Boo! Part I

Halloween is right around the corner, and as such I have some thoughts, go figure. I have always liked this holiday because it allowed me, a theatre kid, to dress up in a costume and makeup. In the absence of any other days/occasions to get dressed up as an adult, I relish Halloween these days. With that said, I feel that there are some rules that must be adhered to with Halloween costumes.

Number One- pre-made, bagged, everything in one package costumes are super weak. I can't even begin to say how much I abhor a crappy, poorly fitting, generic costume. Just

to let you know, Indiana Jones doesn't wear a shirt with his name on it, so save yourself the humiliation and put the costume together yourself.

Number Two- A pair of bunny ears, a witch hat or devil horns is not a costume. Try a little harder, or don't bother. "Look, I'm a kitty. See the ears?" No, you're an idiot in a poor excuse for a costume. Go home, you're killing the mood.

Number Three- A festive fall or Halloween sweater is not a costume. This might be worse than number two because at least then you're trying to be something else. In this case you're just a loser in a fugly sweater. Was the D.I. having a sale? Nice sweater.

Number Four- Group costumes are awesome. Anytime you can get a group to commit and follow through on a costume idea is a major coup. I have a hard time committing to a costume, and I understand how working with others complicates things. I give major points to groups.

Number Five- Couples costumes are great too. Just like group costumes, couples who do funny or cool stuff together can be really sweet. I have done a couple of these with the wife, and they have always gotten a good response. This can be super lame though, so watch out for those loser couples that do costumes that look like a Sadie Hawkins matching outfit. "We're wearing Hawaiian shirts. We're being Hawaiian for Halloween." No, you're not.

Number Six- Go for funny. I have seen some great funny costumes. Funny trumps scary any day in my book. Scary is tough to do well, so unless you are a makeup artist, keep it simple and funny.

Number Seven- Masks suck. They suck for the person wearing them, and they are a total cop out.

That's all, but tune in later for more Halloween musings.