Your Get-Spooky Guide: Halloween Treat, Decoration and Costume Ideas

Halloween may be a newly adopted celebration Down Under but it’s one that we’ve well and truly embraced – and it’s not just because there’s sweets involved! Between the creepy costumes and scary decorations, there’s ample opportunity to get wickedly creative and have a little fun. Ready to put your DIY hat on? Try these tricks to make it the most spook-tacular Halloween ever. 

Made for decorating 
Using a black texta, draw a ghost face on a white balloon or styrofoam ball. Then cover with white cheesecloth for a truly ghoulish effect. 

• A plastic pumpkin bucket (often used for trick or treating) can easily transform into a jack-o’-lantern – just place an LED tea light inside. Cluster a few together for a boo-tiful table centrepiece. 

• Ping pong balls become eerie eyeballs with the addition of some stick-on googly eyes. Arrange a dozen of them in a bowl or vase for maximum scary effect. 

Made for devouring 
Chocolate cupcakes get a spine-tingling spider makeover with a few extra ingredients. After icing, insert some broken-up pretzel sticks as legs (four on each side), then use white and black icing gel tubes to fashion eyes.

• Turn gingerbread-man cookies into menacing mummies by using a white icing gel tube to cover them in a zigzag pattern, like they’ve been wrapped up. Don’t forget a couple of black icing eyes to make them look really creepy. 
• Raspberry jelly can make for a pretty convincing bowl of blood. To ensure it’s truly gruesome, add in body-part lollies as the jelly is setting. Or, for a healthier option, use blueberries inserted into lychees to create eyeballs. 

Made for fun 
Upcycle a broken black umbrella into a bat costume. Cut it in half and attach each piece to the sleeves and down the sides of a black sweatshirt. Just stretch out your arms and you’re ready to fly. 

A great one if you’ve left the costume to the last minute, a mummy is super-easy to pull off. Just use black clothing as the base, then wrap around a torn-up white sheet. 

• Smoky-eye make-up and a black lip teamed with plaited pigtails gives instant Wednesday Addams vibes. For extra scary points, dust your face with white powder. Or for something a bit brighter, use colourful eyeshadow and stick-on crystals to create a Euphoria-inspired look. 
• Don’t forget the Halloween entertainment. Have a scary-movie night featuring cult favourites, like The Shining and Halloween (of course), or grab a couple of whole pumpkins and invite your friends over for a pumpkin-carving party. There are also always plenty of community Halloween events, so keep your eyes peeled.