Fog Machines

There's nothing better than a fog machine for setting the right mood on Halloween night. With the proper fog machine, you can turn your humble abode into a spooky haunt to scare and delight. Making fog doesn't have to be a mystery. You just need to fill your fog machine with juice, plug it in, and letterip ... 1313 Mockingbird Lane never had it so good! If you're thinking about making a bunch of fog, read on ...

Fog machines operate by heating fog juice (which typically consists of glycol and water). It's pretty basic stuff. Turn it on, the juice heats up, and presto ... fog.

There's a fog machine for every budget. You can find some of the least expensive fog machines at party stores and the like. The better fog machines are typically carried at stage lighting and DJ suppliers.

Fog machines are often rated based upon their fog output, as described in the number of cubic feet per minute.

A basic fog machine might start at $75 or under. The professional units can top $1000. The lower-priced units may come with wired remote controls. Some of the higher-priced fog machines can be outfitted with wireless remotes. Miniaturized foggers are among the most expensive.

Dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) is another option for the fog-obsessed. If you go the dry ice route, be sure to take the proper precautions--this stuff is super cold and can cause you great harm and discomfort if it touches your skin directly. Don't touch it, and for Pete's sake, don't taste or swallow it.

Proper ventilation is essential for both conventional fog machines and dry ice installations.

dryiceinfo.com has lots of cool (cough) info on fun with frozen carbon dioxide (including making fog, of course). gotfog.com is a great resource for using fog machines for Halloween.