If your house is haunted, give us a scream. We're looking for Pittsburgh's scariest real haunted houses to feature in the Post-Gazette.

Send a description of the spirit activity in your home by Oct. 20 to: gmckay@post-gazette.com or Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh 15222.

Wednesday is the deadline to submit your original horror clip. It must not exceed 2 minutes. One lucky contestant will appear on the "It's Alive Show," which will air the winning film.

The shorts must adhere to PG or PG-13 standards.

Persons under age 18 must have consent from a parent or legal guardian to participate. Contestants also must have permission of all subjects appearing within video.

For details, rules and submission requirements go to www.post-gazette.com/ScaryShorts. Online entries only. Sorry, no exceptions.

Friday is the deadline for the Post-Gazette's Halloween Costume Contest, in which we've challenged readers to create costumes using the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and other household items.

Costumes will be judged on originality and most creative use of the newspaper.

There's a category for those 12 and under, with the winner receiving a $25 gift card of his or her choice and free Halloween DVDs.

An overall winner will receive a $50 gas card and free horror DVDs. Both winners may be featured in the Post-Gazette Magazine section on Halloween.

E-mail your photos to vlinn@post-gazette.com by Friday with HALLOWEENCONTEST in the subject line. You can also mail photos (postmarked by Oct. 17) to Virginia Linn, lifestyle editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. If you have questions, call 412-263-1662. Entries must include your name, address and daytime phone number.