It’s no surprise—I love Halloween. I have fond memories of homemade costumes, bags stuffed with candies, crazy parties in college (and a few years after), plus strange struggles to come up with costumes that were fun and still comfortable on the dance floor, as Tango Halloweens have been my norm in recent years.
Halloween entertainment—books, movies, TV shows and plays—have always been a part of my celebrations, and are becoming more important. I look forward to watching awful, old Frankenstein, Dracula & werewolf movies on TV; to the Simpson’s annual animated gore & giggle fest; to the endless Halloween-themed baking competition shows; new horror movie releases; seasonal off-Broadway plays/revivals; and to discovering new Halloween-ish books.
This year I stumbled upon, “The Witch: And Other Tales Re-Told” by Jean Thompson. It’s a collection of modern “fairy tales.” Her version of Hansel & Gretel was about two kids placed in temporary foster care with manipulative fill-in parent, and her Bluebeard is a much-married, successful, older man with a few secrets. I recommend it to anyone seeking a low gore/low violence/zero calorie, Halloween treat.
Last year at this time I read Agatha Christie’s “Hallowe’en Party.” It’s one of the later Hercule Poirot novels and, although it’s not representative of Christie at her best, it’s fun—like seasonal candy.
My neighborhood will be crazy on Monday, October 31. The annual Greenwich Village Halloween parade does not pass directly by my apartment, but the parade route cuts a huge, and colorful, swath through the area and revelers spill out onto all the side streets, creating a wild & wicked carnival atmosphere.
This weekend, I’ll nail down my costume and decide where I’m going to celebrate.
Happy Halloween!
Carnival masks in Venice shop window.
This year I am dressing up as a Day of the Dead Senorita. My headdress is totally out of control. It’s going to be great!
Take lots of photos!!!
lol – enjoy. We’ve only started the Halloween tradition in recent years and there’s really not much to it. The word that springs to mind is orange pumpkins and meh. Why not take some photos of that parade? It sounds like fun and I’ve never heard of a Halloween parade before.
Not sure I want to be out on the street in the crowds. But I will try to find some shots. It’s a HUGE thing in my neighborhood. It closes off traffic and makes getting around a challenge. But it’s also great fun! The costumes, the floats, the craziness of it all… Two years ago It took me nearly an hour to walk from my place to a Tango dance two blocks north of my place and a bunch of avenues west. The police, with barricades and good humor, controlled the east/west pedestrian traffic and basically ended car travel. I would not want to be in an ambulance on Halloween Night in Greenwich Village. (Or for that matter, any where on the race route on the day of the NYC Marathon.)