After losing his job at a printing company due to down-sizing, Peltier said he was encouraged by his wife Judy to turn his childhood passion for Creature Features and haunted houses into a business.

"My wife told me to do this," he laughed. "She said, 'you whip out pumpkins easily, why not make masks?"

Peltier recalls his first childhood creation, a werewolf he made for a school Halloween contest when he was 10. "Lon Cheney was my favorite," he said. To make the hair for his werewolf authentic-looking, Peltier turned to man's best friend -- the family's miniature poodle. These days, Peltier's dogs are safe from his imagination, though no one else is!

For years, Peltier has loved to decorate his home for Halloween, and even had a how-to Web site for like-minded spirits. Now, through his new business, started this fall, horror-lovers everywhere can own his unique art.

Peltier's masks and props are all hand-made, some taking as many as 40 hours to complete. To date, Peltier estimates he's created 80 pieces, many going to friends and family.

Peltier, who is working on a degree in graphic design at the College of Lake County, said he enjoys working in a creative medium where anything you imagine is possible.

"If you can envision it as an artist, you can do it," he said.

Visit www.tomsnightterrors.com to view and purchase Peltier's ghoulish creations.