News: Hollywood Secret Tips for Horror Movie Halloween Costumes

There's nothing like a great horror movie to really get the adrenaline pumping during the Halloween season. I don't know about you, but the sight of blood dripping into a pool of even more blood creeps me out, so you can imagine my reaction to harrowing creatures that go bump in the night and rip people's faces off. It's intense, but I love it.

Just like the costumed trick-or-treaters in the darkness of the streets on Halloween night, movie monsters and frightening cinema creatures are not real. In films they're played by trained actors and captured by talented directors who know how to get your heart racing. But nothing would be terrifying without the work of professional trainers and makeup and costume artists.

There's a new web series I'm digging from FEARnet called Jobs of the Damned, which reveals the Hollywood secrets behind each of these roles, demonstrating how to bring some ghastly cinematic creatures to life yourself. If you're looking for Halloween ideas, this is definitely a great place to start. The host, Angie Greenup, meets with professionals who transform her into different versions of "the damned."

Here's a look at several of the first episodes:

Zombie Girl

In the very first webisode, Angie meets up with makeup artist Greg McDougall from Cerberus Creations who's been dealing with movie guts and gore for over 15 years. Using fake blood, toner and prosthetics, he literally "infects" her, turning her into a gruesome zombie that's sure to scare the bejeezus out of any candy givers on Halloween night.

Doug Jones

Following Angie's mutation into the living dead, she meets with Doug Jones, an actor and zombie choreography expert who's appeared in tons of movies including Hocus Pocus, Hellboy, and Pan's Labyrinth. Doug shows her the proper zombie moves to go along with her gruesome makeup and clothes. Remember, you can't be a zombie for Halloween if you can't walk the walk.

Vampire Hunter

With her zombie days behind her, Angie switches teams to combat a different breed of undead monsters—vampires. Unlike with zombies, the most important part of a vampire hunter is not the costume itself, but the skills needed to kill those bloodsuckers.

The best way to kill vampires? Wooden stakes? Garlic? Decapitation? No. Try a good old fashioned (or high-tech) bow and arrow, as seen in moves like Blade, Underworld, and Van Helsing. Anthony from DC Archery walks Angie through the proper technique of using a bow and arrow to look sexy while she slays vampires. Nothing is more scary than authenticity.

Slasher Lessons

But what's even scarier than vampire and zombie flicks? Slashers. I'd take on Dracula's bite over a huge maniac wielding a rusty machete any day.

After mastering a ranged weapon, Angie meets with stunts and weapons expert Sonny Sison to learn just how dangerous simple everyday tools can be. Machetes, paint spatulas, and sledge hammers are all horrific objects when malice is the motive.

I'm surprised I didn't stumble upon FEARnet sooner. They've got some pretty cool stuff happening for Halloween aside from the above. There's a show called Psychoville (which was apparently a hit on BBC Two) airing exclusively on October 30th, and there's a 24-hour marathon on Halloween day for the movie Trick 'r Treat. You should at least check that out, if not for the Halloween spirit, for the chance to see Anna Paquin donning a sexy Little Red Riding Hood outfit and devouring a school principal at a werewolves bonfire party.