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Halloween is the holiday geared towards movies

Posted Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 10:09 AM Central
Last updated Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 11:04 AM Central

by John Couture

While Bill Murray might disagree, I think that it's safe to say that if ever there was a holiday tailor-made for movies, it would be Halloween. Not only is the spooky fright fest a perfect occasion to watch scary movies, but the custom of dressing up in costumes lends itself perfectly to costumes based on favorite movies and characters.

Of course, it is a holiday that is geared both towards kids and adults, so you'll be just as likely to see as many Woodys from Toy Story 3 as you would Freddy Kruegers. But, what I enjoy are those costumes that go above and beyond the ordinary.

What I don't like is the same old re-hashed story about the top 10 scariest movies or best Halloween costumes, but I feel that I should come up with some sort story to mark the occasion. I mean, this is THE holiday for movies, right?

The only problem is that my OCD wouldn't let me focus on any one topic, so I'm just going to throw out some ideas and suggestions and let you help me flesh out the piece. Sound fair? It sure does to me.

Best Horror Movies You've Never Heard Of

I used to work in a video store back in the day and when I was asked this question I could rattle off at least a half dozen without taking a breath. Sadly, the brain slows down with age and this list escapes me right now.

Here are the few that I do remember and yes, these are mainly in the 1980s splatter genre. As an aside, this is why we need video stores. You won't come close to finding any of these at your local RedBox, but any good video store worth its salt would have a top-notch horror section.

  • Slaughterhouse - I remember the art and tagline to this day. "Buddy has an ax to grind. A big ax." Or was it Bubba? Either way, great movie.
  • Sleepaway Camp - Sure, it's a direct rip-off Friday the 13th, but chances are that you haven't seen it or its three sequels. The first two movies in particular are worth watching.
  • Nudist Colony of the Dead - OK, I cheated on this one since I've never actually seen this movie, but come on. How can a musical about nudist zombies attacking a prudish youth church group on a camping trip not be an instant classic? See the video below and you'll understand what I mean. By the way if you've seen Nudist Colony of the Dead, I'd love to know what you thought of it.

Best Movie-Based Costumes Indicative of Your Movie Tastes

While showing up at your annual Halloween bash in your own meticulously accurate and homemade storm trooper costume would be neat, I was actually thinking about inspired and unique costumes from the entire history of movies.

Of course, I'm not the most creative person, so I couldn't really think of anything all that exciting. Given that I'm a huge Kevin Smith fan, a few possibilities that immediately come to mind would be to dress up as Julie Dwyer (the woman who died mid-breast stoke from a brain aneurysm) which would require a simple bathing suit and perhaps some blood on the head to ramp up the gore factor.

For the guys, why not dress up like Walt Flanagan's dog? Of course, you would have to run around everywhere really, really fast.

Best Current Movie-Based Costume

Sure, dressing up like Rosebud the sled might win your brownie points in the old movie geek circles, it probably won't win you many friends at your local party. And let's be honest, Halloween costume parties are all about dressing up and having a good time.

So while your average bash goers might not be familiar with an obscure character from some stylistic French noir film, they would most assuredly enjoy your Avatar costume. With that in mind, here are some costume ideas that popped in my head from recent movies.

Of course, I could simply re-hash the top movies at the box office this year, but really what fun would that be? So, here are some "out of the box" ideas.

  • The Human Centipede - This costume will require the help (and resignation of any self-respect) from two of your friends. But, if executed correctly, you will surely be the talk of the party. Of course, I doubt you'll land a date for next weekend.
  • Inception - Sure, you could dress up like one of the debonair characters from the movie, but what fun is that? I say take it to the next (dream) level. Why not dress up as Mal's token, the spinning top? That way you could totally explain your take on the ending and literally show whether or not the top falls at the end.
  • The Social Network - If you look even remotely geeky and have curly hair, you could totally pull off Mark Zuckerberg from this critical darling. Of course, if you are Mark Zuckerberg you might want to stay home this Halloween or else run the risk of losing a "Mark Zuckerberg Look-a-like" contest.
  • Kick-Ass - If you're a progressive sort and have a little daughter who loves to speak the sailor's language, then perhaps the two of you could go as Hit Girl and Big Daddy. If you're a lonely bachelor and your friends won't let you take their daughter out trick-or-treating and spouting off expletives, simply make your own superhero costume and come up with a witty nickname and cool superpower. When people ask, simply tell them that you had a big part in Kick-Ass, but all of your scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.

Well, I think you get the point and hopefully you've enjoyed this little distraction. As always, we'd love to hear your suggestions and stories. Also, if you have any pictures of movie-related costumes from this year or years past, feel free to send them along.

We'll update the story and post your pics throughout the weekend.