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Halloween apps to get you into the Spooktacular spirit!

With Halloween just around the corner, we take a look at some of the spookiest apps for both the dead (and alive!) on the internet. The annual celebration had technology that brought it a long way from when the Celts first invented two thousand years ago, going from wax candles and handmade costumes to apps, holograms, and HD computer images.

The festival’s popularity shows no signs of slowing down. According to Yuqo.com, 19 percent of Britons celebrate Halloween yearly, while 37 percent of German millennials dress up. Closer to home, a survey from Webloyalty reveals that Irish people spend around €40m annually on costumes, decorations, and candy.

From innovative, scary games to fancy dress filters to pumpkin styling and scary jokes, we looked at some of the most tech-tastic apps on the market that are guaranteed to get you into a ghoulish mood.

Carve a pumpkin 

Save yourself money on a pumpkin this year and let technology give you a slice of savings. The ever-popular carve a pumpkin for Halloween app for adults and kids is free to download on iOS. With an interface bursting with colour, this app allows you to practise drawing on a pumpkin before you attempt to cut your actual one apart. Simply use your finger to draw over a pumpkin, turning it into whatever creation you fancy. You also have the option to upload your virtual pumpkin to social media after. In English only, it requires iOS 7.0 or later to work.

Carve your selfie app

If you have ever wanted to carve your face onto a jack-o-lantern pain-free, then look no further. The Pumpkin Masters’ Carve your selfie app allows you to take a photo and turn it into a design that’s easy to transfer onto an actual vegetable. Another techtastic creation that’s free of charge is available on Android and iOS. You can also edit your design, from adjusting the contrast to smoothing edges on images. You can even have the option to stylize your cutout afterward. 

Halloween cards maker and photos

Fancy using technology to email Halloween greeting cards to your friends and colleagues? The Halloween cards maker and photos app enables you to design cards that would freak anyone out. Although available not free to download on Android or iOS, its functionality outweighs the cost as you can avail of dozens of Halloween images, upload photos, edit them and personalise each with a unique message. It also has dozens of terrifying fonts and graphics and is in both English and Russian.

Scary prank

The scary prank cam is a clever piece of gamification for a smart yet freaky app and a chance to trick rather than treat. Appearing to be a game, you download the app and show it to someone you would like to give a fright to. During the game, a 3D ghost unexpectedly pops out and lets out a scream. Not for the fainthearted, it’s available on iOS only; purchase is required.

Halloween costumes 

This free-to-download app provides Halloween outfit inspiration for people of all ages, tastes, and budgets. Containing plenty of ideas, you can either search for costume suggestions or shake your phone to be provided with different ideas. On Android only, it’s full of spooktacular suggestions, particularly for women. What’s even cooler is that it allows you to take a photo, choose a costume to place over it, and add stickers so you can vamp yourself up in seconds and share your freaky self on social media.

Halloween makeup editor

One of my all-time favourite apps, the Halloween makeup editor app features over 50 scary effects, 100 Halloween frames, and 100 zombie stickers. Free to use on iOS, you upload an image and swipe the stickers you want over your face. Avail of effects, insert text and turn yourself into a zombie, witch, vampire, or werewolf in no time. The only slightly annoying aspect of the app is that it contains a lot of ads. Still, the result is guaranteed to scare anyone!

Halloween wallpapers 

Why not download the Halloween wallpapers app to add an even scarier touch to your smart devices. This app allows you to make your designs through the photo collage and photo editor, enabling you to share and email your creations in HD to whoever you think deserves a scare! With over one hundred thousand different designs, it’s free to download on iOS.

Halloween all-in-one

Lastly, ultimate spooky season fanatics need to look no further than the Halloween all-in-one app. Providing a countdown timer, wallpapers, eerie sound effects, and more, it’s free to download on iOS. Developed by Rocket Splash Games in English with its software recently updated to cater to most modern iPhones. Unfortunately, this nifty little app has yet to be available on Android, which is frightening as it’s so useful!

Rebecca Lee is a journalist and broadcaster of over 23 years. She also works in tech communications with ClearStory International. To date, she has written for and continues to contribute to The Business Post, The Irish Times, The Irish Daily Mail, The Sunday World, and, most importantly, European tech publication 4i Magazine. Rebecca also worked as a radio presenter for 13 years with leading Irish stations Q102 and FM104. Alongside balancing her PR and journalism work, Rebecca moderates events, WebSummit 2022 and Dublin Tech Summit being the most recent.