MetaChat - What are you going to be for Halloween?

a ZOMBIE!

posted by joelf 03 October | 12:59

I'm thinking about a realistic beard. Haven't got beyond that.

posted by Hugh Janus 03 October | 13:01

A pillow made of Karate chops!

Kara-te!!

posted by Divine_Wino 03 October | 13:04

I hate Halloween more than I hate any other holiday. I will be what I am every year: hiding in my house away from people who think dressing up is fun and that you are a Bad Person (tm) or Officially Unimaginative (r) for hating it.

posted by dame 03 October | 13:12

Zombie bunny.

posted by puddinghead 03 October | 13:17

Here in Office Space, Halloween is a Mandatory Fun day. You dress up and decorate, and can win time off. My small department has done a theme and won the past two years. I end up kinda Technical Directing the operation, because of my theatre background. This year we are being very ambitious and doing Wizzard of Oz. I said I'd take whatever was left over, and was fearing Tin Man - but I ended up with Glinda. That ain't too bad. Dorothy is complaining that her skirt is too short, and I'm like: "HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT??? HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT??? SHOW SOME LEG!! WE GOTTA USE WHAT WE GOT!!" The whole thing is tawdry and depressing. But hey! Day Off!

posted by rainbaby 03 October | 13:20

Same as every year, a reclusive drunk.

posted by mr_crash_davis 03 October | 13:23

dame, I feel for you. I adore Halloween but hate enforced merriment of any kind so I understand why it irritates you.

posted by LeeJay 03 October | 13:27

I hate Halloween more than I hate any other holiday. I will be what I am every year: hiding in my house away from people who think dressing up is fun and that you are a Bad Person (tm) or Officially Unimaginative (r) for hating it. Yes, totally. I had a job where even the president dressed up (and since he was a fancy rich guy, it was always like a perfect spiderman costume or something.) and you would get so much shit if you didn't, from everyone who did. So I would always be there in regular clothes and some ass would come up and say "and who are you supposed to be?" and I would always say "a person with dignity" or "someone who doesn't dress up in a costume to kiss ass."

However, also what leejay said about liking halloween.

posted by Divine_Wino 03 October | 13:31

Yeah.

If y'all are in Chicago on the 29th, you're invited to my Halloween party. No enforced merriment! But semi-enforced costumery.

And lots of booze.

posted by me3dia 03 October | 13:33

I hate halloween, but mr. gaspode loves it. So we compromise. I make a sexy costume, but I don't wear it outside the house.

posted by gaspode 03 October | 13:40

Oh, no. I hijacked an ideas thread with my bitching. I'm sorry me3dia. Quick guys, let's come up with some helpful ideas.

Sailor is hot. But not pirate because that's played out. You could be totally retro and do the ghost thing with a sheet--if you carried one of those pumkin trick or treat things then you could have a meta halloween costume.

posted by dame 03 October | 13:41

No, no, me3dia. It's the costume enforcement that keeps us all home. I'd totally go out and get drunk if people would just leave me alone about my clothes.

posted by dame 03 October | 13:42

I think I'll pretend to be a woman who hates Halloween and refuses to answer the door, and makes her husband do it, even though he hates it too.

posted by iconomy 03 October | 13:42

I am horrible at thinking up clever Halloween costumes. I had one good year where I went as a head on a table and that was loads of fun but I have no idea what I'll be this year, if I even dress up.

posted by LeeJay 03 October | 13:48

What I hate about Halloween is being forced to make small talk about stupid costumes with a bunch of strangers. If I could just answer the door and throw a candy bar at them and close the door again, I'd be cool with that. But the "wow what do we have here" and "who are you supposed to be" comments just totally kill it for me. I hate hate hate hate it.

I give out full size candy bars AND cans of cold soda, though, so...you know. I must be an idiot.

posted by iconomy 03 October | 13:50

I love Halloween. I always have the best costumes evar. But this year I am stumped. Anyone know what a specklet should dress up as?

posted by Specklet 03 October | 14:04

One thing that is fun is to open the door and then no matter what the little kid is dressed as, scream sooooooo loud and slam the door, then really quickly open the door a crack and chuck out some candy and slam it again, if you have a mail slot poke the candy through. It's really really fun.

Also the best costume is just the sheet with eye holes ghost, especially if it's not a white sheet. So funny.

posted by Divine_Wino 03 October | 14:05

I haven't dressed up in costume for Halloween since some time in the late nineties. I'm not opposed to the idea per se, but I'm a milksop and so can't assert myself when needed.

Proof: Hotest costume for me ever is a tie between the fork in drag and the fork wrapped completely in Saran wrap.

posted by safetyfork 03 October | 14:06

I'm going to Divine_Wino's house for Halloween.

Specklet, what costumes have you had in the past?

posted by iconomy 03 October | 14:08

Anyone know what a specklet should dress up as?

Don't try the Saran unless you're looking to sweat out a few pounds. The upside is you might not need a coat to go outside.

posted by safetyfork 03 October | 14:09

I'm going to be a sad clown in a rented tux.

me3dia, you should skip your Halloween party and come see Bride of Frankenstein and Dracula's Daughter.

posted by goatdog 03 October | 14:10

A few years ago I was Xena. That worked out pretty well. And one of my friends was the main female character from "The Birds". She wore 60s clothing, and ripped bits, had blood and all of these birds sown to her clothes. It was awesome.

posted by gaspode 03 October | 14:13

Dammit crash, you took my costume! Again!

posted by brainwidth 03 October | 14:18

do what i use to do:
throw open the door
throw candy in the air
scream "crawl for it"
slam door shut
watch melee from window

i don't know what i'll do but i wouldn't mind going to chicago

posted by ethylene 03 October | 14:20

One year I went as "The Personification of All Your Fears". It was just a sharp suit and sunglasses, but I didn't say anything, I just handed out cards that said, on one side, "I am the personification of all your fears" and on the other stuff like "Keep smoking, maybe they'll find a cure for cancer" or "You will die" or "She doesn't really love you" and so on.

It went over pretty well for a spur of the moment 15 minute costume.

posted by Capn 03 October | 14:24

I [heart] halloween...i love getting dressed up, love being someone/thing i'm not, and love getting wasted in costume...then again i don't really give people shit for not dressing up, because i could give a shit less...

last halloween i dressed in drag as a beauty queen...the local hotshot tattoo artist demanded that i let him do the makeup. I wore a sash that said 'Miss Conception' that had condoms pinned to it...

i am having a hard time deciding what to do this year too...

posted by Schyler523 03 October | 14:24

Biologists Love Halloween

posted by LeeJay 03 October | 14:25

*desparately tries to think of an appropriately nerdy halloween costume*

posted by gaspode 03 October | 14:27

I'm going to dress up as dame.

posted by agropyron 03 October | 14:28

Divine_Wino, you rock.

Don't try the Saran unless you're looking to sweat out a few pounds.

Thanks for that tidbit, because after reading your initial comment, I was considering it. (Still am.)

iconomy, I've been a ghost (so seriously fucking scary that I don't even like to look at pictures from that year), a dominatrix (don't mind the pics of that so much), Nipple Girl, Superman, a Rajistani bride... and stuff. I know they don't sound all that creative and inventive, but it's all in the execution.

posted by Specklet 03 October | 14:29

Ooooo pictures!! ?

posted by iconomy 03 October | 14:32

I'm just gonna wear one of these on my head

posted by grateful 03 October | 14:35

one of my friends dressed as Afghani Stan halloween '01...he wore an afghan a la 'cousin it' with a name tag that said 'stan'

i love puns by the way...

posted by Schyler523 03 October | 14:36

Ooooo pictures!! ?

Sadly, I am still in the stone age and most of my pictures are on "film". But a friend of mine is lending his digital camera to me, so there will soon be many pics on my flickr account. Probably mostly of me, because I'm a little self-involved.

posted by Specklet 03 October | 14:37

Yes, pictures please!

Nipple Girl
*heart flutters*

No, no, me3dia. It's the costume enforcement that keeps us all home.
Well, like I said, semi-enforcement. We're not going to bar entry if someone's not in costume, but we'll give them sad-faced looks of disappointment. And then hand them a beer.

posted by me3dia 03 October | 14:39

I'm going to be a JRun Error. I'll just stand there, talking to people, and suddenly interrupt them: "Sorry, you've timed out. A server error occurred. Please repeat everything you've been saying for the past five minutes."

posted by fandango_matt 03 October | 14:42

Princesse de Broglie

posted by lycaste 03 October | 14:51

The only thing I hate about dressing in costume is that it's frequently uncomfortable, so I pick costumes that consist of normal clothing and don't require masks or props or heels or anything. This year I'm going as a member of Team Zissou.

posted by cali 03 October | 14:52

For a change of pace...

posted by mcgraw 03 October | 14:54

omigod...cali, can i steal/borrow your idea?

woohoo!!! i think i would be willem defoes character...

posted by Schyler523 03 October | 14:54

i also thought of robinson crusoe...but decided most of my friends wouldn't be able to see the difference between the normally disheveled schyler and the slightly more disheveled robinson crusoe...

and i don't have a spare goat...or parrot

posted by Schyler523 03 October | 14:57

Wow, mcgraw, I almost didn't recognize him!

posted by Specklet 03 October | 15:03

We can all be Team Zissou members. Or at least interns. Hmmm...

posted by cali 03 October | 15:31

Specklet, thx for bein so friendly... regarding my Tronguy worshipfulizations.

posted by mcgraw 03 October | 15:56

*blows kisses to mcgraw*

posted by Specklet 03 October | 16:07

I love halloween, it's my most favorite holiday ever. But that's just because I like decorating my yard with bizarre cheap noisy shit & dressing up weird & getting drunk. It's made to order for me. But I never come up with a costume until about 3 days beforehand.

Last year I was the Evil Queen of the Galaxy & my son Miles & his friend August were my Minions of Doom. The year before that I was Trash - made a skirt out of paper bags & a top out of plastic grocery bags, hung beer cans and banana peels & junk all over me, wore ripped fishnets, high heels, bright red lipstick & ratted my hair. The year before that I was Mary Jo Kopechne and/or the Drowned Prom Queen. Ah I love Halloween.

posted by mygothlaundry 03 October | 16:50

i love halloween too and october in general even though neither end up working out well.
i like it when people make an effort.
but my favorite outfits tend to be conceptual or all out "that took a while" set ups.
i've been very detailed and festive before (a certain body jeweled dragon springs to mind) but one of my faves was someone wearing a large beyond flava flav clock and two peepholes on glasses as paranoia. and a nother guy who had his tie wired up and his hair slicked, as he was falling--
i once made an angel costume and would grab people's hands and twist them until they cried [i was the angel of mercy or the angel from uncle]--
oh, they've been lots
the one with roommates where we were the four stages of undead pregnancy was fun...
(i have imbibed already as to avoid my imminent stressors)

posted by ethylene 03 October | 16:56

btw. business cards can make any outfit, so if you're stuck for something to say, you can hand them a card that notifies them you're god or the devil or etc.
the costume are fun when you get to associate with people as your/their costume

posted by ethylene 03 October | 16:58

I haven't got a costume idea for this year, but in the past, I have been:

Arthur Dent, from the Hitchhiker's Guide books (my friend was Ford Prefect)
The Man with the Red Right Hand, from the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song (as heard on Songs in the Key of X)
The guy on the cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" (complete with glo-in-teh-dark ensemble)

That's all I can remember at present aside from the year I just wore sunglasses and said I was the Terminator. Everyone's allowed to have bad days, even if those bad days fall on Halloween.

posted by Eideteker 03 October | 17:18

What's halloween?

posted by dg 03 October | 17:25

it's a day that is hallowed for weenies
and those hiding from weenies in costume
all will be balmed with sugar and cyanide
[beware the almond macaroons]

posted by ethylene 03 October | 17:41

I love Halloween... I've got a kick-ass Victorian-type vampire outfit (cape, top hat, frilly shirt, walking stick with horned skull on the end) and some fangs that I can wear and still drink a beer with. (That's key!)

My partner has this sorceror robe and carries a skull. We usually go to a party, bar-hopping, or both.

We'll have to do a thread with pics of people's costumes after Halloween.

posted by BoringPostcards 03 October | 17:53

Were I doing anything, I think I would probably be crucified jesus with a paper sign on my chest that said "I died so Mel could make money" or something similar. Mostly because this is Arkansas and that would make EVERYBODY mad.

posted by weretable and the undead chairs 03 October | 18:33

i went to a thing long a go when i wondered why everyone was in diapers
it turned out a lot of jesuses (jesi?) checked their crosses at the door

posted by ethylene 03 October | 18:39

My shortlist:
-A bucket of blood with a slow leak
-Clint Eastwood in a nightshirt
-The idea of the idea of spring
-The idea of spring
-Cool Hand Luke after the egg contest
-Jusge Crater and Ambrose Bierce as siamese twins who disappear mysteriously halfway through the evening
-A retarded dolphin trying to pass itself off as human

posted by PinkStainlessTail 03 October | 19:27

-Cool Hand Luke after the egg contest

I think I love you.

posted by Specklet 03 October | 19:44

1) Go to Whitby.
2) Laugh at the Goths.

posted by seanyboy 03 October | 19:49

When my hair was much longer, I was Wednesday Addams and used Girl Scout cookies as part of my costume.

I never knew how many guys had a thing for Wednesday Addams/Christina Ricci until then. Wow.

posted by Frisbee Girl 03 October | 20:01

I'm sorry, that post was apropos of absolutely nothing of the orginal post - I was working off of the recently posted page and didn't scroll up to see what the gist was.

*hangs head in derailing shame*

posted by Frisbee Girl 03 October | 20:23

I'll just put a condom over my head and go as a well-dressed prick.

posted by jonmc 03 October | 20:42

I never knew how many guys had a thing for Wednesday Addams/Christina Ricci until then.

Totally. Few are above Ricci of the peter meter.

posted by danostuporstar 03 October | 20:58

"Few are above Ricci of the peter meter."

Were, that is, until she lost all the weight and had herself de-boobed. Now she's just ... meh.

posted by mr_crash_davis 03 October | 22:52

Bunny Head.

Seriously, I'll be in Iowa for parents' weekend at my son's college; if I were to dress up he would probably disown me and my tuition checks.

posted by Doohickie 03 October | 22:57

Domo Kun.

and I think the sig other wants to be the prince(ss) from Katamari Damaci. I guess the puppy will have to be Akira. (though he's already called "Rion", which you may know from Galerians -- god, never realized what a bunch o Japanophiles we all are)

posted by dreamsign 04 October | 05:14

03 October 2005