Halloween is a time for scaring folks, becoming what you always wanted to be (a princess or a superhero) or would never hope to be (a monster or a mummy), eating delicious sweet treats, seeing ghostly images, and hearing Halloween sounds that make your blood curdle.

Halloween sounds are a big part of the holiday fun, and you should not overlook the sense of hearing when decorating for your party or rigging up the scariest house in the neighborhood for the trick-or-treaters.

Halloween sounds of things that go bump in the night, screams of helpless victims, songs of monsters, fling bat wings, and spooky howls can add just the right frightening touch to any scene ñ whether it is your charity’s haunted house fundraiser or your own front yard that awaits the pounding feet of little tykes dressed up in all their finery.

There are a few different ways you can accumulate some scary and fun Halloween sounds to your life this holiday.

You can head to your local costume shop, party superstore, WalMart, or probably even dollar store and pick up a pre-recorded CD or tape of classically frightening Halloween sounds and noises. This is easy, and they are usually only five bucks or less.

For a little more of a personal touch, you can make a recording of your own Halloween sounds. Just get out a tape recorder and bang some pots and pans together. Have your kids enter a screaming contest, and record the screams as they get louder and louder.

Make your voice sound hoarse like you used to do when you wanted to get out of going to school, and say monsterly things like, ìCome here you little ones,î or ìHave I got a treat for you?î Basically, anything that sounds like it might be creepy after dark will work. Then, of course, on Halloween night, just put it on the porch and let it play.

For a higher-tech version of Halloween sounds, you can turn to your new best friend, the Internet. There are lots of sites out there that have free WAV files and other noises that you can download and burn onto a CD right on your own computer. Just look around for a while and record anything you think sounds pretty darn scary ñ or even funny ñ if you prefer, and you will have a CD you can pop in your computer or stereo and play after dark when the little goblins are heading up the sidewalk or driveway.

Scary-looking decorations like spider webs, skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, and tombstones are way too much fun to describe, but be sure to include some Halloween sounds into your Halloween decorating plans to make for a really spooky night.