[Raven]

I always carve with a scary movie on in the background. Just helps set the mood. It's always one I've seen before though because I can't concentrate enough on both the movie and carving at the same time. I also make sure I have everything I need all set out before beginning. I then send up a quick prayer to the Halloween gods that I don't mess up the pattern or need a trip to the hospital for stitches when I cut off a fingertip (zombombie).

[zombombie]

[nosferatu]

I normally have everything neatly laid out, everything arranged and ordered. Bit of music but nothing too distracting, a surgeon needs to concentrate. I put on some latex gloves, pick up a pro carving tool and make my first incision.

After about twenty minutes carving, the music is blaring out, everything is all higgeldy piggeldy, messed up and covered in pumpkin guts and seeds.

After a couple of hours it looks like a natural disaster, the Red Cross start up a relief operation and the US airforce starts parachuting in aid parcels.

[SuperSonic]

I always make sure I'm wearing a ZP shirt... it's my good luck charm.

I've been doing this a bit now. I start to wear my ZP shirts while I carve. I have over 2 weeks worth, now that I just spent $100 on shirts and various things.

[Ajax]

I usually investigate my subject and make sure he or she is truly evil and has done evil things. Once this is determined Then i usually put on my kill outfit follow them to a secluded area and inject them with a traqulizer. I bring them to a room and wrap them in celephane so they are secured to a table I show them pictures of there misdeed or victims. I then take a knife and cut out the topper in a circular pattern gut the pumpkin with drill bit and scrapper, put on my saral paper trace pattern to pumpkin then trim out the face! Rinse repeat about 30 times. Usually have a horror movie playing. I do also try to take the whole week off work for Halloween.

[staticfurball]

I don't have any rituals but I like to play music and have a snack on hand to munch on. Music will vary from rock, metal to folk. If my sis is craving next door,I'll sometimes join her.

Its always more fun to carve together, seeing as we both get into a carving frenzy and scare off everyone else in the building lol By the time we are done we both have a bit of pumpkin guts in our hair

[purple1worm]

I don't have any rituals but I like to play music and have a snack on hand to munch on. Music will vary from rock, metal to folk. If my sis is craving next door,I'll sometimes join her.

Its always more fun to carve together, seeing as we both get into a carving frenzy and scare off everyone else in the building lol By the time we are done we both have a bit of pumpkin guts in our hair

Now that you mention it..The boys are never around when we carve are they? oh well too bad for them!

[hockeyninja18]

I like the ideas of watching the movie of my carve's theme beforehand. I should also try listening to some music during. I usually sit quietly completely in the zone, rarely looking up. Thanks for your ideas!

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

I usually investigate my subject and make sure he or she is truly evil and has done evil things. Once this is determined Then i usually put on my kill outfit... trace pattern to pumpkin then trim out the face!

Do you also take a pumpkin seed from each of your victims and keep it in a little wooden box?

[amandap80]

I hook up the drill and gutter outside, crack into a pumpkin beer, and cut off tops. I then scrape out seeds to save and inject the pumpkins with a little insulin needle filled with red food coloring and water. It turns out, the length of an insulin needle is the perfect thickness for a neat carve. I then hook up the pumpkin gutter and give them a good scraping, and the thin the front section that I injected. I thin until I see the red dots of food coloring across the front facing side. All the pumpkins then get a rinse, and I put their little hats back on and set them aside for carving. Carving is done in my living room floor, on a sheet. I get my trusty glue stick, pick my patterns, and glue them to the thin side of the pumpkin. While the glue dries, I prepare the Halloween movies. These include, but are not limited to:
Nightmare Before Christmas
Hocus Pocus
The Great Pumpkin
Sleepy Hollow
The Witches
Quantum Leap : Boogie man episode
Original Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street
Beetlejuice
I always carve to movies - it makes me happy. I try to keep my blood hound Ellie Mae from eating all the pumpkin pieces, but am only partially successful.

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

Good process, good movie choices! And that's a very inventive idea to inject red food coloring! What a clever way to know when you've scraped deep enough. If I had insulin needles handy, I would make use of this trick.

[amandap80]

Good process, good movie choices! And that's a very inventive idea to inject red food coloring! What a clever way to know when you've scraped deep enough. If I had insulin needles handy, I would make use of this trick.

I got mine from an elderly friend, I am not sure if you can go into CVS and get them without going onto some sort of watch list.

[Zombie Pumpkins!]

"What seems to be the problem... this bulk package of syringes, vat of Vaseline, bottle of bleach, and container of matches are all for my pumpkin carving, I swear!"

[amandap80]

Just throw in a tarp and a 4 inch hole saw. Then the swat team will move in.

[Raven]

I am not sure if you can go into CVS and get them without going onto some sort of watch list.

You can buy them at a pharmacy without a prescription at some places. Most places however require that you have bought other insulin supplies before. To anyone who does want to try this method, the syringes do come in different lengths.