Want an inspiration for your jack-o'-lantern this Halloween? Look no further than Extreme Pumpkins, who definitely has one of the neatest galleries of jack-o'-lanterns on the Web.

Link - via Pharyngula

Photo: Dave Fatella at WVPics

This is an awesome story of a West Virginian man who, along with volunteers, carves over 3,000 pumpkins and display them on his house every Halloween!

Ric Griffith, the man behind the famous Kenova Pumpkin House, has carved over 25,000 pumpkins since 1978. Every year, he puts thousands of carved jack-o'-lanterns on the porch, roof, and yard of his 115-year-old Victorian house. It's kind of like a pumpkin wonderland (see a few more pics at WVPics' gallery)

The Daily Independent Online published this 2006 interview with Ric, on why he goes through all that trouble:

On Thursday, Griffith went around drawing faces on hundreds of pumpkins, getting them ready for carving. He said he only gets about four or five hours of sleep during the month of October as he works diligently preparing for the thousands of visitors who will come on Halloween night to see his pumpkins.

“People ask me every year, ‘Why to you do this?’ I always said it was something for the children and adults who enjoy coming to the ‘Pumpkin House.’ But an elderly woman said something to me one Halloween that really gave meaning to all this,” he said.

“She was crying and she said, ‘It’s so easy for adults to lose the wonderment of childhood. When you get older, you never feel like you did when you woke up on Christmas morning. Well, I want to tell you that I got that feeling here.’” (by Sarah Lynch, source. Image: Kevin Goldy/The Independent)

Last year's display included a fantastic 16 by 16 wall of carved jack-o'-lanterns with lights synchronized to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture:

[YouTube Link]

If you're near the area, you can visit the Ric Griffith's Pumpkin House at 748 Beech St., Kenova, WV.

Links and Sources: WV Culture article by John Lilly - Thanks Becky :) | Daily Independent article by Sarah Lynch | The Pumpkin House Gets Ready, article and video at WSAZ

Are you a horror movie buff? Think you know your stuff? Test your trivia knowledge of classic and more recent horror movies with this 50 question quiz at Joytube: Link [Flash] - Thanks Evan!

I freely admit I know next to nothing about horror movies, but I guessed a couple right! Maybe you can do better ...

A webcomic by frenums has turned to Halloween humor with skeletons. The jokes are so old they are desiccated, the puns could use some fleshing out, and the art is bare boned, but when you put them all together, it will tickle your funny bone. The skeleton gets humerus at the expense of vampires, ghosts, and other skeletons. See more of them at frenum's Tumbler blog. -via Metafilter  

(Video Link)

When I was a youngster, I lived in the most crowded suburb in my small town -in fact, everyone bussed in their kids into my neighborhood. We had so many houses that one trip to all the houses in town would result in a pillowcase over halfway full of candy. Of course, the kids from the neighborhood knew which houses had the best candy and we went there first before their candy bar stashes were wiped out.

That being said, I think if I lived in a smaller neighborhood, I might have been tempted to try putting on a few masks and switching up costumes like these cute pooches to ensure I got my fix by the end of the night. What hijinx we could all get into.

Via Cute Overload

Jen Cornwell made Halloween more fun for the whole class by donning some over-the-top costumes.

1986 and 1987 were good costume years for me. I enjoyed walking in our elementary school parades as a box of McDonald's fries and a California Raisin (I carried a boombox that played "I Heard It on the Grapevine"). My mom's awesome!

I think she means her mom made these costumes. She did an amazing job! The students must have loved these. Thanks, Jen!

The Walking Dead is starting up again this Sunday and if that's still not enough reason to get you excited about these zombie-ear necklaces made by Semi-Sweet Designs, remember that Halloween is only a few weeks away. The necklace looks just like the one Daryl Dixon wears on the show, only instead of smelling like rotten zobie flesh, it smells like sweet sugar cookies and tastes even better.

The basic shape comes from a skull cookie cutter with a hole in the middle and one jaw bone cut off. Clever frosting makes up the great detailing that really sells the shape. The only other things you need are a splash of food coloring and a necklace to tie it all together.

Today's featured costume is from Aaron Rosen. It's a whole family affair!

3 years ago my wife and I decided we didn't want to have to hear our kids complaining about walking, so I came up with an idea.  I created a hospital bed that my oldest son would sit in, and his little brother would jump out of his chest like an alien.  We didn't put too much into making him an alien, but everyone got a big kick out of the whole costume. It even had a trap door on the front to put candy in.

Clever and cool! Thanks, Aaron!

Redditor CraftyIntentions decorated for Halloween with awesome cutouts in the windows a couple of years ago. Here's what it looks like in daylight:

The materials include contact paper, tissue paper, modge podge, cardboard, paint, and imagination! The house looks so good that it gets reposted occasionally, and it is now part of a roundup at Buzzfeed called 20 Houses That Are Clearly Winning At Halloween. You'll see giants, dinosaurs, spiders, scarecrows, UFOs, pop culture references, and of course, excess in all its forms. The list has some great decorating ideas for your house, if you have the time and the will to pull it off!

We here at Neatorama love great geek Halloween costumes, especially family ones, and this one might just be the best one we've ever seen not only for the quality of the costume, but also the subject matter.

Personally, I can't decide which is better though, the young Goblin King or the giant Ludo. Of course, Sir Didymus on his trusted steed is also pretty impressive, though and the girls are good too. Basically, Redditor Deconstructress nailed it.

Oh, and if you're wondering where Hoggle is, as one commenter pointed out, he's obviously the one taking the picture.

Via Buzzfeed

Today's featured costume is from John Scallorn. I pity the fool who doesn't recognize Mr. T!

This was my Halloween costume a few years ago.  I usually shave my head, but to become Mr. T.  I grew my hair and beard all summer, and then trimmed and painted it into the fabulous do you see.  The mohawk was just the fuzzy side of some velcro.  Enjoy!

Thanks, John!

Mmmmmm...nothing like some bloody intestines to give you a sweet post-dinner snack after a dinner of bloodshot eyeball. No, that's not the meal of monsters, that's what makes up a great Halloween dinner party menu and you can even serve this up for your holiday.

Our own Miss C has a great round up of wonderfully gorey foods for you to enjoy this Halloween. I'm pretty excited to try out the cookies and cream cheese ball rat above because it not only looks fantastic, but it also sounds seriously fantastic -especially when he's sliced open and spread on some shortbread cookies.

Today's featured costume was handmade by Neatoramanaut Mindy for her son.

This is a costume I made for my son a few years ago.  He has a fixation with squids and has since he was a toddler.  He begged and begged for a costume and finally I decided to put my craftiness to work.  He was so happy with the result, even though he had trouble walking and his head kept leaning to one side. 

That costume would make anyone happy!

This Halloween, don't just settle for that ho-hum jack-o-lantern. Instead, make some fantasy pumpkins like this fantastic carriage pumpkin. Hallmark Magazine has the DIY guide: Link - via Ursi's Blog

Here are my "lazy, no carving required" pumpkins from a year ago: http://www.neatorama.com/2007/11/03/neatoramas-halloween-pumpkin-owls/