I know you’ve waited until the eleventh hour to do your Halloween shopping, so this list should come just in time. Whether you’re hosting a bash at a haunted mansion or squeezing your guests into a coffin-like studio apartment, the fright-making tech here will elevate your party. Several of these items will come in handy after Halloween is over, too, like the clip speakers and portable projector. But hey, who says an eyeball doorbell isn’t appropriate year-round?
This 500-watt fog machine for $60 carries high potential to be the star of the show at your next party. It promises to send out bursts of fog that will slowly take over your home and convert it into a real haunted affair. The best feature is customizable, remote-controlled RGB lighting. There are 13 colors to choose from. AGPTEK’s fog machine is advertised as non-toxic and unscented.
This $40 waffle maker is perfect for creating on-theme waffles or pancakes in minutes. It makes seven designs: pumpkin, ghost, haunted house, spider, bat, cat, and cauldron. It has a non-stick surface and weighs just a little more than 3 pounds. You can snag it in a black or white colorway. Honestly, you don’t even need to wait for Halloween for this one.
This is my favorite item on the list. I mean… look at it. Priced at $50, this doorbell features a bulging green eyeball. Spooky sound effects are icing on the creepy cake.
This $36 LED mask is an absolute steal. It uses over 200 lamp beads that light up when you turn the mask on and change their appearance when you use a pre-determined gesture. There are 25 dynamic and 25 static patterns that the mask is capable of showcasing. Moyaka says the material used (plastic and sponge) and pre-cut eyeholes make it comfortable enough for long wear, and the head strap is adjustable for various head sizes. On a full charge, Moyaka’s LED mask should last eight to 10 hours.
This 300-light strip has embeeded motion sensors, which means it will automatically turn on as someone approaches, hopefully giving them a little scare. They spread out to a whopping 114 feet, so they should be good to cover a quite large outdoor area. They also sync with four spooky music tracks.
These creepy eyeball lights are just $10 for two packs of six eyeballs. These are solar powered, so simply stick them in your garden and wait for your guests to scream in delight. Personally, I’d install these in my garden even outside of Halloween. Their subtle green glow makes them ideal for gently illuminating a driveway or walking path.
JBL’s recently launched $50 Go 4 and $80 Clip 5 speakers are ideal to play spooky soundtracks in the background at your Halloween house party. The best feature on these speakers is their Auracast compatibility. This means you can pair the two and have them work in unison to offer louder, more powerful sound. The setup takes less than a minute and is one of the most budget-friendly ways to access multi-directional stereo sound. Halloween parties can get messy, which is another reason these highly water- and dust-resistant speakers are a great choice. The Go 4 and the Clip 5 last about seven and 12 hours, respectively, which should be enough for a wild night.
This camera initially looked like a gimmicky toy to me, but taking it out for a beach day made me realize how much I underestimated it. This is one of the most hassle-free, no-BS instant cameras I have checked out. It retails for $150, which makes it roughly as much as other instant cameras on the market, such as the $200 Instax Fujifilm Mini 99. This Kodak camera creates impressively bright photos. Admittedly, it’s not the sharpest image quality, but the results carry excellent saturation and vibrance. A viewfinder lets you preview your photo before you print it. I know the plastic body can give off a flimsy vibe, but if you can get past its aesthetic, there’s a lot of utility on this thing.
This $500 XGIMI projector is the perfect tech to handle your spooky movie binge-watching. The MoGo 3 Pro is the latest addition to the company’s popular MoGo lineup. What makes this one stand out is its dramatically reduced form factor. It’s been trimmed down to the size of a soda can and weighs about the same as a carton of milk. This should make it easily portable from room to room, if the need arises. There’s a dedicated “extra powerbase stand” that features a Type-C outlet for charging and also serves as a nice stand to place the projector on while it’s in use. XGIMI also gave its flagship projector Google TV capabilities. This means it’s good to run any streaming service of your choice straight out of the box; you don’t need to pair the MoGo 3 Pro with a set top box or a smart TV dongle. Its remote also sports dedicated buttons for select streaming apps, streamlining the process even more.
