Thanks to a Prime Day deal, I just bought a new mini projector so I can keep using my favorite Halloween decoration

Jack-O'-Lantern Jamboree shown on pumpkins.

I can make animated faces appear on my pumpkins with the help of a mini projector. (Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)

I'm a huge Halloween fan who likes to go all out decorating my yard each year. While I have several fun spooky decorations, my favorite are my three animated pumpkins — they sing and they tell stories as trick-or-treaters go by. Their animated expressions look really good, and kids often stop to listen to their playful banter.

To pull off this fun illusion, I position three pumpkins on my porch and then hide a mini projector nearby. It shines the face animations (provided by AtmosFX) onto them. If you'd like to do this same trick, you should grab a mini projector that's on sale for Prime Day, such as this highly-rated one that's only $49.97 at Amazon.

It was time I replaced my old mini projector, so I just bought it myself since it was at such a good price.

CLOKOWE Mini Projector | was $89.99 now $49.97 at Amazon

In order to pull of this awesome Halloween illusion, you just need a small projector like this one. There are controls on top to make it easy to navigate menus and you can use the USB-A port or HDMI port to connect and display imagery from other devices like your laptop or an Xbox console.

👀See at: Amazon

✅Perfect for: Anyone on a budget who wants a small 1080p projector. It's small size and picture quality also make it great for projecting Halloween imagery.

❌Avoid if: You specifically want a projector with Wi-Fi or a projector that has a remote.

🤔Why Amazon Prime? This deal is an Amazon Prime membership exclusive, but with that you're also getting free, fast shipping on millions of items, exclusive discounts all year round, and tons of extra perks like movie, TV, and music streaming, eBooks, and much more. You can sign-up for Amazon Prime with a 30-day trial for free at Amazon.

Vankyo Leisure 470 Projector w/ Roku Express | was $169.99 now $125.00 at Walmart

If you want a slightly nicer projector, then I recommend you go with this Vankyo one. It's a great value buy since it comes bundled with a Roku Express to help you stream movies and shows more easily with the projector. Of course, you can also use it to project from your Xbox Series X|S console with one of its two HDMI ports once Halloween is over.

👀See at: Walmart

✅Perfect for: Streaming shows and videos in 1080p.

❌Avoid if: You want something with even higher resolution.

💰 Alternate deal: $139.99 at Best Buy (comes with carrying case but no Roku Express)

Epson Home Cinema | was $2,999.99 now $2,399.99 at Best Buy

Now, if you want a really nice quality projector, then you should go with this 4K Epson Home Cinema. It has far more ports than the other options and supports HDR, too. Shows, video games, and movies will all look really nice coming from this device.

👀See at: Best Buy | Amazon

✅Perfect for: Anyone who wants a 4K HDR projector for beautifully colorful imagery.

❌Avoid if: You specifically want something with Wi-Fi.

💰 Price check: $2,999.99 at Walmart

Shop all of Amazon's October Prime Day deals

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A decoration that entertains and impresses

AtmosFX Jack O' Lantern Jamboree 4 Digital Decoration Collection Trailer - YouTube

Watch On

In case you were wondering, AtmosFX is the company that produces the Jack-O'-Lantern Jamboree animations. I personally own their first collection, but they have since released three more, so you can give your own pumpkins a larger repertoire of content if desired. Just make sure you have a good projector to pull off the effect. Of course, these Jack-O'-Lantern Jamboree animations can also just be projected onto your garage or wall if that fits your Halloween desires better.

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(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Windows Central)

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There are a few reasons why I chose to buy the CLOKOWE Mini Projector over all of the other mini projectors that are discounted for Prime Day. First off, it has a small shape (6.74 x 5.28 x 2.96 inches) that I can hide in a pumpkin bucket (with a hole cut in it) so it doesn't distract from my other decorations.

Secondly, this projector supplies the ports I need between the HDMI port and the USB-A port. I have a thumb drive with the animations on it that I can just plug in. Overall, the projector's 1080 resolution and 9,000 LUX also appeal to me, since this should help the faces show up very vibrantly and crisply on my pumpkins.

Finally, having physical buttons on the projector helps me make quick tweaks or navigate through the projector menu. I also don't have to worry about losing a separate remote because those controls are built-in.

Whatever you decide to do this spooky season, I hope you have a fun time decorating for Halloween this year. I know I'm always excited to put my pumpkins out for my neighbors to enjoy and I'm sure this new projector will help with that.

Do I need an Amazon Prime membership for these deals?

You'll need an Amazon Prime membership for any Amazon deals marked with the red "Prime Big Deal" tag (Amazon's offered free trial counts) on their store page, but not for any other discounts visible on the seller's website. None of the deals from other retailers listed here require other kinds of memberships, either, though you can get benefits like free shipping with Walmart Plus, Target Circle, My Best Buy, and the like.

When does October Prime Day end?

Amazon's October Prime Day will last until 11:59 p.m. PT on October 9, at which point the event will officially conclude.

How long will these deals last?

While it's likely that many of the Amazon-specific "Prime Big Deals" will go offline when October Prime Day itself does, several of them might remain available for a period of time after the event's conclusion. The same is true for discounts on other storefronts, so keep that in mind (though I don't recommend banking on stragglers sticking around).

More Prime Day deals and anti-Prime Day deals

We at Windows Central are scouring the internet for the best Prime Day deals and anti-Prime Day deals, but there are plenty more discounts going on now. Here's where to find more savings: