Halloween Recap!

As you know by now, Halloween is my favorite holiday and I take the choice and creation of my costume very seriously! Last year, I won 1st place in the Halloween Costume Contest at local club called T.T. and the Bear's - so this year I had to return to try to reclaim my crown.

 

If you have known me at any point since I was a teenager, you probably know that I am obsessed with the television show "Twin Peaks," created by David Lynch and Mark Frost back in 1990.  So obsessed in fact, that I once took a Greyhound bus 54 hours straight from Chicago to Snoqualmie, WA where it was filmed.  I stayed in Snoqualmie for a week, seeing all the sites I could from the show and subsequent film Fire Walk With Me.  Some sites, like where the "Welcome to Twin Peaks" sign was in the television show (but not actually there in reality, obviously), took a whole day to walk to from town.  Then at night I would walk through the woods with a flashlight, carrying a boom box playing the "Twin Peaks" soundtrack, and scaring the bejeezus out of myself.  It doesn't get much dorkier than this people!

If you haven't seen the show, first of all, you should! But for those of you who haven't seen it, it revolves around the murder of a small town homecoming queen named Laura Palmer.  In the pilot, her dead body is found washed up on the shore of a lake (naked and wrapped in plastic).  So while the main plot of the show is "Who Killed Laura Palmer?" and in many ways she is the main character, she is never actually on the show except in the occasional flashback.  This helps add to the mystery of her character and intriguing circumstances surrounding her death.

I have always identified with Laura Palmer for some reason, and since this year it was the 20th anniversary of the show, I decided it was time to finally be her!

(Above: Yours truly as bad girl Laura Palmer.  I think I look prettier than the Mona Lisa herself here, if I do say so myself!) 

It wasn't easy, let me tell you.  But I think I pulled it off.  It took me about two full days to get everything together to make the "dress," custom purse and shoes.

(Above: Customized purse and boots made entirely out of clear plastic and white duct tape.  Perhaps not historically accurate to the "real" Laura Palmer, but inspired by her fabulous dead body!)

(Above: Getting in the Halloween spirit with a little tap dance halfway through the costume creation process - October 29, 2010.)

Last Saturday, it was time to go to the club where one year before I had won 1st place for my rendition of Stephen King's Carrie.  But as I was walking around on the way there, people kept stopping me and asking me if I was Lady Gaga! It was then that I realized that if you didn't know who Laura Palmer was -- that I did actually look kind of like Lady Gaga! Oh no! Things were not looking good for me in my pursuit to win the costume contest, unless everyone there really likes Lady Gaga!

After I arrived, I did a little constricted dancing, and then the DJ announced that there was only 10 minutes left before the contest began.  I was at least going to give it a shot (I had to show off all my hard work!), but didn't want to get my hopes up about winning.  Laura Palmer is a pretty obscure costume.  In comparison to last year, practically everyone knows who Carrie is -- and no one wants Carrie to lose... because who knows what could happen to those in attendance if she did!

I got in line for the bathroom, and while I was waiting there, out walked a girl dressed as another character from "Twin Peaks," Audrey Horne! I couldn't believe it! We just paused and looked at each other and were like, "AWESOME!!!" She told me that her boyfriend was there and that he was dressed as yet another character from "Twin Peaks" too... Special Agent Dale Cooper! I was psyched! I immediately suggested that we all enter the contest as a group, because we would be unstoppable! They were more than happy to oblige me.

(Above: Meet F.B.I. Special Agent Dale Cooper and Miss Audrey Horne.  Them + me = the Twin Peaks trifecta - a brilliant strategy to win the costume contest!) 

When the contest started we all met together on stage.  There were anywhere from 30-40 people entered, so the stage was packed.  Each person had to walk up to the emcee and say into the microphone what their costume was, then wait to hear how loud the applause was for them.  When our newly formed posse went up, the crowd went wild! More people must have known about "Twin Peaks" than I thought! One by one, the contestants with the least applause were asked to leave the stage, and then the cycle began again.  It was goodbye to all the clowns first (people don't like them), then the kind of nerdy stuff like avatars and robots, then to the sexy Raggedy Ann doll, sexy cigarette girl, sexy transit card (?!), etc.  This went on for quite some time, until the only ones left standing were us and a girl dressed as Tippi Hedren from The Birds.  The applause for Tippi finally beat us out, so she won 1st place and we came in 2nd.  We even won $60 and a beautiful little trophy that Audrey and Cooper were nice enough to let me keep.  The funny thing is that Tippi's outfit is a pre-packaged costume that I have seen at a bunch of stores and even on friends of mine! Oh well.  All and all another Halloween to remember, and I kept my costume crown (kind of)!

Halloween Perversion and Why it is my Favorite Holiday

Everyone knows that Halloween is my favorite holiday.  Perhaps its because growing up with just me, my Dad and my little brother, the typically jovial holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years' were anti-climactic and even downright depressing.  It was the worst feeling in the world for a kid to get back from a miserable Christmas vacation only to hear all the other kids bragging about the expensive presents they received, when I would get something worth about $30 -- if anything at all!

Halloween was my holiday refuge.  Since everyone dressed up for Halloween, it was also the one day where I could blend in and feel comfortable.  I could let my freak flag fly, loud and proud! And I could be who ever I wanted to be on that day. 

When I pick a costume, I start thinking about it as soon as the day after Halloween, and plan (in my head) all year long.  I am usually introduced to a person or character, and become obsessed with the idea of being them for a day.  I store that person/being in my memory bank, sometime for years, and when it feels right I select that particular idea.  Once that years costume is decided upon - I get really into it - planning the most subtle details far in advance.  One year, I was Sharon Tate (dead, of course) and I went as far as to study her autopsy report to make sure the clothes, wounds, etc. were all historically accurate.  Later, as an ode to the success of this past costume and as a token of my appreciation to her spirit for guiding me that night, I made sure to thank the woman herself!

(Above: Paying my respects to Sharon Tate Polanski and her unborn child at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, CA.)

I also celebrate the spirit of Halloween all year round, by wearing Halloween themed accessories like socks and earrings almost every day.

(Above: Keeping the spirit of Halloween alive each and every day!)

When I saw the film Sin City when it was released back in 2005, I really didn't care for it as a whole.  But what really stuck out to me was the character Kevin (played by Elijah Wood), and how terrifying and psychotic he looked! I knew I wanted to be him someday.  And a few years ago, this dream became a reality.

(Above: Me as Kevin from Sin City.  The secret to pulling off this costume was that everything had to be in black, white or gray like in the film - including my skin.  Also, the all-white reflection of the glasses added an extra level of creepiness.)

Last year, I felt it was officially time to be Carrie.

 (Above: Me as Carrie - Halloween 2009.  The clincher for this costume was the corsage, which I paid a florist to re-create using stills from the film.)

As Carrie, everywhere I went that night people stopped me to take pictures, ran up to me on the street and yelled, "Carrie! Carrie!" and proceeded to hug me (despite my being completely covered in a blood-like substance).  I had never felt so loved! I even won first place in a Halloween costume contest, over hundreds of other people at the club I was at! It was one of the happiest moments of my life.  Not only did I win the affection and acclaim of hundreds, I also won $100 in cash, concert tickets and a $50 gift certificate to a local sex shop! Last year is going to be hard to beat.

So, I have a character in mind for this year that I have wanted to portray ever since I was a teenager.  Laura Palmer.  The time just wasn't right until now.  I have all the items in mind necessary to pull this costume off, so last weekend it was time for me to go out and get them, or at least do some preliminary research.  But first! Its always important to celebrate the season by sporting some crazy Halloween designs on your nails for ordinary citizens to enjoy! I like to give back to the community whenever possible.

(Above: My wacky Halloween 2010 nail designs, orange with little black Franken-scars to match the one on my neck!)

Now that I was in the mood, I set out for my local costume store.  I was shocked by what I found.

Have costumes always been this slutty? Do women actually say, "I want to be a sexy Nurse/Cleopatra/Cop/Waitress/Swiss Milkmaid for Halloween this year?" Is Halloween just an excuse for us ladies to dress like total skanks? Believe me, I have no problem with scantilly clad women.  But that's not what Halloween is about! Is anything sacred? This is the day for people to get creative and take some time to gather the components for some kooky costumes! Not to just buy the pre-packaged "Lovely Lolita" or "Hospital Honey" getups! And women, I think that if you so desire to wear these kind of outfits, you should dress like that anytime of year.  Seriously! Don't be ashamed.  Stop hiding in the preppy shadows and feel free to be the freak that you are!

(Above: Has my obsession with Twin Peaks gone too far? I actually held this "Twin Peeks Ski Patrol" costume in my hands for 2-3 minutes, contemplating whether or not it had a place in my Twin Peaks memorabilia collection.  It even comes complete with a fleshlight! Err, I mean flashlight.)

After wading through the seas of sexy women's costumes, I discovered that the insanity did not stop there.

Apparently, Halloween also gives men an excuse to be total sex creeps.  "Oh, excuse this two foot long phallic projectile that has been bumping into you for the past two hours 'round the punch bowl... That's just my Fire Extinguisher®!" Or. "Hey, what's your name? Wendy? I love that name.  Oh, what's my costume all about? Well, I am a To-Do List of course.  And I'm saving the #1 spot for you!"

And if you thought this perversion was limited to adults... guess again! Pervert designers and pedo-seamstresses are in a sex-covered sweatshop somewhere right now making these outfits for your children!

(Above: Are they 3 or are they 13? Who cares, its Halloween!)

I also found several what I like to call, Confusing Costumes of Degradation.  Whether the costume be degrading to oneself or to others, the reasoning behind the selection of such a costume boggles the mind!

(Above: Bitch Wings and Anita Waxin'.  Need I say more?)

Needless to say, my initial goal of finding the pieces for my own costume was completely sidetracked by worried observation and social criticism.  How could people be doing this to my day? I mean, none of these costumes are even spooky! It ain't right.

So I would like send an S.O.S. to all of my reader(s) out there in the vacuum of cyberspace... PLEASE refrain from buying any pre-packaged sexual costumes this year - whether you be man, woman or infant! Its time to take back the night! Please take a moment right now to come up with an idea (think spooky, not sexy!), and feel the satisfaction of a day's hunting for all the pieces that you will need.  And if you do decide to go the down and dirty route with your costume, watch your back! I may send the Hottie Police out to find you.

(Above: If you bought a pre-packaged Halloween costume in the past 30 days, your name could already be listed in this Hottie Police summons book.  BEWARE!)

To see additional pictures from this excursion (and more!), check out my Flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/secretgeeksociety/

Halloween Preview!

"She's dead... wrapped in plastic!" -Pete Martell