Halloween is quickly approaching, which means it is time to break out the decorations and horror flick marathons. While spiderwebs, pumpkins and costume makeup are great ways to decorate your home for the night of fright, the latest technology can put your home over the top for the soon-to-be trick-or-treaters.
Light up the night
Nothing says spooky like dark and decorative lighting. To amp up the mood, try installing some Philips dimmable color light strips in the living room and outside. You can choose from 16 million colors — including purples, oranges and reds — all of which you can control with timers, smart controls and voice control. Don't forget to purchase some individuals smart lights as well to place inside your jack-o'-lanterns and other decorations to take them to the next level. These smart systems are compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant and other smart home programs. (Check out The GearBrain, our smart home compatibility checker to see the other compatible products that work with Philips Hue smart lights.)
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Set the foggy scene
Halloween can't get too far along without eerie fog seeping out of the woodworks. If you are looking to add some ghostly appearances to your living room and/or door step, a wireless fog machine is the way to go. There are hundreds of great options for this particular product, but if you want to control your hauntingly decorated home from your smart phone, consider a fog machine like the Antari WiFi 800 fog machine. It's compatible with iPhones and Androids so users can determine how much fog they want to produce and for how long.
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Alexa provides tricks, treats and everything in between
Alexa is the ultimate sidekick for Halloween this year. She not only plays just about any creepy tune, from "Monster Mash" to the sounds of ghouls and goblins for your Halloween party, but she can also help you with creating the scariest atmosphere yet. Alexa's skills have been upgraded to play pranks on the other people in your home, provide fun facts and games, yell spooky screams, tell scary stories, and even help you pick out the perfect Halloween costume.
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Sense the scare
Halloween is all about expecting the unexpected. With the Philips Hue Motion Sensor, you can sync up your Philips lights, Alexa and many other devices to set off a startling show when trick-or-treaters arrive at your door. You can also time sounds, lights and other effects to turn on and off at various moments if you don't plan on being home Halloween night, or control their intensity and frequency straight from a hiding spot indoors. Regardless of where you plan on setting up your haunted shop Oct. 31, you can control your decorations all night long.
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Project your fear
For more interactive Halloween effects, try getting ahold of a wireless projector, such as the Ebox Air Mini Projector. You can download various moving graphic videos to the device, such as howling ghosts, that you can then play around various parts of your home. Project the Halloween creatures on your walls, hang up a sheet in the doorway for an entryway addition, or even project through the inside of your window and turn off the lights for people on the street to see your home's hauntings.
