Tricks Or Treats

[benwhowell]

It's October...my second favorite month of the year (December being the first.) I love the cool, crisp weather and the Autumn leaves...it's my "birthday season" (to borrow a phrase from Marco)...and, most importantly, it's the Halloween season. I LOVE Halloween!
I hope all you Halloween fans will share your Halloween "items" here-fave "scary" movies, stories, recipes, costumes, decorating ideas, video clips, memories of Halloweens past, etc.
Did anyone ever receive an apple with a razor blade in it? And what about that "creepy" neighborhood house...Did you dare to knock on that door on Halloween night? Were your costumes home-made or store-bought?

I'd like to share a fave video clip with you all...
A peaceful sunday drive...watch out for those turns and "twists!"
[youtube][/youtube]

[benwhowell]

Underworld Tales
http://www.underworldtales.com/index.htm

[inglis]

Hi Ben!
My outlaws sent this to us and the first time I saw it ,it scared the crap out of me .My kids wanted to see it and they laughed and laughed. I still get creeped out when I know the scary part is coming ,hope you are well take care Inglis

[benwhowell]

Thanks, Carol! Happy Halloween!

"What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew-was the only someone for you?"

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBPBTlOsf-g[/youtube]

[vallo]

I have this neighbor whose favorite holiday is Halloween. Each year we set up his back yard like a Haunted House, with a Cemetery, coffins, Head stones, smoke machines, complete with Weird music and Bats hanging from trees. He is a Carpenter by trade .So each year he makes something new for Halloween. We made Coffins (that can hold him inside) Last year we made a 7ft. Guillotine that really works. The only thing missing is Blanche Yurka as Madame De Farge. The problem is it's more for adults, because it scares the heck out of the kids in the neighborhood.
Because of him I have a new found love for this holiday...

vallo

[benwhowell]

You're so lucky to have that neighbor, vallo! My partner and I have a lot of fun decorating for Halloween-inside and outside. Our outside "theme" this year is SPIDERS. We had planned on decorating last sunday, but we went shopping for more SPIDERS instead...I love driving around looking at Halloween decorations as much as driving around looking at Christmas decorations...only Las Vegans don't really "go all out" for holidays.
Here's a great display-
[youtube][/youtube]

[mrsl]

Gee Ben:

When I was there, I won prizes twice for my costumes. Living in LV for those years is what increased my interest in the holiday. I found the bars to be wholly into parties, prizes, and freebies for the day and night. As much as I loved living there, I guess I would be pretty disappointed if I went back now, things have changed so much, it's like a little Midwest now.

Anne

[benwhowell]

You're right about the parties, Anne. They are still big. I just wish more people/neighborhoods would decorate and have "block parties/haunted houses," etc. I used to do that party scene, but I'm more of a homebody now. With all the crowds, it seems like you spend most of the time waiting in line to get a drink at the bar. I do love seeing all the costumes.
I worked in a casino for almost 20 years. Halloween was fun most of those years. The casino would decorate and the majority of the employees would come in costume for 2 or 3 days. There were also cash prizes for an added incentive. I worked in Keno the majority of my almost 20 year span. We always had a theme and decorated the Keno lounge ourselves. One year our theme was "The Wizard Of Oz." (I was the Tin Man.) We even had the uniform dept. make up badges for us with our character's name. Needless to say, we were a BIG success with the guests. We were being photographed all day. At one point, our Wicked Witch got up on the Keno counter as if she were taking flight. Our Keno games came to a halt as people gathered to photograph us. I was shocked when we did not win the grand prize of $500. Several of us did win individual prizes of $25.
Sadly, the last few years I worked in the casino, all this fun stopped. Very few decorations (usually just balloons) and only a handful of employees came in costume.
Have you seen the Looney Tunes characters in "Trick-or-Treating In Oz" keepsake ornaments at Hallmark? Bugs Bunny as Dorothy! Hilarious...
http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 10051%7c-1

[jdb1]

The mainstreaming of Halloween continues.

I don't know if I mentioned that last year I was mildly surprised to see costumed, trick-or-treating children in my neighborhood accompanied by their long-skirted, headscarved mothers. It seems that Halloween is now regarded here as more of a dress-up and candy-eating carnival than a religious or devilish celebration, and I'm told that my Muslim neighbors (mostly Pakistani and Palestinian) call it "Halal-oween." And why not. That's why I love America.

[benwhowell]

"Rosemary's Baby" A Retrospective


Part 1
[youtube][/youtube]

Part 2
[youtube][/youtube]

[benwhowell]

Found this great Polish movie poster for "Rosemary's Baby-"designed by Pagowski.

[jdb1]

Ben - that poster made me laugh out loud -- it's great.

And how many of we mothers haven't felt that way at some point?

And look at dear Mia. Tell me she didn't look like a young Frank Sinatra at that time in her life. Sinatra certainly must have noticed it, even if on a subconscious level.

[benwhowell]

That's funny that you mention Mia looking like Sinatra, Judith. She's somewhat of a "chameleon." She looked like Woody Allen when they were together...and Ryan O'Neal during "Peyton Place." Freaky!
As for this (Vidal Sassoon) "haircut-"Did it come before or after receiving her divorce papers from Sinatra...on the set of "Rosemary's Baby?"

[Sue Sue Applegate]

This is such a fun thread!

On Halloween I always make my homemade chili and then bake special goodies for treats.

One year I made "spider" cookies with chocolate wafers, homemade creme filling, licorice, red hots and twizzlers. The kids loved them so much.

Then I made "eyeball" marinara. Make a ball out of mozzarella, and put an olive inside so they looked like eyeballs, and add it to the spaghetti sauce.

We always carve pumpkins, too, and put candles in them.

In my neighborhood, we usually have lots of kids in costumes going door to door.

When I was in college, I had a homemade costume and I went as "Martha
Vader," Darth's lovely margarita swilling sweetie.

Love your links, Ben.

[jdb1]

That's funny that you mention Mia looking like Sinatra, Judith. She's somewhat of a "chameleon." She looked like Woody Allen when they were together...and Ryan O'Neal during "Peyton Place." Freaky!
As for this (Vidal Sassoon) "haircut-"Did it come before or after receiving her divorce papers from Sinatra...on the set of "Rosemary's Baby?"

As I recall it, she cut her hair while appearing on Peyton Place. That would have been about '64-'65. She and her pal Liza Minnelli both got trendy short cuts around that time. I kept mine long for several years longer - when Mary Tyler Moore cut hers, I cut mine, too.

I agree about Mia's ability to blend with her companion - I noticed that as well, and I've noticed that these days she's looking very much like the primary many in her life, her son Seamus (formerly Satchel).