He Did the Mash-He Did the Monster Mash

Just a few random Halloween memories....

Remember the cheesy costumes? The paper masks that fit around your head with an elastic band which would inevitably break before the night was through. And breathing through the nose holes was gross and a challenge. And don't forget the plastic one piece suits that were surely made with fire accelerant material. I was a Princess one year and Wonder Woman the next. Those are the only mask costumes I recall.

I remember my Dad inspecting my candy to avoid those razor blades in the popcorn balls. No pixie sticks allowed. Someone could open them and pour poison in them to unsuspecting trick or treaters.

I remember sorting my Halloween candy in order of preference. Chocolates were always a commodity, Reeses, Milky Ways, Snickers, Hershey bars. I hated Dum Dums and the peanut butter chews that came wrapped in orange & black paper. Candy corn I could take or leave.

I remember the year that my two friends and me dressed up as a Conehead family. We sent away for the rubber coneheads that fit over your real head and you had to stuff them full of cotton batting to get them to stand up straight. Being the abnormally tall kid, I played Daddy Conehead. The funny part of this costume was trick or treating and being bombarded by eggs from the back of a passing pick up truck. My friend, who played Mommy Conehead, was beamed right in the side of the conehead by one of those eggs. I don't think it was funny then, but it's funny now. No, wait it was funny then.

Or the year that the same friend who was egged in the conehead, dressed up as the Two-Header Monster. Her Dad came up with the brillant idea. I (again being abnormally tall) stood directly behind my friend and rested by chin on her shoulder. Then we put on the same pair of pants and shirt. It looked pretty cool, but the problem began when we attempted locomotion. We had to time our steps just right to avoid losing balance and falling over. Needless to say it didn't work out too well. By about the third house we had a little spill. I think we were walking a little too fast from one of the houses that spooked us and didn't coordinate our movements. I laughed so hard, I peed OUR pants. We ended up changing into alternate costumes after that.

I remember the year my Dad took my brother, sister, and me to the convenience store and we each got to pick out $10 worth of candy in lieu of trick or treating. He didn't have to inspect our candy that year.

Haunted Houses were the bomb!

Scary movies. "Halloween" being my all time favorite scary movie (The Shining is very close). I couldn't sleep for weeks after seeing "Halloween". I kept thinking my brother was going to murder me in my sleep like Michael Myers. I don't mind watching them all, mainly for camp value now. Halloween 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6. Are there more? I lost track. I also dig the Friday the 13th series. And Freddy Kreuger. Amityville Horror is another one that spooked me. The Omen. That tinkling piano theme from Halloween and the spooky opera moans from The Omen are the scariest pieces of music every composed. What are your favorite scary movies?

Happy Halloween, have a frightfully scary day!