Are you one of those people who makes the same jack-o-lantern, year after year? Maybe you stumbled upon a fabulous jack-o-lantern design, and you love it so much, you make it every Halloween? Well, make your regular jack-o-lantern this Halloween – the one you set outside to show – then make a special jack-o-lantern for indoors. You’ll need a wall inside the house to project a scary face, threatening message, or other design for your Halloween visitors. Prepare to see them jump as they see a frightening projection just behind a pumpkin you’ve set out for display. The two-faced pumpkin is fun to make and loads of fun to watch in action.
Actually, you could make the wall projection pumpkin to set outside but it’s great indoors for a party. You can also set it on a porch to scare the trick-or-treaters. The larger the pumpkin, the larger the scary face or other projection will be. Start by cutting the bottom off of the pumpkin and setting it aside for the moment. Scoop out the meat and seeds.
You can cut any design you want for the jack-o-lantern. Decide on the side of the pumpkin which will be shown to the visitors. This can be a friendly pumpkin, the word “BOO”, or another image. Carve it using traditional implements and techniques.
After carving one side, turn the pumpkin around, and carve the exact opposite side. For this side, make something frightening. Carve a scary face or even write a menacing message. It’s fun to make a cute face on one side, and a frightening one on the other, or to write a friendly “Happy Halloween” on one side, and a disturbing message on the other.
When the two-faced pumpkin is carved, set a candle on the base, then position the pumpkin over it. Set the frightening side of the jack-o-lantern towards a wall while the friendly side faces the guests. With the candle lit, the nice side is illuminated, and the eerie side projects onto the wall.
Try lighting the candle and then positioning the pumpkin just right so the guests can easily see the projection as well as the inviting side of the jack-o-lantern. It can be a little tricky. If you position the pumpkin too far from the wall it can be difficult to make out feature or lettering. Place it to close to a wall and the projection can disappear behind the pumpkin where it can’t be seen at all. Whether you set the two-faced jack-o-lantern inside or out, whether it’s large or small, the finished pumpkin makes a cool decoration for Halloween.
Two-Faced Jack-O-Lantern