Pumpkin carving has become part of the Halloween ritual at my house as well as thousands of others. They vary widely in style, complexity and artfulness. Many now use dremels, pottery tools and specialized carving knives to achieve the perfect effect. Here are 15 of the coolest jack-o-lanterns that I could find.

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Who didn’t love Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean? He made pirates sexy again. This pumpkin has been very skillfully carved into a perfectly recognizable carving of him.

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Many jack-o-lanterns are carved into recognizable pop culture icons. Like this evilly smiling version of the Cheshire Cat. I especially like the horns protruding from the top of his head!

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These two instantly recognizable silhouettes of Winnie the Pooh and his less than optimistic sidekick Eeyore are other great examples of Halloween carving. They sure aren’t very scary though…

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This one is a little scarier while also being a popular “icon” of our culture. Hello Kitty is taking over the world…run!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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These two are a little scary too. It seems like those freaking M & M dudes are everywhere you look too. Creative use of paint. That way you can make a jack-o-lantern without getting all gooey from the pumpkin’s innards.

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This crudely, though very imaginatively carved pumpkin shows cannibalism at its finest. I love the look of “shock and awe” on the little pumpkin’s face. I guess he didn’t expect to be devoured!

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This pumpkin is more skillfully carved — revealing all the layers of the pumpkin’s flesh to make huge googly eyes and three dimensional teeth. Not scary so much as just really weird.

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This jack-o-lantern is a more than a little creepy. It looks like a fetal alien inside of it’s mother’s womb to me. Or maybe the devil himself!!!! Booohahahahahaha.

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This group of pumpkins shows a variety of jack-o-lantern carving styles. From the traditional toothy faced grins to frankensteins and pirate skeletons. Sometimes they’re just better in a group.

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This pictures shows how groupings of jack-o-lanterns can have a far greater effect than they would one by one. These looks of abject horror make me wonder if there is something standing behind me right now…

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I guess maybe it was this glowing ever too wide smile reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in the shining. I love the leaf carvings on the sides of the head and the way the skin is striated in areas to create a more three dimensional effect to this glowing face.

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The carver of this jack-o-lantern used an assortment of pottery tools to carve an undulating vine around the outside of the pumpkin. Very cool. Reminds me of the story “Jack and the Beanstalk”. Still, no scary enough for me though…

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Okay, here’s a scary pumpkin. It would have been slightly creepy when it was fresh. Now though, the creepiness has disintegrated into an eerie terror look on it’s face.

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This older pumpkin also shows how some things get better with age — maybe there’s hope for me yet! (lol). I love how it’s mouth has collapsed upon itself — mute horror!

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Okay, so these aren’t jack-o-lanterns, per say. They show how Canadians can turn anything into something perverted! (It’s okay, I’m Canadian and this is hysterical!!!) Not everything has to be creepy on Halloween!

Hope you all have a great one this year!

Here’s a listing of my other articles pertaining to Halloween if you’d like to take a peek!

• 12 Very Strange CHildren’s Costumes Not for the Faint of Heart10 Hysterically Funny Cat Halloween Costumes
• 10 Hysterically Funny Dog Halloween Costumes
• 10 Hysterically Funny Cat Halloween Costumes
• Funny Toddler Costumes for Halloween
• 15 Absolutely Bizarre Adult Halloween Costumes
• Halloween and Strange Phobias
• Clowns are Scary: 10 Pictures to Give You Nightmares
• Unique and Over the Top Halloween Decorations