English for Wizards

Welcome to the ESL Haunted Halloween

By John Moore

Halloween is coming! What are you going to be? How about something really scary this year - or will you be something cute or something funny? You just have until Oct. 31 to fix up your costume.

Unfortunately, there isn't much Halloween action in Japan. My son Peter admitted, "I don't really understand the purpose of Halloween." Oh Peter! You're missing so much frightfully good fun.

Thank goodness for the Internet, which provides everything we need to make our own spooky, creepy Halloween party. You can find everything online, from costume ideas and decorations to shocking stories, eerie sounds, horror film clips and even Halloween-themed English lessons (Evil laugh sound effect).

Let's start with the Halloween Master (http://www.halloween-master.com). This site offers lots of monster pictures to download, as well as chilling Halloween sound effects. Under the "Art Gallery 2" menu choice, there is even a nice selection of wizard pictures.

Here's an idea: Try writing a ghost story in English using downloaded pictures and Halloween sounds to spice it up. Then turn off the lights and read your story by candlelight - and the computer screen. For example: "The wolf (Howwwl!) stalked the woman (Screeeam!) as the wind (Russstle!) swept through the haunted forest (Hoot! Hoot! Hoot!)."

If you want to read other stories, the best place to go is Bone Works (http://www.boneworks.net). You can get a nice selection by clicking on "Scary Stories" on the left-side menu. This site also has Halloween jokes, under the "Haunted Humor" menu choice.

Lots of other activities are available at the ESL Haunted House (http://www.neko.ca/halloween/flash.htm). This is a cool site with special "Flash" effects, although it's a little slow. Click on the different windows of the haunted house. You can get your Halloween fortune told. Or try the various word puzzles and partner activities.

Do you like horror movies? Not all of them are bloody. Check out a really nice site for the upcoming "Haunted Mansion" movie with Eddie Murphy (http://www.disney.go.com/disneypictures/hauntedmansion/main.html). The artwork looks great.

The best thing about Halloween is that it lets you change into something different, like the werewolf under the full moon, or like Dracula changing into a bat. So what will I be this year? A wizard, of course.

Shukan ST: Oct. 24, 2003

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