Make Your Own Halloween Sound Effects

There's no law saying that you have to make your own Halloween sound effects, but you get more into the spirit of the season doing it yourself and not buying ready-made tapes or CDs. People - especially teenagers - will recognize the difference between a sound made live and that from a recording. If you really want to scare the socks of or someone, then you will enjoy making your own Halloween sound effects.

Howling Dogs

One of the most chilling sounds is that of howling dogs, especially if they are middle to larger sized dogs who can mimic the low "ooooo" that wolves do. If you have such a dog, then all you need to do is teach the dog to howl on command. Either that, or find out what noise sets the dog to howling.

For example, this writer lives on a street that has many dogs. We also live near a fire station. Guess what happens every time a fire siren goes off? That's right - howling galore. If you can get a recording of a fire siren or fire engine, which should set the dogs howling and you have a really effective Halloween sound effect.

Slinkeys

Remember those coiled toys that walked themselves down stairs? Timed right, they can make a really spooky homemade Halloween sound effect. They shake like a rattlesnake and get louder as they get closer to you. It is better to use several for the sheer noise. You can either set them off down your darkened steps or suddenly shake them behind some unsuspecting soul's head.

Popping Balloons

It's all in the timing that makes this vintage homemade Halloween sound effect still marvelously heart-stopping after all of these years. For best effect, don't even let the guests see that there are blown up balloons anywhere nearby. When they've turned around or when the lights suddenly go out, then pop the balloons. They sound a lot like gunshots. Be prepared to clean up some messes.

Megaphone

The most effective homemade Halloween sound effects are created by the hu8man voice. With experimentation, you can create some pretty weird noises all by yourself. But they can play havoc on your throat. If you can, get a megaphone or a voice distortion apparatus. These have gotten smaller and cheaper over the years. Voice distortion toys can even be found in Halloween costume stores. Some people even use a karaoke machine in order to suddenly startle their lucky guests.