5 Not-So-Halloween Party Themes for the ‘Big Kids’

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Emma Rae Curtis

Aaaaahhhh, Halloween.  The crisp autumn air, the orange glow of the trees, corn mazes, jack-o-lanterns and children running around the neighborhood, with their costumes over bulky jackets, collecting a bagful of candy.  But everyone knows that Halloween isn’t just for the kiddos, right?  If you’re looking for a fun, not-so-Halloween party theme for the adults, why not try one of these alternatives.
Literary Night
Tailor your party around a specific book, literary time period or author to keep everyone on the same page (pun intended!).  Invitations can be designed as library cards, scrolls or the cover art of a specific book.  If you want to add some traditional Halloween elements, tie a spider or other creepy crawler to the string holding a scroll invitation together or design the library card invitation specifically for a fictional spooky, haunted town. Snacks, decorations and activities can include anything that enhances the particular literary subject of your party.  

Get creative!  Think of the time period or general theme of the book and branch out from there.  For instance, if you choose “The Great Gatsby”, think gangsters, flappers and the roaring 20s.  Serve mint juleps or fill up a tub with ice and have several drink options chilling for guests. Serve foods such as finger sandwiches, bon-bons and other bite-sized morsels.  To entertain guests, play poker, Mahjongg, or have a dance marathon.
Toga Party
Think ancient Greece, ivy wreaths, white sheets and gilded accessories.  Parchment invitations can be rolled into scrolls and tied with silk grass strands found at most fabric and craft stores.   Decorate with white and gold streamers and balloons and drape plastic grape vines and silk ivy garland around the room.

If you’re lucky enough to have warm weather around Halloween, have the party outside using the same decorations for the deck or patio.  For refreshments, serve grapes (of course!) and other in season fruits or vegetables, sliced baguettes with cheese and salami, walnuts, assorted chocolate candies and wine or grape juice. Games can include bobbing for apples and a toga costume contest with categories such as most authentic, best Greek god or goddess, best accessories, best college frat toga, etc.
Masquerade Ball
A masquerade ball is an event in which guests come dressed in costume and wearing a mask.  Costume and decoration themes can revolve around a Renaissance or Victorian theme with long hooped-skirt gowns and powdered wigs.  Or, if you prefer a more laid-back approach, have guests come dressed in the costume of their choice or put a spin on things with your own masquerade theme.

The only catch is that everyone needs to be wearing a mask.  If you go the more traditional Victorian route, you can serve snacks such as canapés and champagne or have fun with your own theme.  Decorations for this type of party can include masks hung on the walls, streamers and balloons.  For entertainment, include a costume contest, charades or a guessing game of who’s who.

Decade Party
For this category, no decade is off limits.  Do you and your friends have a favorite time period?  Is it the retro 60’s, the totally awesome 80’s or the post-war 40’s?  Whatever decade you choose, doing a little research will help you come up with decoration ideas, snacks and even games to play.  Be creative and immerse yourself in the past!

Celebrity/Oscar Night
Send out invitations to all of your oscar nominee guests in white envelopes sealed with gold sticker seals.  Have everyone come dressed as their favorite actor or actress, living or deceased.  Decorate with draped red velvet and gold cord around the room or red and gold balloons and streamers.  Hand out ‘Oscars’ to the best costumes in several different categories and play charades or have guests act out a scene from one of their celebrity’s movies.  For refreshments, serve champagne or sparkling cider and finger foods.

Remember, parties are always better when you incorporate your own sense of creativity and style.  Use the above ideas as a launching pad for your own creative muse to inspire your next Halloween party.  Happy Haunting!

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

Posted in Halloween Costumes For Men, Halloween Costumes For Women, Halloween makeup and accessories, Halloween Party Planning, Holiday Costumes | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Whooo Chose Owls for Halloween, Anyway?

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Emma Rae Curtis

Most recognized common iconic symbols to use for celebrating holidays; red-suited Santa’s for Christmas, fuzzy bunnies with brightly decorated eggs can only mean one thing, Easter! (though I still think eggs and bunnies are odd pairing) and the ever popular bright orange pumpkin for Halloween.  But what about those other symbols for All Hallow’s Eve; black cats, ghoulish monsters, ghosts and owls.

One of my all-time favorite of animals are owls.  By learning a little about its historical and legendary significances, you will understand why the feathered little creatures have been tied to the holiday of Halloween, and besides that, owl costumes are great for kids. 

Owls are thought to possess mystical powers, in ancient Greece, Athena’s (the Goddess of Wisdom) favorite creature was an owl, it lived in the temple where it was revered and protected.  Because of its elevated status, the owl has been associated with the power of wisdom, hence the phrase, “Wise as an owl”.  On the flip side, the Roman’s feared the owl and when some unlucky soul heard the owl’s hoot, it was interpreted as a harbinger of death and doom.

They even believed that witches took the form of an owl and would seek out babies to find and suck the blood out of.  When Rome moved west they took a lot of their superstitions with them and for the hapless owl, their beliefs doomed their very existence.  In parts of England, it was considered bad luck to see an owl, worse to hear it.  

They thought of birds as evil, and if an owl flew into your house, you were to kill it immediately before it flew out, taking all the home’s luck with it.  It is interesting to note though, that in areas not conquered by the Romans, like Scotland and Northern England, the owl was actually taken as a sign of good luck, especially if it did fly into your home.

But where the owl became entwined with Halloween lore was its association with the bat.  Owls often hunt bats as prey, and since bats have been maligned throughout history as loathsome, blood-sucking creatures, well, you can guess how the owl got its bad rap.

Regardless of the owl’s past, they are still wonderful creatures to happen to come upon and unlike those who follow English and Roman mythology, it I am lucky enough to hear an owl’s hoot, I always glad to have heard it. 

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Why Trick-or-treating is a Rite of Passage

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Emma Rae Curtis

As soon as your little one is born, you eagerly await each and every holiday: Fourth of July and Labor Day pass with new-kid excitement. When that very first Halloween looms on the calendar you count down the days, giddy with anticipation.   You the doting parent, immediately find the cutest infant costume, like a pumpkin suitto zip them up in.  They can’t walk, they’re babies, but they can still celebrate in costume and stroller.  You’re thinking: just wait until next year, then we’ll really be able to trick-or-treat.

Another year comes and goes, and October arrives with its tell-tale signs; autumnal scents of fermenting leaves, cool, clear blue skies, pumpkins and another opportunity for your little one to really trick-or-treat.  Last year, you walked throughout the neighborhood armed with your pumpkin-ed cutie.  Not this year, your little bundle of joy is walking on their own.  It’s getting dark, you know what that means; soon you and your pumpkin (yep, it’s another pumpkin suit, but it’s a 2T, not the six month from the previous year) will be hitting the streets.

She’s excited, well sort of, it’s hard to tell with a one year old, but when you arrive at your neighbor’s house for your first “trick or treat”, you end chasing her down and scooping her up out of their kitchen where she ran off to as soon as they opened the door.  Well, maybe next year you think.  Next year will be better.

Yes, there is a small window of what I call, “the official trick-or-treating epoch.”  It starts at age of five and runs all the way through 12 years old.  Now, I’m not saying you can’t go door to door donned in blood, guts and wigs at age 15.  Trust me, my older teens show no signs of slowing down.  What I mean is that magical time of childhood lies within those seven years.  By age five, they’ve got the spooky holiday pretty well figured out.

They’ve been making nothing but construction paper pumpkin and witch projects at kindergarten, at snack time they snack on orange and black cookies and really got to help mom carve the jack-o-lantern, that they picked out at the local pumpkin patch.  The subsequent years then fall into pretty predictable phases, some children trick-or-treat in their usual attire, witch suits start tiny and grow to adult sizes and still others want to be something very different and sometimes, very extreme, each year.

By the time they’ve reached those tween years they’ve outgrown mom and dad’s company.  As a matter of fact, you are sort of persona non-grata at this point.  They’ve traded your company for those of like ages, don’t take it personally, your little ones are gaining their independence, wanting to branch off and do their own thing.

If you’re still feeling a little uncomfortable about allowing your gaggle of twelve year olds to run around the night, unchaperoned, then just do like I do; grab a costume and follow behind them.  Don’t forget, luck is with you tonight, everyone is wearing masks and disguises.  You just hope they won’t recognize you in your Hunchback of Notre Dame costume.  If fortune smiles, no one noticed you lagging two houses behind them.  Now you wonder if you could use it when you’re tailing them in the mall.

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

 

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Traveling for Halloween? Check out These Spooky Sites

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Emma Rae Curtis

The city of New Orleans has the famous reputation for being America’s most haunted city and with good reason.  Long before Europeans settlers stepped foot on the marshy landscape, the area was used by the local indians as a burial site.

Because of its swampy location and sometimes unearthly smells,(don’t forget it’s actually below sea-level) it was very unappealing for wealthy Parisians, but it was conducive as a good trade route so the King of France sent off prisoners to build the city.

This was no vacation for these condemned men; the lands were full of quicksand, alligators, mosquitoes, and many venomous snakes.  So you can imagine what living in a city built by murderers, thieves, thugs and other miscreants must have been like.  But that is not even the worst of it, (be sure to show up in costume, I recommend an Imperial Storm Trooper costume, but, I’m partial, of course.) 

  • The Haunted Mansion – this story is one of the worst blights cast upon high society French Quarters.  A physician and his social climbing wife built one of the most pretentious mansions money could buy.  But secretly hidden behind its stucco walls was an existence that defied even the worst nightmare.  Read more about this hauntingly true account of torture and sadism right under high society noses.
  • Alternatives Living Costume Ball and Benefit – Dinner, dancing and costume contests await you on the Creole Queen Paddleboat.  Cruise around the city in full disguise.
  • Endless Night Vampire Ball held at the Legendary House of Blues – another spooky venue to dress up and celebrate Halloween with a hundred of your best vampire friends.
  • Take a Haunted History Tour – just walk the streets of old New Orleans with your trusty tour guide.  They’ll share all kinds of sordid and haunted history with you.

Make flights and reservations early.  Space and tickets are limited.

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

Posted in General Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Halloween Party Planning, Holiday Costumes, Spook Alley | Leave a comment

Hosting An Olde Fashioned Halloween Party

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Emma Rae Curtis

I’m always looking for new ways to celebrate my favorite holiday.  One idea I’ve thought about goes back to Halloween’s earliest roots, and throwing a party that celebrates Halloweens of the past.

Most people probably envision vintage halloween celebrations that probably fit with my own: bobbing for apples, corn mazes, hayrides and one of my personal favorites: costume parades and trick-or-treating.

But what about some lesser-known games, let’s take a look at a few of those fun and old-fashioned ideas:


  • Apple seed fortune telling: this will be fun to try after eating those apples you bobbed and dunked your head around for.  Place one seed on each eyelid.  One is for ‘home’ the other is ‘travel’.  The one that stays on longer will decide your fate.
  • Chestnut lover’s test: A young lady and a young man place one chestnut a piece on a fire log, if one of the chestnuts bursts it indicates that the owner has a fretful temper, if both burst they are doomed to a lifetime of strife.  However, if they sit, side by side and sizzle pleasantly, well then, it’s a match made in heaven.
  • Putting together the witch’s cat: Similar to ‘pin the tail on the donkey’, simply cut out a large cardboard black cut into as many pieces as you have players (it’s ideal to try to make two teams for this game) each person is given a ‘piece’ of the cat and take turns blindfolded to pin their piece on a wall.  Whichever team reassembles the cat the best–wins!
  • Creepy Invitations:  How would you like to find a skeleton hand on your front door? Imagine a man dressed in skeleton costume delivering your invitations to your Halloween party! Well, most of us might be a bit creeped out, but that is what people of the 1940’s did. After a dull thud at the door, the occupants would be surprised to find no one there, save for a bunch of bones.  And an invitation to a ghoulish fete.
  • Skeleton Costume Emma Rae Curtis

Yes, Halloween is one of those holidays that seems to carry its charm and intrigue through the ages.  I’m glad we can still enjoy the traditions of yesteryear and and add some of our own personal touches as well.

 

 

 

 

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

Posted in General Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Halloween Craft Ideas, halloween crafts for kids, Halloween makeup and accessories, Halloween party invitation ideas, Halloween Party Planning, Holiday Costumes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The History of Halloween: Old Halloween Traditions

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Emma Rae Curtis

Today, we all know Halloween as the “scary” holiday that rolls around every year on the last day of October. All the kids dress up in innocent costumes and go around trick-or-treating while the adults dress up in sexy costumes and attend parties that are more like regular parties with everyone dressed up in costumes than actual Halloween themed parties. But you might wonder what traditions before today’s traditions were like? Well I wondered the same thing and did some research. Here’s what I found.

As I featured in the History of Halloween post, Halloween can be traced back to the Roman Catholics who celebrated All Hallows Eve (or Hallowmas), the day before All Saints Day celebrated on November 1 or back to the Celts who celebrated Samhain, when souls of the dead would return to the earth for one night a year.

Sexy Classic Halloween Costumes

According to the book “The Halloween Handbook” by Ed Morrow, in England during All Souls Day (or All Hallows Eve), a tradition similar to trick-or-treating existed; poor people would go door to do searching for soul cakes, which were sweet buns with currants in exchange for prayers for the household’s dead relatives.
Obviously Halloween wasn’t a widespread holiday in America until hoards of European immigrants began to spread across the country. Thanks to the Irish moving over due to the Irish Potato Famine, we have the tradition of the Jack-o-Lantern. As America moved into the 19th century, pranks were a popular tradition for Halloween; greasing doorknobs and jamming doorbells were some favorites.

Unlike today, most of these pranks were tolerated. Another tradition that was popular but isn’t discussed much was portrayed in the 1944 film “Meet Me in St. Louis”, which takes place in 1903. A young child would try to seek revenge on a grumpy old man from the neighborhood by ringing the doorbell and throwing flour in the face of said grump. Often bonfires were built in celebration and masks were expected for most children, even if not in costume.

Witch and Cauldron

Many games telling fortunes were popular among young adults; if a young woman peeled an apple and threw the peel behind her back, the peel would shape into the first letter of her future husband, and it was believed that if an unmarried woman sat in front of a mirror in a dark room, the face of her future husband would appear. If a skull appeared, then she was doomed to die unmarried.
It wasn’t until the 1920s that Halloween became much more of a children’s holiday. This was partially due to the fact that the harmless pranks of the previous decades were quickly escalating into vandalism and true damage. By the 1930s, the media began to spread the idea of trick-or-treating in the place of the traditional pranks.

In order to get more candy than usual, some children would perform some sort of bit of show biz, such as singing a song, dancing or reciting poetry, hence the “trick” part of trick-or-treat. It also wasn’t until the 1930s that costumes were advertised and expected from trick-or-treaters. This tradition has obviously escalated into what we know today.
Halloween has a very long and somewhat obscured history. There are different accounts of what Halloween traditions happened where and what kinds of activities were common.

This was the best information that I could come up with and I believe for the most part that it is all true. Even if it’s not, it’s probably not too far off from the truth, giving Halloween a very interesting history behind it.

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

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Fun Facts About Costumes

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Emma Rae Curtis

Halloween has turned out to be one of the most commercial holidays of the entire year, perhaps only behind Christmas and possibly Easter. The intrinsic value which was once so important to the Europeans has been call but lost on us Americans. In fact, I would wager that 90 percent of those who celebrate Halloween have no idea why they do it.

Unfortunately, like most other holidays celebrated, it’s an excuse to have a good time rather than an actual celebration. Despite this, Halloween is one of the most fun holidays to celebrate. The candy, thrills, and costumes are what make it all exciting to us. Costumes, especially costumes for children, are probably the one thing that we stress about as Halloween approaches each year. Browsing the web recently, I’ve found out some very interesting things about costumes. Let me impart to you some of my newfound knowledge.

Some of the first known evidence of costumes was that they were used by the Celts back when they celebrated the holiday Samhain (celebrated on November 1), when spirits supposedly walked the Earth. In order to confuse the spirits or perhaps to avoid being possessed, the Celts would wear costumes, most likely animal skins. They would also wear costumes or blacken their faces to try to emulate their dead ancestors.

While there is still evidence of costumes after that, the real first push of mainstream costumes in America did not happen until the 1930s, when some of the first mass produced costumes were put on the market. Since then, costumes have been the most integral part of the modern Halloween celebration.

According to a poll conducted by the U.S. National Retail Federation in 2008 (as reported by National Geographic News), the U.S. Halloween spending reached about 5.7 million dollars.  The average person will spend an average of $24.17 on costumes alone out of the $66 per person spent each Halloween.

In 2008, classic costumes still ruled the roost, with about 14 percent of 52 million adults planning to dress up as a witch/warlock. 10 percent of children (though I would assume they mean mostly girls) were going to dress up as a princess, and in fact, the only two of the five most popular costumes were pop culture references, with 3.7 percent planning to dress up as Hannah Montana and 3.5 percent planning to dress up as Spiderman.

The amount of time that goes into the costume each year is probably the most time spent on the holiday and there have certainly been some creative costumes make an appearance. I know I’ve gained an appreciation for the tradition of Halloween costumes and I hope you have too, so maybe Halloween will have a little bit of purpose behind it instead of just being another day to celebrate for no reason.

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

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Ghost stories, History and Traditions

Posted on August 8, 2012 by Emma Rae Curtis

Ghost stories remind us to be leery of what lurks in the dark.

What is it about ghost stories that stirs our imaginations, causes our flesh to raise and pimple and our hair to stand on end?

Even those that hate that feeling of terror, still seem to be fascinated with tales of otherworldly happenings or the idea of something is just ‘not right’.  

What could possibly be the cause of those mysterious thumps in the middle of the night?  Unseen footsteps creaking down the staircase, shadows that flicker so quickly, we can’t really be sure we saw something, and yet, what if?

Oddly enough, the tradition of ghost stories was generally told around a cozy fire on Christmas Eve.  Nowadays, one wouldn’t think of ‘ghosts’ and Christmas coinciding with each other, but in Victorian times it was an integral part of celebrating the holiday.

Who among us has not heard of Dicken’s popular story from “A Christmas Carol” when the crotchety Ebeneezer Scrooge was visited by a trio of ghosts.  His tale remains popular today as a reminder that we can always change our ways and most importantly, listen to the ghost of ‘Yet to come’.

As in most ghost stories of this era, there always appeared to include some sort of moral

ending.  Don’t be greedy, be kind to strangers….that sort of thing. Of course, the fact that Christmas happens to fall in the dead of winter, when homes were often snowed in, didn’t hurt the appeal.

Where nights were long and days short, no wonder stories would be a rather appropriate way to while away the time.  Many owners of old English taverns still boast of ‘ghostly’ knocks on the door come Christmas Eve and of course, no one is there to be greeted when the door is opened.  Perhaps a visitor from a time in the distant past has come to revive the tradition of ghost stories.

Ghost stories really scare me. I have such a big imagination that after I watch a horror movie like 'The Grudge', I look in the corners of my room for the next two days. Vanessa Hudgens

Though this tradition has been replaced by Christmas carols, parties and frantic parents attempting to assemble a hundred pieces of metal and screws in some form of a bicycle come early morning, the art of telling stories hasn’t been lost forever. Although these days, we’ve added the touch of having our storytellers sometimes dress up in a creepy ghost costume.

For those of us who still enjoy the night air and a good campfire, why it seems a good ghost story is bound to come out.  Thank goodness we are still easily scared, or this historical pastime might become as elusive as spirits themselves.
Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

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Very Easy DIY Halloween for the Crafting Impaired

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Emma Rae Curtis

Lots of folks out there love the vibe from an expertly decorated home during the fall season, but, many of us just aren’t that crafty. If you don’t decorate your home for Halloween anymore because you aren’t handy with the power tools, or oh, maybe because your kids are grown and gone now…hmmm. Ah! You over there, are you saying you aren’t crafty enough? Well I’m going to argue that every year that your grandkids come to trick-or-treat at your house and you don’t have any decorations up, it says that maybe you have given up on holiday fun. But, fear not!  I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve yet!

Here are some very easy decorative ideas that  would take you an afternoon to put together, if that. Invite the kids over to help you out! They would have a blast while you teach them how to make things of their own. Have enough stuff on hand so that they can take a little souvenir with them.

Nylon Pumpkins

Covering pumpkins with different designed nylons. This runs you the cost of the nylons and the pumpkin (whether you use a real one or a used one is up to you). You won’t have to make them again next year if you use plastic ones. If you want to paint the stem to add to the cohesiveness of it, grab a small bottle of acrylic paint at the craft store. Simply stretch the nylon over the pumpkin to make the pattern visible, cut a small hole to stretch over the stem and then tie it at the bottom where no one will see it. Stack your pumpkins of different colors and sizes and patterns of nylons for a very classy effect!

Mason Jar Lanterns

Light your walkway up with mason jar lanterns. You can frost them to soften the light or leave them clear for maximum light or lace them with spider webs for creepiness. Little pint sized jars are inexpensive to buy in the store or they can be found for even less at most thrift shops.

Mason Jar Lanterns

Mason Jar Lanterns light up your walkway on Halloween. Photo via happyroostblog.com

Pick up what you think you will need, buying them used gives you the opportunity to mix them up and buy different sizes, colors or textures of glass. Set them outside where you want them to light up the night and pop in battery operated tea lights for lighting. You are done! If you want the frosted look, slip sheets of waxed paper in them. Or put the stringy web material you buy at the store in them and place the tea light so you can get to it. For additional effect, wind some wire around the mouth to make a handle on a few of them and hang them in the trees.

Black Feather Wreaths 

Halloween decor

Black Feather Wreaths photo via sweetfunkyvintage.blogspot.com

Don’t neglect your front door. This is where everyone will congregate on Halloween night for their share of your candy stash. Making a wreath of black feathers is a wonderfully spooky addition to your house’s decor and it is very easy to make. Start with any wreath form. That means if you have an old one lying around, use it. It can be foam, straw or grapevine. The choice of covering is up to you, so make it your signature.Some people cover theirs in thick, black ribbon first to make it all black. You will need three or four feather boas from the craft store that you will carefully wind around the form very tightly so nothing shows through. Use a glue gun to occasionally tack it down and keep it in place. Snip the end, glue it as well, and you are done! If you so desire, a few inexpensive crows add to the atmosphere.

Now you have some great ways to spruce up your home that won’t break your back or your budget. There you are…a few simple decorating tips so you can avoid being the Halloween scrooge. Just don’t be that one house on the block that when the boys and girls in costume show up, never does anything but hands out the toothbrushes and toothpaste in lieu of candy, please?

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

Posted in Extreme Halloween house decorations, General Halloween, Holiday Crafts | Leave a comment

Guest Post: The Quintessential Halloween Movie, According to My Granddaughter Jen

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Emma Rae Curtis

My granddaughter has been begging me for months and months to guest post on this blog…and for months and months I’ve resisted it. Having her guest post honestly makes me a little nervous even though I’m not sure why…it’s not that I don’t trust her judgment.

I should…after all, she is in college. But finally, after months of begging, I agreed and told her to email me something, anything that had to do with Halloween. After weeks of having told her that, I breathed a sigh of relief having not received anything from her. However, yesterday, much to my disillusionment, I received an email that was so hilarious that I can’t help but share it now.

Congratulations, Jen, you finally made it on the blog!

Guest Post from Emma Rae’s Granddaughter, Jen

Hey Grandma, here’s the post I wrote for ya!
So you’re sitting around the apartment come Halloween time and you’re bored. All the school activities totally suck so you decide to get a few friends together to watch a movie.

The biggest problem is what movie to watch. Of course, you always have those weenies who are too chicken to watch “A Haunting in Connecticut” or even “The Ring”, which I don’t even understand because they’re not even scary, but whatever. Besides that, what other movies are there to watch around Halloween?

Well, my boyfriend brought up one about a year ago that I haven’t seen since I was about 14—”Hocus Pocus.”
Hocus Pocus is probably the best Halloween movie ever created. Ever. I mean, you’ve got a talking cat, a witch flying around on a vacuum in her fancy witch costume and a zombie with his mouth sewn shut. Hello…genius! Never mind that this movie is as old as I am. Its hilariousness will live forever, just like the Sanderson Sisters wish they could.

Max, of Hocus Pocus

For those of you who’ve never seen it (which, if you haven’t, I’m not sure why), let me give you one of those fast forward rundowns a la “Easy A”.

Max Dennison and his family move to a new town and in order to impress the girl he thinks is cute.  On Halloween, he brings the Sanderson Sisters back to life, the by-product of a 300-year-old curse. With the help of a talking cat (Binx), Max, Allison (his crush) and his sister, Dani must stop the evil witch sisters from sucking the lives out of children and becoming immortal.

The movie stars Bette Midler, who I think was (is?) a singer who sings in Vegas a lot, a young Sarah Jessica Parker (yeah, “Sex and the City” Sarah Jessica Parker) and Kathy Najimy, who hasn’t been in anything noteworthy since, (or at least not anything I’ve seen). The bewitching trio play Winifred, Sarah and Mary Sanderson, respectively, and their only goal in their second life is to be immortal.

The humor in this movie is unparalleled. I think it’s probably one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, even when you’re a kid. And then when you get older and can understand the sexual innuendoes that they managed to sneak in there, it is a riot! The only possibly sketchy part is Sarah Jessica Parker’s dance while singing to the children. That’s what my boyfriend called it anyway. You all know exactly what I’m talking about.

Other than the questionable magical lullaby a.k.a. boob dance, I would definitely classify this movie as apropo and fantastic for all ages. While the younger kids might not understand all of it fully (and definitely won’t get all of the humor), the visual stimulation is enough to keep them entertained. And if you’re an adult and don’t enjoy “Hocus Pocus”, I feel sorry for you. I really do. You must have a really lame sense of humor. But that’s all I’m saying.
Basically, see “Hocus Pocus.” Every year. At Halloween. You will never regret it, I promise you that. I know I’ve never regretted it once, and for three years straight, that’s the only movie that we’ve watched on Halloween. I might have all of the words memorized but it never gets old.
Thanks Grandma. Love ya!
Jen

Ah, Jen, my dearest granddaughter…she’s got such a great sense of humor. Well, I guess I learned that “apropo” is teenager slang for the word “appropriate”. I don’t think I can even make a decent follow up comment to this, so I’ll leave it at that… but, on the other hand… I also learned that we elderly shouldn’t mess with any Disney cultural icons, ever, no matter how badly made or written, and “Hocus Pocus” is no exception. For those of you who don’t mind throwing away a few hours you’ll never get back, go watch Jen’s movie recommendation.

For the rest of you who’d like to watch a classic Halloween flick that has the potential to creep you out a bit, wait until you are home alone some night, turn off all of the lights, turn the volume up high and the cell phone off, then go watch Audrey Hepburn’s “Wait Until Dark.”

This old lady dares you.

Emma Rae Curtis is a costume/dressing up/makeup & accessories expert. She mainly writes about Halloween but also about all things costume and dress-up related.

Her granddaughter, Jen, guest posts here, much to Emma Rae’s chagrin. (SJP dance? Good Grief!)

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