Carving Up A Treat

Halloween is imminent; the cold is setting in, and pumpkins are appearing before your eyes, wherever you go. Here at the Jack the Ripper Tour, we love nothing more than carving a pumpkin (or three) and getting in the spirit of things.

So, it’s just about time to embrace your inner artiste, grab a pumpkin and get busy carving! We have compiled a list of pumpkin carving ideas for you to get those creative juices flowing.  And just to get you started:

How to Carve a Pumpkin

1. Decide what pattern you’re going to carve out.
2. Pumpkins vary in shapes and sizes so choose one most suitable for your design.
3. Cut the top off of the pumpkin using a sharp, serrated knife.
4. Dig in! Scoop out the seeds and innards, smoothing the inside surface as you go. If your pattern has a mouth, you might consider keeping them to have them come spilling out of the pumpkin. Otherwise, discard.
5. Using a marker, draw your chosen pattern onto the front of the pumpkin. Ensure plenty of space around it.
6. Using a small, serrated knife, cut out your pattern. Always cut away from yourself to avoid any mishaps. Take care with smaller patterns – if any part of your pumpkin does comes away, pin it back in place with a cocktail stick.
7. We recommend using a tea light or small candle (as opposed to hot coals) to light up your Jack O’ Lantern. Light and replace the crown.

Inspiration

Now we have the basics covered; it’s time for some pumpkin carving ideas and inspiration.

The basics…

• Jack O’ Lantern face
• Simple ghost
• Hissing cat
• Sitting cat
• Cat face
• Flying witch
• A perched owl
• A spider
• Spider web
• Stars and moon
• A witch’s hat
• Bat
• Skull
• Raven
• Wolf
• Haunted house
• Creepy tree
• Tombstones
• Scary toothed face
• A fanged face
• “Jack” throwing up
• Boo!

Or perhaps some of your favourite horror and Halloween stars…

• Lurch – Addams Family
• Gizmo – Gremlins
• Spiderman
• Batman
• Jack the Ripper
• Scream mask
• Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas
• Darth Vader
• E.T.
• Hannibal mask
• Chucky
• Leatherface
• Pinhead – Hellraiser
• Michael Myers – Halloween

Our list of pumpkin carving ideas is by no means exhaustive, and we’re sure you will think of many more inspired ideas to carve out for yourself.  If you still lack inspiration for your pumpkin though, join us for our Halloween special Jack the Ripper tour and banquet, for horror and delight in equal measure.

 “This is Halloween; this is Halloween!”

While we associate carving pumpkins with Halloween these days, it wasn’t always the case. Legend has it that a man nicknamed Stingy Jack made a deal with the devil that he could not take his soul – instead Jack was left to wander Earth for all eternity with just a hot coal in a turnip for light. People would carve their own lanterns to scare Jack off. Turnips became pumpkins when the tradition hit America, and we haven’t looked back since. Here’s to many more years of this wonderfully spooky, creative tradition.