Realistic Looking Mint Blood

2/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup water
5 tablespoons corn starch
3 to 5 teaspoons red food coloring
2 to 3 drops green food coloring
1 drop of peppermint extract, if desired

Mix the cornstarch thoroughly with water. Add the Corn Syrup. Mix well. Add red food coloring into the mixture, using only 3 tsp. at first. Then add a couple drops of green food coloring to take the 'pink' edge off the red coloring. If the mixture is too light, add one or two teaspoons more red food coloring. Add an extra drop of green food coloring if the mixture gets too pink again (Real blood is slightly on the dark red to reddish brown side, when it is not fresh from the heart). Add one drop of peppermint extract if you wish a fresh minty blood mixture. The concoction tastes quite pleasant, and can be used as makeup or a "glass of wine" for your vampire to drink.

Clear Blood for Wine Glasses

1/2 cup grenadine syrup
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 to 3 drops green food coloring

Mix the grenadine and corn syrup through each other. Add green food coloring one drop at a time mixing thoroughly after each, until the 'pink' edge has been taken off the mixture. Pour into a wineglass, and swirl. The concoction looks very good under bright light, and moves with the viscosity of thick blood. If you plan to drink it, though, I recommend you cut it in half with water.

Chocolate Blood

1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
3 or 4 tablespoons corn syrup
1/2 to 1 teaspoon red food coloring
2 drops yellow or green food coloring (optional)

Mix the cocoa powder thoroughly into the water before adding the other ingredients - it may help to use warm water. After adding the rest, blend concoction well, and then wait for it to settle a bit. Either skin the bubbles and chocolate scum off the top with the edge of a Kleenex, or pour the mixture into another container. The longer it sits the more the cocoa tends to settle at the bottom, which oddly mimics the effect of real blood separating.

Gore Blood

2/3 cup Oriental 'Cherry' Dipping Sauce
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring
2 or 3 drops green food coloring

Mix the Cherry dipping sauce with water, thoroughly enough to thin down the sauce into a gooey consistency. Add food coloring. Stir again, and let the sauce sit, preferably in a fridge. When needed take it out and spoon it onto areas where 'gore' effect blood is needed. The blood will drip in globs & gloss, but doesn't puddle out like watery blood does.

Directions are simple: follow the instructions on the side of the gelatin package, but double or quadruple the amount of water needed , and don't add any sugar. Doubling the water gives you a very slimy, gloopy gelatin which doesn't look a lot like blood ,but can be fun to get kids to stick their hands into at Halloween parties. If you use 5 gallons of water, you're going to have quite a thin runny blood, great for pouring over bloodied bodies in bathtubs or splashing on walls.