Oline Cogdill

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I love the cooking competition shows, especially Bravo’s Top Chef and the Food Network’s The Next Food Network Star.

But I have never seen the Food Network’s Halloween Wars in which teams compete to make the most ghoulish concoctions. But I will tonight because of its special guest judge.

Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse vampire series, will be the guest judge. Tonight’s theme is “When Swamp Creatures Attack.”

Surely, there has to be a vampire in there somewhere.

Halloween Wars airs tonight, Oct. 20, at 9 p.m. on the Food Network. If you miss it, there are often encore broadcasts and it is available On Demand.

The creations the teams come up with are very interesting and, while, the displays are made of food, not everything is edible. Even if these were edible, I am not sure I could eat some of these scary displays.

The teams are competing for about $50,000 in prizes. That’s a frightening amount of money.

Previous judges have been Tony Todd, who played the title role of the 1992 movie Candyman, and “scream queen” Daniele Harris, an actress who has appeared in the Hatchet films and will be in the Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D to be released in 2014.

The affable Harris, who is one of the most charming authors I have met, will certainly sink her teeth into her role as judge.

"I could never have pictured the ripple effect of the success of the Sookie books. I've had so many opportunities and experiences that never would have come my way," said Harris in an email.

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