halloween.great.
 

well,anyone knocks on my door,the shotty will be good and ready.

Fucking stupid American custom, Bonfire Night makes for a far better excuse to get hammered.

I became a dead swing dancer for Halloween. Not the actual day, the swing dance Halloween social. I’ve yet to see any photos.

We British officially don't "get" Halloween. My house hosted one party when I was six, and it was awesome. By the very next year I had grown out of it, as had my two-year younger brother, who has always kept up with me.

An English correspondent living in LA reported that his neighbour had advised his wife to spend upwards of $300 on crap for this evening. Which, in the current economic climate, sounds particularly excessive and unnecessary. Sure, let's spend a small fortune on sweets for other people's kids who will be demanding a reward for ruining our entire evening.

I've never been so happy to be living on the sixth floor. Last year I had a house with a door, which is prime trick-or-treating fodder. Certainly the little blighters kept turning up. They did not leave fulfilled.

I hate Halloween. It's Pointless unless you are attending or hosting a party.

First little shit to come to my door is going to get a handfull of used condoms. Trick or fucking treat?

What is wrong with you people? Halloween is a holiday where it is socially acceptable to dress up like a freak and scream shit in a crowded street. That's amazing. And besides that it's a totally festive, exciting nation-wide celebration.

That said, I've totally slacked on an outfit. I was thinking about wearing shorts and a beater and going as 'cold'. But then I'd be... you know, I'd be cold, so I might not do it. I'll think of something though. I made a pretty sexy drunken transvestite last year.

SO, to the people who aren't totally lame and European, what are ye going as?

Well I'm going to my girlfriends Halloween/Bonfire Night party next weekend as the Phantom of the Opera, the costume is easy and doesn't require any great effort on my part. One of those masks, an opera cloak, something to tie my hair back in, some red paint to wear under the mask and quite possibly a chandelier to fling at her family while I take her off to my fiendish lair for sex.

And by fiendish lair I mean my garden.

And by 'my' garden I mean somebody elses.

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over how amazing my costume is.

Bitch.

I have that mask.

I want those hands.

That's kind of creepy, but with the very localised skinlessness you look more like a victim of war and some sort of chemical weapon than, say, Freddy Kruger's little brother.

That would be issue number one: it's no different than any other day of my life in this respect. In fact, it being socially acceptable tonight (which, I might add, it certainly isn't on this side of the Atlantic) is a mark against it.

Issue number two: if it isn't actually nationwide (more like nationdusted) as so here, lacks an actual sense of festivity and when what is actually being celebrated has been long lost from the minds of pretty much everyone (Celtic harvest festival, more recently hijacked by Christianity for All-Saints), these points don't add up to much.



And frankly, the hideous tack that starts befouling the supermarkets around August and clashing horribly with the Christmas decorations don't put me in a good mood for it.

Halloweeenn. Scary movies, dressing up and an excuse to go out late and not get shouted at. Me, my mates and my lil' sis went out to a under 18's club, pretty boring but good music aaannnd after that we went down Union Street for food; saw a sumo, Batman, Catwoman, Superman, plenty of bunny girls, Dorothy(from wizard of OZ), Alice in Wonderland and many more. While out saw a Batman run and Craig and I(one of my mates) started singing the batman theam tune out loud while crossing the road (brilliant). While at our pick up point (right next to a bar) we got our picture taken with some of the barmen who were drag queens and offered us a free drink (my sister walked in the bar with me and got sent out cus she was underage...I didn't :D), would of accepted but my dad drove round the corner just in time. This all happened all in 2 and a half hours. :D happy Halloween everyone...I sure did:D

I actually went trick or treating. At 14 years old. The novelty's worn off now, but a couple of people ended up giving us loads of sweets each. I actually don't to eat them.

Yeah, this is actually true for me as well. But, I dunno. When shitloads of people are doing it instead of just a few, it's like being part of a city-wide club of drunken fools. Call it mob mentality.


Yeah. Well luckily I live in New York, where the crazies come out.

Also, I've decided to be a nudist on strike! No effort required. Wel actually, I'm making a Nudist Union shirt, but that's it.

I have never gone trick-or-treating, and before this year I have never dressed up for it or celebrated in any way, really. Like any reasonable person, I will not be amused by any child who knocks on my door wanting sweets, whether it’s the last day in October or not. I acknowledge my being a frequent killjoy, particularly when it comes to frivolous holidays like Halloween and Bonfire Night (yes, admit it, it means nothing, despite what V for Vendetta tried to do with it. It’t pretty lights, a burning pile of logs, and assorted roasted goodies), and I’ve criticized both holidays on OWF before. But I’ve more tolerant in my extreme age. If people want to dress up and act a bit crazy as current tradition suggests, then as long as they’re not doing any harm, I have no objection.

This year, as I say, I went out drinking and clubbing on Tuesday night with white face paint and fake blood. One thing I never did get about Halloween in the U.S. is why people dress as anything non-horror. How are pirates and fairies and cowboys Halloweeny? Save your random crap for ordinary fancy dress. But then I realized I was wearing an attempt at a 40s swing dance outfit on my night out, originally with no Halloween theme to it. But it was a swing dance society social, so I’m forgiving myself on that count.

Bullshit. You ENGLISH don't get Halloween but my Irish boss was telling me all about her childhood Halloween experiences. Admittedly, they merge Halloween together with Bonfire Night because they don't see the point of demonising Guy Fawkes.

Speaking of which, apparently Margaret Thatcher tried to promote Halloween in England so that people would put all their effort in to costumes instead of firecrackers the following week.

Ireland isn't Britain.

I love Halloween. But it's not just the whole 'omg let's give candy to complete strangers' thing. I'm fascinated by the origins and all that. It's my favorite holiday. But when I'm able to celebrate it I take it too far - I made a Pyramid Head (Silent Hill) costume out of next to nothing and even constructed a corpse to carry candy in. If I had my way that corpse would be hanging outside my front porch all day.

But I have to go to work at 2AM on Halloween, which just SUCKS. No fun and scary movies for me. The cheesiness of what has happened to Halloween is awesome to me too. I love the "gore" and special effect and the scare-factor. Halloween is the one day I can be myself and no one actually cares for once. So that's why I like it. If you don't that's your opinion, and that's fine with me. But I like it.

Unfortunately I tend to stop eating normal food and binge on candy for three weeks prior - which makes me really sick, but it's fun. I used to trick my family into buying a whole bunch of candy (we only get maybe two or three trick-or-treaters a year) so I could eat it myself. Now I just buy the candy myself, usually.

I'm going to a Halloween party tonight, dressed as the Phantom of the Opera as well! But I haven't got a mask :(

Alcar...

Then go as the Phantom without his mask. People screaming, women fainting everywhere; it'll be great!

I went to a Halloween par-tay yesterday, superb punch and loads of peeps there :D

I love Halloween (well this years)

I watched so many zombies this week, and Cabin Fever. Then one of my flatmates bursts into the room, dressed in torn and bloody clothes, but also with his head covered in real blood. Frightened the life out of me.

It seems that some prick at the party downstairs had attempted (and succeeded) to pierce his ears against his will. I had to play nurse for some fifteen minutes.

Some of you have very little sense of childhood wonder. I find it slightly ridiculous to have a problem with one night a year in which kids get to dress up and have some fun. I'm sorry. It doesn't mean that you are more mature to not like things. That is not the definition of maturity. And if you don't want kids coming to your house then turn your fucking porch light off.

Halloween is my daughters favorite holiday. She loves getting dressed up and going to see monsters. I think it's more about the excitement of being out at night and knowing that "this is the night that the monsters come out". I tell my daughter that the people with their lights out have been eaten by the gobbling monsters.

I actually get quite resentful of people who don't participate. If you are too much of a cheap and miserly piece of shit to spring for 15 dollars worth of candy then at least turn your light off. Instead of having fun and running to the next house, my daughter has to stand there, wondering if you are coming to the door. If you are the cause of disappointment in my daughter on one of her favorite days, I will not like you.

I don't have a problem with Halloween, I just don't find myself inspired to participate. I lost interest in the kid's stuff when I was still a kid, and the adult stuff is a mere variation on activities I don't find enjoyable anyway. And I am not going to sit in the dark all night just to avoid this imported custom of door-to-door begging.

The porch light. Just the fucking porch light. If the porch light is off it means that you aren't participating. All the other lights in the house can be on. JUST NOT THE PORCH LIGHT. It's a simple courtesy.

Porches do not really exist in Britain, and even if they did drunken teenagers would still knock on our doors and demand sweets in turn for our houses not getting papered.

I probably would give sweets to your daughter, even though it violates just about every single 'Stranger Danger' warning, but I object to giving sweets to people over five foot.

You don't even have lights above your front doors? What a bizarre, backwards country.

What's the point? If we're not in, it's a waste of power, if we are in, we don't need it. Besides, there's enough light pollution to get around human civilisation by yourself. Hell, I grew up in the countryside and I never knew a night I couldn't see in.

Dude, you and I both know that the British have lights at their front doors. Let's not make this harder than it needs to be. Which, by the way, is what you guys are doing with the whole concept of Halloween. It's one night. Don't make it so hard. If we spent less time being disapproving of "American" customs, we might just enjoy ourselves. Or don't do it. But complaining about kids having fun or referring to it as begging. Well, that's just being a killjoy for the sake of showing how cool you are. And that, my friend, is not cool at all.

Well, sorry for taking exception to the idea that people are going to turn up on my door step throughout the evening demanding to be awarded goodies with no cited justification besides a half-hearted appeal to authority. I never signed up for this. Now, I don't have a problem with Halloween itself at all, that I don't take part is purely a matter of personal taste, and to anyone who does dress up and go partying that or any other night of the year, I say more power to them. But to march kids around the neighbourhood asking that other people contribute to their own party with actual goods and supplies without so much as an invitation to join them? I should not have to expect that sort of behaviour and I should not have to expect to be chided for feeling that way either.

You have not been chided for not participating. As I said, participate, don't participate. Doesn't matter. The people who do participate do so because it is a fun little event. That's all. Noone expects you to pass out candy. We just ask that you not advertise that you will be (leaving the light above your door on) if you don't want to. Everyone involved is a willing participant. What I don't expect is to be viewed as some sort of solicitor, going door to door requesting what isn't mine, because myself and others decide to have fun with our children and give other children a fun night. It's the derisive tone that I take offense to. Also the idea that it's an actual inconvenience. It really fucking isn't. Not by the wildest stretch of the imagination.

Not really. Some porches have lights, but they’re only good for taking your shoes off, not for use as a status report on your presence/absence/miserliness. Fact is, trick-or-treating here is not so common that you can call any confectionery non-stockist a killjoy. I lived on a suburban street with plenty of families with young children, and we got trick-or-treaters maybe three or four years out of the 19 I was there. Not worth it.

Maybe in parts of the U.S. you can get a neighbourly sensation out of strangers’ children showing up on your doorstep desiring goodies, but on the whole, we don’t. If someone rung on my door and told me, ‘Hi, the school just up the road is organizing a trick-or-treat outing tomorrow evening, would you like to be called upon/will you be here/how do you feel about my quickly installing a light above your door?’ then I’d feel less inclined to be pissed off.

My problem is not/has never been with people who choose not to participate. My problem is with the idea that those who do are begging little assholes.

I haven't seen house with a porch light in this entire city. I don't think anyone even has a porch, not that anyone here is familiar with that custom anyway. If they want to come, they will come, and there's nothing to do but ignore the rings and knocks or else face them down and turn them away. I admit our Halloween culture is significantly different from your own, as is, apparently, our architecture, and that is why there is significant resistance to the practice of trick-or-treating. I don't expect to ever meet you or your daughter one October evening, and if I ever do find myself resident in the states then I now know to leave the porch light off at night. But American culture is one of the State's biggest exports to Britain, and we're not very good at it.

You guys do Halloween wrong. WRONG, I SAID.

No, that's like saying Newton did Quantum Physics wrong.

Are there any specifics that I should know whilst burning my Guy Fawkes effigy?

None that your local fire chief can't tell you.

Halloween pics.









I think Havok will appreciate the sword/flashlight.

OANST, even the most miserly European naysayers couldn't refuse candy to your daughter.

That costume is adorable :D and she looks like she means business with that glowstick in the last picture.

Wait why would I specifically appreciate the sword? :S

Anyway I think Halloween is a cool holiday, though not my cup of tea. I'd never participate if it would become a real thing over here.

Also you'd expect this to happen in America first...