Thu Oct 22, 2009 — by Jenifer Rosenberg

ComicMix Six: Halloween iPhone Apps

Anyone who has been grocery shopping in the past few weeks has probably noticed that Halloween decorations and goodies have already started disappearing from the shelves to be replaced by Christmas merchandise. Most of you have probably already put together your costumes (All of my House Hufflepuff gear is ready for the big day!). Halloween is a hugely popular holiday, and that means there is a large variety of iPhone applications to go along with it. Apps are like the latest accessory to the perfect outfit - you can find something to fit with just about any ensemble - and the great thing about apps is that they don't disappear when the retail world decides to focus on the next holiday. I have selected my six favorite festive Halloween Apps to review for those who might be in the market for some extra Halloween spirit.

Zombie Me! by Portegno Apps: You can't go five feet in this day and age without there being zombies! This application allows you to take a picture or use a picture from your library and zombify it. There is a selection of facial features and body parts which can be re-sized, angled and tinted to match your picture, and with a little creative editing, you can make a very "realistic" looking zombie. This application is a ton of fun at parties, because you can snap a picture of your friends and then show them their zombie-self a few minutes later. You can even upload your zombie mug to Facebook for a laugh. Witness what I did to my cat.

Whack-O-Lantern by Decode Entertainment: In this Whack-a-mole style game, Halloween-themed characters peek up from behind curtains, gravestones and other hiding places in a spooky scene. The goal is to tap your main target, Percival Pumpkinhead, as many times as possible when he appears. You can also achieve a bonus from tapping a mustachioed skeleton named Boneski, but tapping a little grinning green guy called Zombish McBrain will cause you to lose points. The game features cute, clean cartoonish graphics and an excellent Elfman-esque backtrack that will put you in the mood to watch some Tim Burton films.

MonsterMatch by Jirbo: This is a bright and colorful memory-style game. It is the perfect way to waste time while waiting in line for that haunted house or the latest horror flick. The setup is pretty standard. Turn over the little jack-o-lanterns to reveal a monster (classic monsters like Frankenstein, as well as more recent ones, like Jack Skellington), and try to make matched sets. While this may seem pretty basic, it is highly addictive. If you have children who, like mine, enjoy stealing your iPhone to play games, this is one they will enjoy. The only issue I have with this game is that they try to get you to register with them after each session.  There is a cancel button so you don't have to, though.

Halloween Chicktionary and Halloween Chicktionary Lite by Blockdot: Most people will only be interested in playing Halloween-themed games for about a month out of every year. For this reason, the fact that you can get a free full version of a game with a dozen themed puzzles is pretty cool. I am a big fan of word games, and in this whimsical little app, you have a group of chickens in Halloween costumes, each with a letter on its chest. The goal is to see how many words you can create using those letters. There will be one word that you can make by combining all of the letters, and it will tie in to Halloween.

reMovem Halloween Edition by Mundue: As you can tell, most of the free Halloween applications out there are games. This one has become my default game to play while I am waiting for the bus or listening to podcasts. It is quick, fun, and, as the creators accurately advertise, "frightfully addictive." This has a standard system of a screen covered with colored balls, each with a Halloween-themed image. The goal is to clear the screen while creating as many large groupings as possible. It tracks your scores, and has little challenges within the game (clear exactly ten witches ,etc.) to make it more exciting.

If these aren't your kind of app, there are always spooky Halloween sound applications, cool costume accessories (like Doctor Horrible's Remote), and plenty of excellent Samhain-related applications for all you TechnoPagans out there. However you celebrate the season, have an excellent October.

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