It's Halloween, and patches are full of pumpkins just waiting to provide spine-tingling thrills on the big fright night. Carving them into jack-o'-lanterns is always fun, but transform a few into candy holders with looks that could chill, and they can play a crucial role as keepers of the goodies.

To make monstrous mugs, your little goblins can get creative with -- what else? -- candy! Chewy treats are easy to bend and snip, and they stay in place with ball-head straight pins (choose ones that match the color of the treats so they aren't too noticeable). For hard candy, attach pieces with hot glue.

Hollowed-out pumpkins can function as candy jars when you put a bowl inside ("mummies" -- or daddies -- should saw open tops and thin out rims with a serrated knife before kids start decorating). Or pumpkin heads can lurk intact as lids atop clear candy-filled containers. Whether these creatures hover at a party or simply haunt your house, they'll be spook-tacular.

This holder, with licorice details, is the cat's meow.

With her green licorice locks, this witch thinks she's gourd-geous -- but we think she's full of (jelly) beans.

 Sporting pearly white mini marshmallows for teeth, this pumpkin is all smiles. His hat is construction paper with a hole cut out for the stem. He guards against candy thieves (anyone who's not a kid) by posing as a lid on a jar. Inside are the treats that helped create his ghoulish looks, such as licorice twists and marshmallows.