'Queen of Halloween': Witches' gathering at US ambassador's 'horror' house.

MANILA -- The United States' Ambassador to the Philippines, Her Excellency MaryKay Carlson, hosted a pre-Halloween party last Saturday, proving that apart from maintaining good diplomatic relations between the US and the Philippines, she also has a good eye for decorating - and a sash in her home puts it best: she is the undisputed 'Queen of Halloween'!

Her goal for the party, Her Excellency told Philstar.com, was to keep the US' Halloween tradition alive and to share it with Filipinos.

True to the party's witches' gathering theme that asked visitors to come in all-black or witch costumes, Carlson herself welcomed Philstar.com and guests from the diplomatic community, wearing an all-black witch ensemble, accentuated with makeup she did herself with cobweb designs from an artist.

She shared with Philstar.com that it took her a long time to decorate the place with witty statues and other spooky curiosities such as antique dolls, butchered teddy bears, bejeweled skulls, ghastly pumpkins, and skeletons that seemingly tell stories in their period attire. A real Ouija board, a serial killer installation in the shower, makeshift tombstones, crime scene recreations, distorted paintings, talking decapitated heads and realistic sound effects add to the home's haunted house vibe.

Of course, after the tricks, a Halloween party would not be complete without treats! For that, a long table was decked in candles, skulls, cobwebs and a witches' cauldron overflowing with bars of imported US chocolate!

Guests feasted on cookies in quirky Halloween shapes, American staple Strawberry Shortcake, as well as international fare such as sushi in boats, and some brought in by guests like Chicken Biryani, cheese bread and of course, the Filipino barbecue...