre cable to illuminate a terrifying Jack-O-Lantern’s face with eerie white or cool blue light.
Or, for the more technologically-inclined, there’s the option to upgrade that pumpkin for some 21st Century scares.
Instructables author noelportugal hid a motion detector in his Jack-O-Lantern and rigged it up to a huge plastic spider so that it would drop on the heads of his visitors.
We can’t wholeheartedly suggest you do this – spiders… are not loved by everyone – but all you would need is one of our many motion detectors, a robust computer processor, and a slightly mean sense of humour.
Any Technical Projects this Hallowe’en?
There’s still time to take on a technical project in time for Halloween, but in case you find yourself strapped for time remember that almost anything is scary when it’s backlit.
Even a balloon with a face on it will do the trick if it’s a spooky colour, and if the face is particularly horrifying. Just fit a coloured bulb into a wall light like this flexible, low voltage Microlux offering.
We’d really like to hear your ideas, too! Or at least a good ghost story.