HALLOWEEN TOP 10: CELEBRATIVE COSTUMES

Halloween 2009

Okay, so I'm not celebrating Halloween in the sense of dressing up this year. Mostly because it's not that big of a holiday here in Sweden. And secondly, I'm working all weekend and next week so I haven't had time to set up a party, and have apparently very boring friends who are free from work but haven't bothered to arrange anything remotely festive. So this year's Hallow's eve I'll spend baking scary but tasteful cupcakes, eating good food and watch even better horror movies with my boyfriend.


I've actually only dressed up three times before for Halloween. The first time was for a really big Halloween party in church during high school (FYI; the reason why I was hanging in church for a couple of years was because I lived outside of town and the church arranged a hell lot better after school activities than the youth club in school did) when I went as Magenta in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I had long, flaming red hair back then and used to dress in not so appropriate clothing for someone my age, so Magenta seemed like the perfect choice. Safe to say I didn't have to go buy anything for the dress up; all garments used were already part of my closet, erhm.... Well, well.

Halloween 2008

The second time was a couple of years ago for a friend's combined Halloween- and birthday party to which I went as a character from And Then There Were None (1945), based on one of my favourite books by Agatha Christie And Then There Were None/Ten Little Niggers. I was so proud over the 30's headband that I'd sewn by hand, the dotted dress, the black gloves and the boa.... and no one knew who I was supposed to be, haha!

The third time was two years ago when I went to a friends house for a party. She had recently moved back to Sweden from the States and brought her American boyfriend with her, so the two of them throwing a Halloween party wasn't such a big surprise. I went as a high school girl zombie which was very much appreciated later that evening when we went out to a night club. Last year I went to a Halloween party in the outskirts of Portland, OR, which I unfortunately didn't have time to get a costume for. I, however, pointed out that I was dressed as a European (in the literal sense) and was immediately excused.

If I would have gone to a party this year, here's a list of 10 fabulous incarnations I would have chosen between.

#10 - One-legged Cherry Darling

If this was somehow possible to pull off, Cherry Darling's one legged appearance in Planet Terror would be an awesome Halloween costume. However, this would be a long shot, since the sported post-accident fake leg is exclusively a computer-generated props, the real life fake leg wouldn't nearly be as fierce and ass-kicking as this M-16 rifle.








 
#9 - The Halloween pumpkin mask

If I hadn't had such a huge fear for masks in general and people wearing masks in particular I would definitely go for the scary approach, no doubt about it. Apart from the insanely disturbed female mask (with which I would probably scare myself to death with) in Curtains (1983), the pumpkin head from Halloween III: Season of the Witch would be a challenge to take on. The movie itself is not one of my favorites in the Halloween installment as it lacks the most vital character; Michael Myers. But the pumpkin head would be great fun to try to make.



#8 - Tina's body in a plastic bag

Not only has Tina probably the best death scene in the Terror on Elm Street installment as her dream self gets stabbed in a dark alley whilst her physical body in slashed and thrashing back and forth in front of the eyes of her boyfriend Rod, in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Although, another fantastic scene with Tina is when she appears in Nancy's dream at school, standing on the hallway covered in a plastic bag.

No explanation needed really. This would make an awesome, but sweaty, costume.


#7 - Frankenstein's Bride

Who wouldn't want to dress up as the fabulous and perhaps strongest and most impressive woman of horror; the bride of Frankenstein? Although the bride's appearance in Bride of Frankenstein always will be too short according to me, the impression that the birth of the monster's mate made was even bigger.

Not only is this of the most iconic women of horror, the physical details of her character would make a perfect Halloween costume; the electric black-and-white hair, the distinct makeup around her eyes and lips as well as the scars surrounding her face.




#6 - The transformation of Babyvamp Jessica

Sure, Sookie Stackhouse in a waitress' uniform would probably would surely get some attention, with well-tanned bare legs and a blonde ponytail bobbing on top of my head. But.... naaah. If I would go for cute, I would go for a hell lot of cuter as in the petulant, emotional and a bit immature Babyvamp Jessica. It would be fun to be Jessica during, or right after, her transformation; still dressed in her church dress, her hair all tangled and clothes all dusty and dirty from being underground for a couple of days (or nights?).



#5 - A pre-death Mary Jane Kelly

Who doesn't love the Victorian era with all its bustiers,  figure glass proportion creating corsets and unbreakable crinolines? Well, maybe not wearing them for real, but the look of them. And who wouldn't wanna be wooed by a deadly sexy Johnny Depp in From Hell (2001)? I would probably go for the full on dress and not just the underwear garments since my tattoo covered arms aren't exactly an example of the Victorian era.

Although this might come off as a rather unimaginative option, it's one of the few that could actually satiate my obsession with the Edwardian and Victorian era, unless I would go as a pre-version of Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which planned film adaption, as you all know, hasn't been produced yet.


 #4 - The pie baking Mrs. Lovett

Speaking of the Victorian era... I know the character of Mrs. Lovett from the film adaption Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) has become very popular during the last few years and her costume can be rented at most costume shop. I, however, like a challenge and would love to sit down and sew together the fabulous incarnation of the cannibal meat pie maker.

I love Helena Bonham Carter and would love to dress up as either Bellatrix LeStrange from the Harry Potter film series or the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland (2010). But since the character should (at least according to me and in this specific list) be taken from a horror related movie, I would go for her portrait of Mrs. Lovett. And yes, the pies would make excellent accessories.


#3 - A blood soaked Carrie

I would probably not be let into any bars or night clubs but I would make a hell of an entrance at a party!

Making a very gory appearance without much effort (other than spending too much money on fake blood) is an easy and safe bet for a Halloween costume. Perhaps not the most inventive for the evening, however, Carrie entered the prom stage a long time ago and the idea of portraying her has probably slipped every 80's or 90's born kid's mind but would still make a strong impression since everyone knows the story about the dumped-on, telekinetic loner whose late-blooming menstrual cycle and sexual maturation react disturbingly with her fundamentalist mother's psychological chastity belt.


#2 - The zombie (double rainbow) version of Brittany

I love Glee, love old 20's and 30's hairdos and fur accessories and I love fierce looking female zombies! I could definitely go as the zombie version of Brittany from S02E11 'The Sue Sylvester Shuffle', or as she calls it herself; a zombie double rainbow.

I'm somewhat fed up with slutty dressed zombie women dragging themselves around on numerous Zombie Walks. Sensuality and sassiness can however be achieved in so many other ways; the growing femininity of the 20's and 30's when corsets and crinolines were thrown aside and the strength in the raising female independence and productiveness was displayed in the more practical and tidy wear. The night time glamor was still intact, with budding rounded busts and waistline curves. The hair was softer and prettier as hair perms improved (in Brittany's case, probably not so much) and foreheads which had been hidden by cloche hats were now revealed. The sensuality and strength of women were in general revealed by the change in women's fashion.


#1 - Baby Firefly in PJ's

My all time favorite woman of horror! Although I love her in her slutty summer dresses and boots, her cheerleader outfit or her being psychotically dressed up for her stage performance with 'I wanna be loved by you', I prefer her in her PJ-looks in House of 1000 Corpses.

Not too extravagant, which means no big budget or time effort needed to pull this costume off. Already having the blonde hair, the blue eyes and the school teacher glasses, I would only need a pair of flowered leggings, some socks and an old tank top.