The best thing about Halloween, besides getting dressed up, is the whole spooky aspect of it. Even if you don’t usually like scary things or you’re not a fan of the horror genre, you can still get into the spirit (get it?) of Halloween. Spookiness isn’t necessarily about scaring people, but more about creating an atmosphere. Sure, it can be fun to frighten people, but that’s not really the endgame. It’s just a fun side effect.
Something like the Animated Moving Books (Things You Never Knew Existed, $27.98) will keep your friends on their toes, but aren’t going to give them a heart attack. They look like just a regular set of books, like you decided to put out some Halloween decor and you decided on these books about ghost stories and spells & potions. However, there’s a trick to these books. They’re motion activated. Meaning, when your guests are looking at them from across the room, they’re just another couple of books. But when they move in to get a closer look, the books begin to slide in and out as spooky sounds play. If you’re staring directly at the books, this can be a little unnerving to see. If you’re walking past the books, this kind of thing can really play with your mind. Did that book really move? Are you seeing things? The illusion is cemented by the fact that there’s no visible wiring (the set runs on batteries) so it will truly look like the movement is happening organically.
The trick to really amazing Halloween decorations is to think of the stuff that people aren’t used to seeing. Sure, you’ve gotta go with your tried and true gravestones, bats, and ghosts, but what about thinking outside the box for a change? If someone’s looking at the “normal” Halloween fare, they’re really gonna be knocked out of their boots when you scare them out of left field. Think of these books as an introduction into unusual scare tactics.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 7.5″ x 7″ x 6″
-Motion activated
-Books slide in and out
-Plays spooky sounds
-4 AA batteries required (included)
