A few weeks back, esteemed blogger Kate Slattery posted her Top 5 Mobile Apps for Trick-or-Treating over at MobileAppTesting. Well, now it’s time to address the grown-ups. To borrow a term coined by our blog Czar Mike Brown back in 2009, it’s ”Halloweekend” and that means it’s time to discuss some Halloween mobile apps geared toward people too old to trick-or-treat, but not too old to dress up and celebrate. Oh, and since this post is (more or less) for grown-ups, I thought it might make sense to have at least one adult contribute, which is why I’ve asked my wife Alyssa to help me. It also helps that Alyssa actually enjoys Halloween and other scary things while I tend to be a little more of a…oh, how do I put this… gigantic crybaby. So without further ado, here are some of our favorite Halloween apps.

• Scary Clown (Android) – Alyssa: I always liked clowns, but it turns out that more people are afraid of them than I thought. This app is good a prank that provides genuinely creepy pics and sounds and works well for terrifying your husband that certain someone in your life who deserves a good scare, especially in the middle of the night when that someone has been asleep for a few hours. Nick: I was so startled at this that I threw up in my mouth a little.
• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Android & iOS) – Alyssa: Nick is older than me and as far as I can tell grew up watching only sports and cartoons. So he has a strong affection for all the classic animated holiday specials. Every Halloween he makes me watch the Great Pumpkin a few times, while I’d rather be watching the Buffy Halloween episodes. This app may have finally freed me from that duty. It’s very well done and  reinvents the story as an interactive game app narrated by Peter Robbins who was the original voice of Charlie Brown. A very nice update of a Halloween classic that is a perfect diversion for someone like Nick. Nick: The app is great, especially for young children. Why, what did Alyssa say about it?
• iPoe Edgar Allen Poe Collection (iOS) – Alyssa: In addition to being an avid reader, I also work in publishing, so I’m well informed on both sides of the argument for and against the digital publishing revolution. When you see an interactive collection like this you understand why proponents of digital are so adamant about the medium’s future. Done with care and charmingly illustrated, this app could expand the late suspense master’s fan base among the iPad set. It may even get Nick to read something other than Old Vonnegut books, TechCrunch and ESPN Boston. Nick: My dad painted pictures based on Edgar Allen Poe stories when I was a child and this app made me wax nostalgic for these classic stories. This app is a must for fans.
• Ghost Radar (Android & iOS) – Alyssa: I can’t resist scary movies and TV shows, even the bad ones, so I love this app. It’s like a modern day Ouija Board but without the need for a slumber party (sometimes we introverts just like our alone time). It provides readouts and reports based on the “quantum fluctuations” around you. I’m not saying it’s a legitimate detector of ghosts, but I’m not saying it isn’t either. There are a few houses featured on “Ghost Hunters” near me, so maybe I’ll sneak into one of them some night and try it out. This app provides a very entertaining diversion. Nick: I am afraid of scary movies and even mildly skin-crawly TV shows. I’ll NEVER watch American Horror Story. I have no interest in contacting the dead. And all of this may be because I am unsure as to whether ghosts exist. But I’d like to just leave them alone if they do. This app terrified me and perhaps that’s the best compliment I could ever provide.
• NOAA Now (Android & iOS) – Nick: Okay, this one may seem a little off topic but as this post is about to go live, there is an impending natural disaster approaching on the east coast. Hurricane Sandy has its eye on the Mid-Atlantic states and everyone on the east coast from Richmond, VA, to Portland, ME, can expect to be affected. I obsess about weather. It fascinates me. I would love to study it more in some formal manner. This app provides everything you need to keep tabs as the storm approaches you or your loved ones on the east coast this weekend. Alyssa: Nick will put tape on the windows if he sees leaves blowing. He’s known to look up at the sky and mutter predictions like “hmmm, looks like wind.” That said, this app is a valuable resource for tracking storms and it does appear that this storm is not to be ignored.

So, thanks to Alyssa for helping out today. From both of us – and everyone in uTest Nation – we hope you enjoy these apps and that you have a safe, dry Halloweekend!