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Scary Pranks

Rujuta Borkar
Need to play pranks on someone? Scary pranks are always the way to go, they're always a hit. Try some of these and you'll know what I mean.
Scaring someone gives us immense sadistic pleasure, doesn't it? Oh yes it does. To watch someone getting jittery and nervous and the shocked expression on their faces... pure joy. We all have tried the hiding-behind-a-wall-and-jumping-at-the-person-to-scare-him trick.
And if the laughter that this scary prank evokes is anything to go by, then scary pranks are going to be here for a long time. And that's why it's not surprising that there are so many ideas out there. So what say we look at some of these pranks, re-live the past glories of the funny pranks (and the not-so-funny pranks), and add some of our own to the list?

Pranks for Kids
Tone it down a notch if the kids are too small, alright? We don't want something unnecessarily complicated happening here. But all in all, funny pranks for kids these definitely are.

Haunted Button

This one's a very, very simple trick. OK here's what you do. Get anyone to switch off the lights of an adjoining room/lobby/corridor and after they do that, ask them to place their hand on the switchboard so that they cover it completely. If possible, run an ice pack over the back of the hand to make it icy cool.
Now, ask a kid or anyone else for that matter, to switch on the light. Pretend like you can't do it, because there's something in your hands. When the kid goes in to switch on the lights in the dark room and his hands come upon the icy cold human touch... It will scare the daylights out of him!

Scary Face

Draw a scary face or don a scary mask. Then while the kid sleeps, slowly start to shake him so that he starts getting up. Then put your face right above theirs. You might need cotton to cover your ears for the screaming that ensues.

Window Ghost

This one takes some planning and a partner to pull off. It'll work better if there is a glare from within the house so you cannot see anything out unless you go really close.
OK so here's what you do, get someone to wear a scary mask and stand outside the house near the window. Then request a kid to see outside the window and tell you if someone/something has come, etc. since nothing is visible, they'll have to go right next to the window and that is when the other person jumps in front of the window with the mask. Scary as hell.

Other Pranks to Pull

The Ghoul in Bed

This one is a really funny sleeping prank for the one who can pull this off, and especially great to pull on a partner or a sibling if you share the same bed. While your partner sleeps, arrange the pillows to look like a body and place a face mask (not necessarily scary) onto it.
Then as they sleep, bring the structure as close to their face as possible and then wake them up. Groggy-eyed and half asleep, they'll be scared out of their wits, wondering who the person next to them is.
One can use a number of different alternatives for this one―placing a rubber snake or spider or even a bloody plastic hand that looks like the real thing, close to their faces while they are waking up.

Computer Trick

Scary pranks on the computer are all rage these days. Simple and effective, download one of these mails that offer computer pranks that are scary.
The more popular one goes something like this. The mail asks the recipient to study something very minutely in the background of the picture. And when the person goes close to the screen, a banshee or ghoul pops on to the screen with a screech! Scary. R.e.a.l.l.y. S.c.a.r.y! Especially because you don't expect it.

Bungee Suicide

When you go bungee jumping, ask the guy who handles the rope to help you out in scaring your friend.
When your friend jumps facing you guys, with his back to the ground, throw a piece of rope after him and act as if the rope that was holding him back has snapped! It'll literally stop his heart. This would not be the kind of adventure he set out on.

I Hear Voices

Again, a little tricky to carry out and will require some planning. Get a mike system and set the settings onto a rough mode so that the voice comes out all gravely, when you speak into it. Then ask a friend to sit in the other room to use the mike.
Zero in on the victim. While all of you sit in, start by slowly saying things like "I see you" or "I'll get you" (or whatever you can think up of) in a low voice. Pretend that you don't hear anything.
When the voices start getting louder and louder in decibels and you with your "I can't hear anything" bit... Scary! Make sure that your friend does not catch you or see the lights of the system flashing when it is spoken into. Or the trick won't make any sense.
How fun are these scary pranks? Really, really fun if you get them right. And what's great is that they are fairly harmless. Just remember to not go overboard with these and don't end up doing something that you wouldn't want to happen to yourself. Other than that... Go have fun!