Ghosts, goblins and other creepy creatures roam the eve of Halloween. From trick or treaters to Halloween parties, October is the month when children and adults transform themselves into other-wordly beings. But not everyone enjoys going out during this autumn holiday. Some people enjoy turning the lights down low and passing the time watching mystery and horror flicks in front of the TV. So to set the mood, here are some Halloween movie rental ideas featuring haunted houses for those that prefer a good ghost-like mystery rather than a continuous stream of blood and gore.

The Haunting (1963) – A true classic horror film. Here we find four guests arriving at a mansion with a terrifying reputation. The guests are determined to debunk the idea of a house being possessed and so set up for the night. Strange occurrences soon make themselves known from muffled wails to strange unexplainable noises. The guests encounter a door that appears to breathe, unexplained writing on the walls and many other supernatural phenomena. A new remake of the film is also available (The Haunting (1999)).

Haunted (1996) – Nanny Tess Webb (Anna Masey) has been seeing visions. Her three children, as well as the family doctor all insist that there is no haunting and that she is just hallucinating. She invites Professor David Ash (Aidan Quinn), who is skeptic of the supernatural, to investigate the paranormal goings-on at her country estate. After spending some time there himself, the Professor also begins to experience unexplainable visions, including the vision of his young sister who died in a drowning accident.

Haunted Castle (3-D) (2001) – After his mother dies, a young musician named Johnny is summoned to his mother’s castle according to the final wishes in her will. He soon discovers that not all seems as it appears and that the castle is not only haunted by ghosts, it appears to be alive. He is eventually lead to a Mr. D who makes Johnny the same tantalizing offer that he made his mother twenty years earlier… surrender your soul in exchange for fame and fortune.

The Others (2001) - Starring Nicole Kidman as Grace, this is one of those few, rare movies that will keep you guessing until the end. The story is set in 1945 toward the end of the war. Living on a fog-enshrouded island off the British coast we find that Grace's husband has presumably been lost in the war and she is living on her own with her two young children. The children are hypersensitive to light and so live in a musty manor with the curtains and shutters perpetually drawn closed. Needing some assistance, Grace writes up a request for domestic help, but before she can go to town to post it, three strangers suddenly arrive in response to her as yet un-posted request. This film will certainly leave you guessing with its twists and turns.

Stephen King's Rose Red (2002) - Another true story haunting and originally a mini-series, this movie is based on a researcher investigating the paranormal who takes a team of psychics into a haunted house. We soon learn of the building's gruesome past - women who have disappeared without any trace and men meeting gruesome deaths. Soon after entering, the psychics themselves begin to experience many paranormal activities, including disappearing team members.

Halloween probably has more parties than almost any other day, second perhaps to New Years. People of all ages love to dress up and pretend they're someone else for a night. Most people end up with more than one invitation to Halloween parties and have to choose one of them to attend.

If you're thinking of throwing a Halloween party, how do you convince people to choose yours over the others? A creative, unique theme is the first step.

Most people don't plan a theme beyond "wear a costume" at Halloween. Just giving your party a more specific theme will help it stand out from the crowd.

You can choose the traditional "spooky" type of Hallowen party and have everyone come as their favorite ghost, horror movie character or monster.

A spooky party will probably be one of the easiest to find party favors and decorations for, since that tends to be the most common theme for Halloween.

There are lots of other themes you can try, however. What about a famous couples party, where everyone comes as a famous couple? Or maybe a movie theme night, where everyone comes as their favorite Star Wars character for example.

Some other theme ideas include:

- crazy hat party - decade party (60's, 70's, 80's, etc) - murder mystery - favorite cartoon character - pirate party - "future" party (everyone comes as themselves in 25 years, for example)

When you're planning your party, one of the most important things is the menu. Food is always an important part of any party.

It could be a full meal or just finger foods, but be creative with what you serve. Try to work the food into the theme of the party.

For example, you could make some ladyfingers that actually look like severed fingers.

If you start to plan your party early, you'll leave yourself lots of time to get everything organized. Get some help from friends or family if you need it, and remember - planning the party is half the fun!