10 Extraordinary Carved Pumpkins Slideshow

The next presidential election is nearly a year away, so it's OK to show your party alliances on your pumpkin this year. Instead of carving out a scary face (well, maybe the face of Palin or Perry is terrifying for some), sculpt the countenance of a famous political figure, president (present or past, like Washington and Kennedy, left), vice president, first lady, or the candidate who lost.

What is Halloween without a witch? When armed with a fine, sawtooth carving knife, almost any image, good or bad, can be traced onto a hollowed out pumpkin. The trick is to make sure that the center figure is connected with the rest of the pumpkin, like the transoms of a window.

Are you a Halloween curmudgeon? This angry jack-o'-lantern is terrifying enough to keep young trick-or-treaters away.

Looking to impress visitors on Halloween? Opt for a variety of carved squashes of all colors, shapes, and sizes. But be forewarned: You might need a garden scoop to carve out the inside of a giant pumpkin like the one at left.

Not confident in your carving abilities? Stick with a simple design, then add something creepy like a miniature pumpkin with a dried apricot for a tongue, left to set your creation apart from everyone elses on the block.

If you're not up for carving out the inside of the pumpkin, instead carve a face into the front and supplement your design á la Mr. Potato Head. Consider the devil, at left, with colored eyes, a half of a red bell pepper for a tongue, and miniature devil's horns.

This is not your traditional carved pumpkin. Forget the face this year and instead use the hollowed out squash as a diorama, using mini pumpkins filled with LED lights and standing on toothpicks.

Bring out the hammer and chisel. Some people take their pumpkin carving very seriously, like master carver and two-time Food Network Challenge winner Ray Villafane, and this gentleman at left.

This little pumpkin must have had too much candy before Halloween even arrived...

If two or four carved countenances aren't enough to greet guests on Halloween, fill your entire front yard, like the family at left did, with tens of moaning faces sitting on a bed of hay. Then cue the spooky haunted house music.