Halloween has morphed into a gore fest that has kids as young as 6 unleashing their inner monsters in ultra-violent costumes — blood-smeared chain saws and spiked killing gloves sold separately. But some parents think that marketing characters from such movies as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Friday the 13th" to small fry is going too far.

It can be hard to find the time (and talent) to make costumes from scratch, but as TODAY producer Amanda Marshall reminds us in her latest blog post, a mom who makes her own costumes can also create lasting memories.