Up your scare quotient this Halloween with these suggestions:

- Find your inner thespian: Follow Stephen Stout's recommendations in our episode and focus on both setting and getting in the mood. MSN is a great resource for helping you find ways to get your spook on. Go to Expo Live on MSN: http://expo.live.com and you can find announcements for Halloween events in your area. Museums, libraries and lots of charities host haunted houses or haunted tour events. As you walk through, pay particular attention to how the actors dress and act. If you find yourself at a house or event that really is haunted, congratulations! Who better to learn from than the actual ghosts and goblins themselves? Be sure to remember the enthusiasm and energy you feel from the event hosts and emulate it when imparting your own haunted tales.

- Get your own stories started by getting your imagination going: There are lots of interesting characters and stories being shared everyday at MSN groups: http://groups.msn.com. You will find people devoted to everything from ghost hunting to the "Great Pumpkin". Don't forget to share scary stories with other A Bigger View fans in our Your Big Life section. Sissy kicks off the story telling with a written version of "The Hook".

- Find your inner artist: Sissy learned another key to successful storytelling is really getting yourself into the story inside and out. Let's focus a little more on the out. You'll want to make yourself look spooky with make-up so it's not just one friend telling another a ghost story.

Celebrity make-up artist Angella Valentine was responsible for turning Sissy Biggers into Scary Biggers in our video. She offers these tips for affordable, easy ways to use everyday make-up to look the frightening part:

1. To create fake blood, mix a bottle of corn syrup with one bottle of red food dye plus six drops of blue food dye.
2. Store your homemade blood in the fridge.
3. Set fake blood on your face with a hairdryer.
4. If you don't have a stipple sponge to apply effects, use a nylon scouring pad.
5. Combine grey, purple and green eye shadow to create a bruise.
6. Set make-up with powder to maintain your ghoulishness.

Angella also shows us how to create a cat face with make-up in less than sixty seconds. Watch the "Cat Face in Less than Sixty Seconds" bonus video right now by clicking here.

-Find out more about telling a great ghost story: Click to the right to see Sissy's guest, Stephen Stout, tell the story, "The Lost Fraternity". Then see how Sissy uses the techniques she learned from Stephen to tell "The Hook". Warning: Before you watch, make sure that you are fully prepared to be spooked. If you frighten easily, you may want to grab a friend, but keep your hook to yourself. Read Sissy's Tips for more advice on telling a scary story.

We want to read your best ghost stories and see your Halloween costumes and make-up. Share your Halloween experiences, tips, suggestions and photos. Email them to us right now: abiglife@nbcuni.com. Check out our Your Big Life section to see what others have contributed.

Sissy starts the discussion with more great Halloween advice in her "Halloween Mom Memory" blog. Also, get a bigger view of what went into creating our A Big Life Halloween: Up Your Scare Quotient episode with Sissy's "BIG LIFE: Behind the scenes" blog.

Read them now at http://abiglife.spaces.live.com

MSN Shopping Suggestions:
Scary Stories Books
Halloween Decorations
Halloween Party Supplies

Tell a friend
Share yours









Article, logo, art, and video material © NBC Universal