Extreme Pumpkins: Diabolical Do-It-Yourself Designs to Amuse Your Friends and Scare Your Neighbors

by Tom Nardone

Pumpkins are supposed to be scary!

Based on his popular and addictive website ExtremePumpkins.com, Tom Nardone has created a full-color guide to pumpkin carving that's truly frightening. Featuring the website's signature Puking Pumpkin, and spanning everything from Drowning Pumpkin, Crime Scene Pumpkin, and Cannibal Pumpkin to Electrocuted Pumpkin and other never-before-seen designs, this gleefully gory guide is nothing short of a manifesto to take back Halloween from the cheerful, the cutesy, and the parent-sanctioned. For the egg-throwing, toilet tissue- streaming, window-soaping teenager in all of us, finally- a whole new way to celebrate October 31.

Genres: Halloween, Nonfiction, Crafts

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2007

Reviews

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

its halloween time!!! this is my favorite time of year: brisk winds, dead leaves making that scuttling sound, orange hot chocolate and skull candle holders at michael's, marvelous times. i am reviewing these three books as though they were one, because they are basically the same, just with different monster faces. first things first: i have no knife skills. i'm rarely permitted to use the sharp knives, and i am watched when i use scissors. i'm a bleeder. last week i cut my finger trying to remove just one more piece of squash rind and there was a fountain. when i was a teenager and young adult, i had poor anger management skills that mostly led to knife play, and while i am over that now, i still am watched when wielding a knife because of my track record, both intentional and unintentional. i am careless, mostly. it is a good thing that i don't drive. but all that being said - i will be carving no pumpkins. so looking at these books gives me a halloweeny feeling where i can think about the someday when i am less accident-prone and i have a proper suburban stoop from which to frighten children. the extreme halloween one is the best, because it has recipes and a lifesize man made out of charred meat, that you can then invite the neighborhood over to eat! who wants to move next door to me now? rarrrr, killer pumpkins! i'll try to find some pictures.

come to my blog!

[MKF · Rating 1 out of 5]

These are pumpkins that are not really art but something that anybody could do. My daughter picked it out since she's interested in learning about carving. She laughed at a few and now repeats part of the cannibal description. I can just imagine her telling her teacher that she saw a picture of a pumpkin eating the flesh of it's own kind.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very inspiring, creative carving. Not as kid-friendly as I had hoped, it's got a lot of pumpkin-carving tips and very creative suggestions.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking to take your pumpkin carving to the next level - away from the boring triangle eyes and teeth cutouts, this one is for you. I really liked the creative designs and ideas with how to's and pointers. For example, I never would have thought using a Dremel or jig saw on a pumpkin until reading this. Using the Dremel this year, carving was a snap with smooth lines along the template. Lots of compliments from the neighbors on this year's pumpkins.

[Michele Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you enjoy violent serial killer books and movies? Then this just might be for you. Turn your traditional Jack-o-lantern into a terrifying depiction of mayhem. Or just look at the pictures. Hysterical!

[Anna Hargrave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious and lots of creative ideas 😂

[Gen L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of these are actually pretty basic, but in 2007, before the advent of Pinterest, this would have been a cool little guide.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot how cool the carvings in this book are

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had so many excellent carving ideas that I can't decide what to do this year! The Property-Defender Pumpkin is incredible and it's top of my list but I don't want to stop there. If I can come up with a way to make fake fixings, I'm putting the hamburger pumpkin on the table as a centerpiece, too. Great book (and much better than it's sequel!)

[Jennifer Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only where there lots of fun, original and actually do-able pumpkin carving ideas, there were bits of trivia and fun facts. I made the puking pumpkin and the Carrie pumpkin. I must find book 2 for next year!

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know I love pumpkins. This book was good for a few creative ideas that weren't too labor intensive but would set a spooky mood.

[gabby gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

dude.....he's my buddy, yes, but tom is the awesomest duder with the craziest, funnest ideas. his book fuckin rules.

[Earline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Join Tom in putting the EXTREME back into Halloween one pumpkin at a time. totally badass

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so cool. It gave me a lot of great ideas for Halloween.

[Are · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Halloween and this provodes great step by step instructions on how to carve the pumpkins. There are tons of funy side notes and my favorite the #1 safety rule "Don't be a dumbass."

[Caleb Garner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good so far! Perfect recipe for fake blood!

[Gato Negro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ideas, very creative. The "Carrie" pumpkin was my favorite. The author's style is very funny also...he includes humorous tidbits like his favorite horror movies, recommended books and recipes.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

i've never seen pumpkins like these! very creative!!
loved he cannabal pumpkin on the cover