News: 5 Extremely Flammable Jack-O'-Lanterns That'll Set Your Heart on Fire

The pumpkin is everyone's favorite cucurbit come Halloween time, and while there are only a few types of Halloween-friendly pumpkins out there, there is definitely no shortage of what you can do with them.

You can carve faces into them, perform brain surgery, make them sing, have them glow in the dark, get geeky with them, char them, make them steampunk, let them spy for you, or just let them rot.

But this year, I'd like to take a more sinister approach to the the jack-o'-lantern, so carving cutesy faces is out of the question—but carved combustible cucurbits is definitely not.

1. The Fire-Breathing Jack-O'-Lantern

Don't want any trick-or-treaters begging for candy at your doorstop? No problem. This remote-controlled flamethrowing jack-o'-'lantern should do the trick.

Seriously, who would want to try and get some candy from you when there's a five-foot stream of fire shooting at their face?

This build is not for the faint of heart, though, so if you really want to keep those Snickers for yourself, head on over to randofo's instructions at Instructables to see how to make your own.

2. The Flaming Jack-O'-Lantern

Don't really want to catch anyone on fire? Then go with something a little less dangerous than the flamethrowing pumpkin and make this simple flaming one by Dave Hax.

All you need is a roll of toilet paper, kerosene, and some carving skills.

3. The Long-Lasting Tower of Flames Jack-O'-Lantern

Dave's flaming pumpkin not good enough for you? Then throw some flares, sparklers, hand sanitizer, and boric acid into the mix. Then engulf the whole freakin' thing in flames.

This fiery jack-o'-lantern will shoot flames two- to three-feet high for almost two hours straight.

4. The Rainbow-Colored Burning Jack-O'-Lantern

Want more color from your burning jack-o'-lantern? Try using ethanol (hand sanitizer), boric acid (roach killer), and some methanol (gas-line antifreeze).

5. The Self-Carving Jack-O'Lantern

Okay, so it's not exactly self-carving—you still have to do all of the work—but it'll sure liven up your pumpkin carving party.

Okay, for a better explanation on how this is done, check out Steve Spangler's video (which is just one of many—he likes exploding pumpkins). All you need is some calcium carbide.

Some people use hydrogen peroxide in addition to calcium carbide for this experiment.

Can't find any calcium carbide? You can do the same thing with dry ice or baking soda and vinegar, though it's totally weak in comparison. But hey, if you've gotta work your way up to acetylene gas explosions.

Then maybe you can even get this good...

Bonus (Safer Alternative): The Oozing Jack-O'-Lantern

Fire not your thing, but still want a cool effect for your jack-o'-lanterns? A little elephant toothpaste should do the trick. You'll just need some hydrogen peroxide, potassium iodine, and dishwashing liquid.

Can't find potassium iodide? You can do the same thing with hydrogen peroxide, dishwashing soap, dry yeast, and water.

I think I'll stick with the more flammable jack-o'-lanterns, but that's just me, though in all actuality, I might just stick with something simpler, like using it for storing my tools or making it nauseous.

What are you pumpkin carving plans this year?