2008 top costume preview

i'm already planning my costume for this year....are you?


let's take a trip down memory lane...

The best costume of my childhood...not even arguable...was when i was in first or second grade...i was...ready for this nintendo nerds?



SUPER MARIO. yes...i am female...and yes, i am proud to say i donned red ski overalls...a fake moustache....and a hat with a big M on it...and then i sipped fruit punch out of a mario thermos. life was awesome.
then of course...i can't remember any of my other ones...i think i was molly from the american girl dolls one year and i won a prize in the town halloween parade...my friend heather was dr. giggles...

i even dressed as my dad one year...

ok, now for ones i can research and remember...kinda:

Halloween 2002:
i was really, really lame....and as a poor college student who loved things like "being gangsta" and "money cash"...i wore a dollar-bill designed bandanna and ghost earrings. i win the spud award for that one...but, i was one of the rare few college sophomores wearing some sort of costume...so go me!

Halloween 2003:
with the impending arrival of "having my wisdom teeth removed" i was saddened that halloween was slightly being overshadowed....i also had a little class called "ecology" and i wore a long black wig that i proceeded to make my balding teachers as well as other faculty wear. good times were had by all...hence the magic of halloween.

Halloween 2004:
hmm...kind of a blur...i think i was also very lame on this one as well...i didn't go all out like i now do...shame on me

ok...
now for the fun


Halloween 2006:
the first year of Monster Bash.
Jim and i did a couple's costume of "Jar of Mustard" and "Owl".

It was a valient first effort.


Halloween 2007:
I find this to be my shining moment as an adult.


i was the infamous and deliciously salty Mr. Peanut, fully equipped with top hat, cane (which broke on the spoooooky pinata), and monocle. not to mention, the costume was hand made.

and i won the coveted "best costume" award. no, it wasn't fixed.

but now, this year...i need to go above and beyond. i can't rest on my laurels!

i need to know...

What are the best up and coming costume ideas for 2008?
someone made a blog that depicts their idea of the best costumes for '08. Their feel is that it's going to be a movie-themed year...

this website lists the 9 worst costume ideas ever...i have to agree with them on most...however, i think bumblebee is a great costume idea and it was actually one of my top choices for this year.

still stumped?

i'm here to help-

first of all...if you're a lady going to an awesome monster-bash'esque halloween party...

and you're thinking of going as this:


THINK AGAIN...

try this instead:



if you're a guy lookin for a cool costume...DON'T CHOOSE THESE:






pimp and beer keg are so out-done...you'll definitely hear some boo's..and they won't be the scary kind...



try going as this instead:





or, if you're going as a couples theme....

please...please please please..avoid this at all costs:






perhaps this would be more up your alley and less vulgar...wait....first look at that guy's face up there at the lock and key picture...i actually thought that was mario lopez for a good 5 minutes...:



Still stuck? go here and make, buy, or rent the right costume for you! Hey, Halloween is only 216 days away! get crackin'!

it's not real...or is it?

ok...there were definitely THREE things that scared me the most growing up...actually, i take it back...two of them still kind of scare me now even though i probably will never admit it.



my third biggest fear...probably the most common, was that my dolls were going to come to life and kill me. i also had a near-real-doll-coming-to-life scare experience when we had first adopted our cat pudgy (i think i was like 6 or 7) and the sound he made when coughing up hairballs was eerily similar to a baby doll recording of "mama! mama!"...my dad i think also was startled and told me "whatever that was, it's sleeping in your room". this reinforced my fear of dolls coming to life...and then, when i saw this guy for the first time:





i seriously almost died of fright. chucky's going to come get me! ahhhh!!
around that same time, there was also a movie released called "dolls" with the same concept of dolls coming to life...seriously, 1987-1990 was HUGE in the "dolls coming to life and killing people" trend. i was terrified!


now though, i'm happy to report that child's play and dolls coming to life are no longer on the top of my "most feared list"-now it's sharks and heights. but still, for its time...dolls freaked me out big time.

The second most scary part of my youth were these books that they had at the library at school that you felt like such a badass reading: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. (p.s. i almost cried when i read they were released in 1986...god i'm old). Anyway, these books TERRIFIED me, as well as all of my friends, and elementary school class. my one friend's mother actually worked in the school, so we would sometimes have to wait a little bit later to go home...and what did we do besides prank call law firms with the payphone? we read these books! and believe me, i was so horrified, i couldn't sleep by myself...i'd run into my parent's room and sleep on the floor.

and the scariest story of them all? it was Clinkity-Clink...HANDS DOWN.

based on the picture alone, i had nightmares. i tried to find a picture of the lady...but seriously, it's too scary for the internet.

clinkity clink gave me many a sleepless night, as well as a spine tingling fear whenever someone would come up behind me and whisper "clinkity clink"

actually, i'm still a little scared thinking about it.



And now, for my number one, MOST SCARY part of my childhood...two words:

Bloody Mary.
As a kid, i had no idea what the deal was with her...all i knew was that if you were near a mirror, with a candle and/or an apple...at midnight...saying her name enough times...you weren't going to be at school the next day....you'd be dead!

here's one excerpt of what happens thanks to halloween-website.com:

After the given amount of chants, the spirit will then appear in a mirror and claw your eyes out and death will follow. Other variations have her driving you insane or pulling you into the mirror, never to be seen again.

seriously, i spent a good 2 weeks not sleeping for more than 2 hour intervals. i was beyond frightened.

i'd have to crawl to my parent's bedroom and sleep on the floor...making sure that when i passed a mirror, i'd crawl under it so she wouldn't see me, and that i wouldn't even THINK the words bloody or mary so that she wouldn't pop out and get me.



honestly, i never thought i'd grow out of this one...it was seriously the scariest concept that anyone could have ever thought of. they tried to capitalize on poor fools like myself and release Candyman.
but please...nothing could top the one and only B.M.

even now, i find myself passing a mirror at night and doing everything in my power not to look at it or think those words....

i think what's most terrifying about bloody mary...is that...maybe...just maybe...it could be true? i mean sure, everyone heard about those girls that lived down the street from you who were at a slumber party and one of them died...i mean, you knew them...not knew them-knew them...but like...you could've known them....right?

either way...i don't want to find out.

The SpoOoOokiness of Salem

Salem, Massachusetts is a household name when it comes to the Halloween season.

For those unfamiliar with it, it was the site of the Salem Witch Trials in the 17th century. I'm not really too keen on this history, but here's a good place to check it out...and if you don't feel like reading about it...do a little google image search-i DARE you to not be a little scared from just looking at the historic photos...spOoOoOoky!





In any case, I've had the opportunity to head over to Salem and take in the sites and sounds...last year was particularly fun because friends of mine live in Rhode Island, which is a hop skip and a jump away...so a bunch of us went to Salem during the spoOoOoOoOkiest time of year! it was AWESOME! i recommend this so highly on my list of "spOoOoOoky things to do" that i'm giving it it's very own blog entry!

First of all, I want to throw it out there that this year, I'd really REALLY REALLY like to partake in the Festival of the Dead.

and if you're any kind of a friend to me, you'd join me...if not for me, than for the name of it alone...let me just fill you in on some of the highlights:

1. Retro Zombie Ball on Saturday, October 11th

2. Ghost Hunting 101 on Saturday, October 18th

3. Salem's Only Authentic Seance on Sunday, October 26th

hmm..maybe I should rent out a house for the month of october to be closer to this action...

But anyway, moving on-

Last year was seriously me prancing through the streets of Salem and embracing Halloween with the rest of Salem's spoOoOoOoky residents. We saw the story of the Witch Trial's, ate some corpse-dogs (corn-dogs), discussed the wolf-man's courageous immigration to the Americas, went into a couple of haunted houses, Ate at the scariest joint in town (Beer Works) and had pumpkin beer, went to the house of the 7 gables...i could go on and on...this place is IT.

The history is outrageous...you're literally walking on graves from the 1700's. This season, I'm DEMANDING you take a ride out to Salem, Mass. and get scared out of your MIND!

To view a comprehensive recap of my experience there, go here.

Top 10 Halloween Season Must Have's/Do's

so, i'm off from my spoOoOoOky job today since is goOoOd friday...
i'm doing a little halloween-related web surfing and i was reading about halloween 2008.

one site says, and i quote:

Well, Halloween 2007 has come to an end. The great news is that the next three years will be great for our favorite holiday! Next year, Halloween will fall on a Friday. In 2009 it will be on Saturday and in 2010 on Sunday. (courtesy of halloween-online.com).

i like how halloween-online is already looking ahead 3 years. they're right up my alley. although i have to say that halloween is great every year, not just the next three years. and believe me, i plan on capitalizing on all of the glory that is halloween on a friday..i may have to take off of work for the 3 days prior just to prepare.

i also decided to begin my "plan of attack" for halloween season '08. halloween-online says the season begins in september...but for me, it's a year round thing. i'm just waiting on everyone else to hop aboard.

without further ado, this is a small list of the "must haves and must do's" for a successful and awesome halloween season (pre monster bash of course):

1. Pumpkins. they are the mascot of halloween like turkey is to thanksgiving and mistletoe is to christmas. i personally find that going on a hay ride, going to a farm, or going with a group of friends to a pumpkin picking patch really enhances the thrill of the pumpkin. nothing beats finding "the perfect pumpkin" and then ruining him by trying to carve eyebrows into him (jim 2005).

What can you expect? the most awesome day of your life...that's what.
not sure where you can find a good pumpkin patch near you? try this. and apparently, if you're really into pumpkin patch locales, there's a patch in illinois that is boasting it is the BEST pumpkin patch on earth.

2. Hayrides. this kind of goes hand-in-hand with pumpkins...getting a pumpkin is only made better by a hayride...but a hayride can take on many forms besides a pumpkin-retrieval....there's a daytime hayride to examine and admire the amazing fall foliage...and my favorite: a spoOoOoOky hayride at night to...the...unknoooooooown! night time ones, depending on where you go, may not be for the squeamish or faint of heart. be prepared to have teenage kids in scaaaary makeup jumping out at you! a personal favorite hayride of mine was one i went to in 2005... it was at Corrado's Farm in Hackettstown, NJ. it was the most awesome hayride on earth...it was about 45 minutes, riding on bales of hay, through the open woods and witches served you donuts and cider halfway through...does life get any better than that?

What can you expect? enjoying the outdoors, smelling the aroma of autumn (you know how good it is), feeling like you're in a real horror movie and...there's no escape!! find some hellish hayrides near you at hauntworld.com!

3. Haunted Houses. Nothing scares me more. did someone really die a horrible death in this house and refuses to leave? sounds reasonable to me. now your options for this are very open. you can hunt down a real, authentic haunted house and risk getting arrested to peek inside...or you can find yourself an attraction-esque one. real haunted houses are tricky to find-i tend to believe weirdnj's recommendations. we have one near me (blue hill) but you can go to jail if you're caught near it. i went there when i was still a wee tot in high school, and trust me, i'm a believer. attraction haunted houses are fun because there's no real ghosts.....or is there?

what can you expect? a great friday/saturday night with a date or friends, other groups of people acting like they're tough and then crying like girls in the house, people in crazy makeup and costumes scaring the crap out of you, and of course, leatherface chasing you out with a chainsaw at the end. i have never been to a haunted house that doesn't end with butcher and chainsaw. never. hauntworld.com has a great list of haunted houses based on state. Last year, we went to Blood Manor in NYC and seriously, the room with the hanging body bags made me very, very scared. the wait in line is pretty long, but there's a guy spitting nails and blood outside, so no worries.

4. Fright Fest. I have to tip my hat to Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ for delivering Fright Fest. I adore that they pay homage to my favorite holiday in a great way. Every year, I'm impressed...except last year, we didn't go. I'm still bitter about it.

What can you expect? all of the fun and thrills of six flags, plus fog, scary costumed people, and a huge horror show theme park. i'm foaming at the mouth thinking of how good it is. check out if you have a six flags/amusement park near you...chances are they probably include some fun during the spoOoOoOkiest time of year.

5. Scary movie-a-thon. I like to prepare mentally and physically for the spoOoOOokiest time of year...by unwinding and watching some of the classics: texas chainsaw massacre, halloween, jaws, the exorcist, friday the 13th, nightmare on elm street...and now basket case..a new fave. this works out especially great, because there is nothing jim likes more than watching movies. so we compromise.

what can you expect? finding something new, or finding something old, and making it new for someone else. either way, it's a great night in. so get out there to a video store, best buy, or whatever else and pick up a new one or a classic...then prepare to be scared out of your mind!

6. Creepy Recipes. This is a personal favorite of mine. I like to look up and rework food to make it look scary and disgusting. The first M.B. i made a kitty litter cake that was a little to close to reality for comfort....last year i did an oozy guts spider cake that oozed out green goop (pudding). i also created the term "smashed ghostatoes" which...well...you get it. i once made a meatloaf that looked like a corpse too. just sayin'. what i'm trying to get at, is that halloween is the only time of year that you can create a dish called "green boogers" and people will eat it. that's the bottom line.

what can you expect? people to be grossed out and full at the same time!

7. Costume Hunting. I have only 4 words: Think outside the box. I'm serious, people are tired of the same old same old...no more baby costumes, no more sexy nurses/devils/uncle sams, no more thoughtless costume planning..it's time to use your noggins. couple's costumes...well...i'm on the fence....i don't like to depend on my counterpart to make it happen. although i have seen some great ones in my day. i'm not going to divulge into specifics, because i don't want to give away anyone's costumes, but please please please, get creative with it! especially for monster bash '08...because it is going to wow you like you've never been wow'ed in your life or afterlife!

what can you expect? making the most difficult decision of your life...should i be a jar of mustard or an owl?

8. Prop Purchasing. Nothing gives me a greater thrill than ebaying/party citying/party boxing/amazoning/etc for props and decor for monster bash and house decorating. seriously. nothing. i get giddy about it. last year, my two favorite purchases were 6 foot tall jason voorhees and a lot of 12 bloody heads/arms/legs from ebay. seriously, nothing makes me happier than finding a great prop for monster bash. N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

what can you expect? blowing half of your salary to bid on that great spitting debbie prop

9. Scary Music. This makes or breaks the party. Do you go lighthearted with "Monster Mash"? Do you take it movietown with "Ghostbusters theme"? Do you go obscure with weird orchestrated music? Do you take the sound effect route? It's your call. Make it count.

what can you expect? moans, groans, cat's screeching, bubbling cauldrons, and the monster mash

10. Fog. Face it, without fog, you don't have anything. Fog makes a party spooky. I almost wish all events could include fog....actually, if you think about it...they kind of do...they just call it "smoke machine". same thing, if you ask me.

what can you expect? allergic friends, people not being able to see, the spoOoOoky aura of halloween filling your room!


well, I think that's good enough for now...still looking for more? go to my new fave place: GOOGHOUL.COM (Get it? Google-gooooooghoul? hahaha genius!) type your zip code in and find some frightening fun near you!

why isn't halloween here yet? 227 days to go

we're almost in the home stretch....


i know what you're going to say...and you're right...i'm getting desperate.



halloween seems so far away...




so i get slightly overzealous when i see a coming attraction for a scary movie on the horizon.

april 11th you say? that sounds great!



i know what it's probably going to be like: scream 3...or worse...the grudge....or even WORSE: .....hold on i have to google "movie with kane the wrestler about eyes"...A-HA! See no Evil...BOOOOOO


but, halloween isn't close enough for me to be picky. beggars can't be choosers.


so let me say it here first on ilovemonsterbash.blogspot.com...i'm excited for this movie!


let's look at the pros:

-Jonathan Schaech is in it as possibly the killer? i loved "that thing you do!" this should be GREAT then, right?!

-the use of the words "Magic" and "Murder" in the same sentence...as well as the addition of "sadistic" and "rampage" in the below synopsis:



Donnas senior prom is supposed to be the best night of her life, one of magic, beauty, and love. Surrounded by her best friends, she should be safe from the horrors of her past. But when the night turns from magic to murder there is only one man who could be responsible, the man she thought was gone forever. Now, Donna and her friends must find a way to escape the sadistic rampage of an obsessed killer, and survive their Prom Night.



genius.



-it's april and we're getting full serving of halloween

-the trailer actually made me feel slightly uncomfortable to be home alone



so there we go! set your calendars and get fandango ready for april 11th people!



and now, since i don't want you thinking that monster bash blog is solely about movies and movie reviews (which you shouldn't care since there's very little halloween to choose from this time of year)...



this is really strange...i googled (i love google in case you can't tell...it has two o's in it like "spooky") "halloween in spring" to see if they'd throw me a bone...and this is what i found.



the halloween 2008 forecast for spring hill, florida...which i was visiting last week and want to live at....they're welcoming halloween even though it's 227 days away...they even made a COUNTDOWN...



tell me i'm not supposed to live there.

Up and Coming SpoOoOoOky

So, I don't know why I, Monster Bash 2008, have never heard of this website...but fear not, I've found it!


i was googling "scary movies 2008" in hopes to find some spooky delights to keep me occupied until 10/31/08...and this magical website hopped up onto the results:


Upcoming Horror Movies (UHM)


seriously, what did I do with my life before this was a part of it?


a couple of gems that appear to be coming to a theater near you are:


Donkey Punch, which, according to another new horror movie central fave of mine "FearNet.Com" discusses the central significance of what exactly a donkey punch is...which if you don't know...you may as well wikipedia it, because i'm not elaborating. all i know is that the movie sounds very hostile/saw-esque, and i'm not really a fan of those types of movies...too realistically scary. give me jason voorhees in space instead.




Anyways, check it out, i'll wait here...let me know what upcoming scaaaary movie you're most looking forward to!

Halloween new vs. old

So, I've given you a few days to digest a blog solely dedicated to my fav. holiday...let's start with a personal favorite movie of mine that shares the same name: Halloween.





in case you forgot, Rob Zombie also remade the original movie, and to be honest, i liked it! i thought it was great. Sure, it wasn't the original...it was a little more gory and a little less suspenseful, but I thought it was a great movie all on its own...what were your thoughts?

I thought that new michael myers looked a lot more gritty and scary compared to old michael myers:






Also, the death scenes in the new one were pretty gory in comparison to the older one, which didn't surprise me, considering that zombie also has made The Devil's Rejects and House of 1000 Corpses...both extraordinarily gory...right?








But, getting wrapped up in all the gore of new-age michael myers makes me almost forget a diamond in the rough...


Halloween: Resurrection

This movie is the worst/best movie of all time. I think it might also be my favorite. some loser kid (dexter? deckard? daxter? who cares) is typing on the computer to some girl he likes who happens to win a "contest" to be in the old michael myers house overnight with another group of...you guessed it...slutty promiscuous teens! where's jason when you need him? and then you know what? michael myers is THERE..at his house! waiting to kill! awesome! and who's the girl's only hope? loser computer guy! because it's being streamed live! they hooked up hidden surveillance cameras throughout michael myers' haunted, condemned house! the house that has been a crime scene for the past 18 halloween movies! but come on in and spend the night and film it!
god bless the computer era!!

but the best part you ask?

the best part, obviously, is that the contest is being run by.......

yes! busta rhymes and tyra banks!

i smell academy award.

but i digress...

let's get back on track here.

so who's better? new or old? i bet anything you're all going to say "old" because you're "true to your roots". and that's fine with me.


NEW
VS.

OLD

7 months until Halloween!!!

The Beginning...of....the END

Monster Bash is getting HUGE...people are constantly asking me about how grandiose Monster Bash '08 will be...to be honest, I don't have enough time to personally answer each and every e-mail. So I figured that the Monster Bash Blog will be your one stop source for all things bash related!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Monster Bash franchise, it is the party to end all parties. Allow me to elaborate:

I am the number 1 fan of Halloween. EVERYTHING that involves autumn, pumpkins, leaves, scary movies, horror, and Halloween = Me.


So, back in August of 2006, Jim told me that "maybe" we could have a "small" party for Halloween.

And that blew the door open to Halloween. For the next 2 months, my life revolved around the anticipation of October 31st. Props, Party stores, Menu creation, Pinata buying...you name it, it was covered.

And Monster Bash 2006 was BORN! (See here, here, here, and here)...and a complete success if I might add...

So, the aftermath was filled with sadness....could Monster Bash 2007 add up to the magic of MB'06? I was fearful...

and once summer rolled into the beginning of fall....it began again...

shopping...cooking...decorating....

Monster Bash '07 had a bigger budget....and therefore a bigger turnout....
and
it
was

AMAZING.

And that brings us to now...Will Monster Bash '08...Tentatively Scheduled for Sunday, October 26th (because I just realized I have a wedding on October 25th)...or perhaps...MB'08 could be the first Monster Bash ever to be on the actual Halloween night-Friday, October 31st?!?! Could it be?!

One thing I can tell you is this: Today, March 8th...planning has begun.

nothing huge, nothing set in stone...

but...

The road to the greatest Monster Bash in Jim's room has been paved...in spoookiness.

get ready to be scared out of your mind!! (in 7 months)!!