Star Costumes was lucky enough to catch up with cosplayer Taylor Bennett (aka hmwsgx – just try to pronounce that), and the lovely Taylor was nice enough to answer a few of our questions.

Could you give us a little background on who you are and what you do?

I am a graduate art student that majored in 2D Studio art, and switched to costume-based art during my Masters in Art. Currently, I am a part-time art instructor at a community college. I am a huge sci-fi nerd, and extremely obsessed with Bioware games (if my costume roster did not make it obvious).

What initially interested you in cosplay and when was this? What was your first costume?

I saw photos of cosplay when I was in high school around 2002 or so. I thought it was really strange and I didn’t completely understand the concept, but I was fascinated by the idea of dressing up as my favorite characters. I finally decided to take the plunge into cosplay in 2007 when I saw Jia Jem’s Rydia costume. Her insane amount of dedication to detail and bringing a 2D character to life inspired me to give costuming a shot.

I barely knew how to use a sewing machine, but I wanted to learn, there was this hunger to get my hands on a new material and try a new creative outlet so I knew I would have to dedicate my time and energy if I was serious about making my own costume. I took a theatre costuming class to learn about pattern making and how to sew with different fabrics, and I read a lot of tutorials online. My first cosplay was Tali’Zorah from Mass Effect 1. It was a poor choice on my end since I was a sewing novice and knew little about armor making, but it was well received. The feedback and lessons I learned helped me progress and get better at cosplaying.

What’s your favorite aspect of making costumes and cosplaying in general?

My favorite part when I am making costumes is finding the materials–shopping! I know that is such a girly reply but I feel so satisfied when I find the perfect fabric, even better when I find something on sale or have coupons to save money! It is hard to choose the best part of cosplaying at a con, but I would have to say it is seeing the reaction on other people’s faces. It feels fantastic when someone shouts my character’s name across a room or runs up to me asking for a photo and that they have been trying to find me all day. Meeting people who appreciate the series I am cosplaying from is the best feeling in the world, because we are both sharing this total geek-out moment and discussing our favorite parts about the characters and story.

I think my favorite specific moment was cosplaying as Female Shepard at San Diego Comic Con. I was bummed out that I didn’t have my Morinth costume ready and I used my FemShep dress as a backup for the Bioware Costume Contest. I felt completely insecure because my costume was so plain compared to other cosplayers’ elaborate Mass Effect costumes, but then I decided I was going to make the most of it and have fun with my cosplay by assuming the role of “Party Shepard.” With a bottle of wine I borrowed from an open bar and a sway in my walk, I shambled on stage and turned on an obnoxious and loud personality with plenty of “drunk” dancing. People loved it and I had a blast! I still get messages and emails from people explaining how they saw me on BiowareTV and that I was their favorite cosplayer at the contest by that performance alone.

Is there anything you don’t like about making costumes or cosplaying?

Making costume patterns from scratch. That is the most difficult part and it is endlessly frustrating when I cannot figure out how to get the sizing just right.

What do you currently have in the works? Anything you’ve been dying to make?

Currently I am working on a Wrex from Mass Effect for my friend, which just so happens to be a costume I have been dying to make! I am also working on Scout’s mom from Team Fortress 2 and I am considering a costume from Borderlands–not sure which character to make yet.

Expanding on the last question, what factors go into deciding who you want to cosplay as?

There are a few factors, the most important is cosplaying from a series I absolutely adore. I think it shows how passionate I am about Mass Effect and Dragon Age since those two are the only series I have cosplayed from (so far!), and I think fans of the series are happy to know I am genuinely interested in the games and not just choosing the costume because it looks cool. I am also a glutton for punishment and go for costumes that are complex and rarely seen in the cosplay community.

Another important factor in choosing a costume is how much fun it will be to cosplay that character. I enjoy characters that are morally ambiguous, like Aria T’Loak and Flemeth. They make me feel conflicted and unsure of their motives–although their actions do seem to be driven by their own selfish desires, but who can blame them? That is a realistic personality. On the other hand, I have cosplayed as characters I don’t care for such as Miranda and Morinth (sorry fanboys!). I thought it would be fun to cosplay them since people at cons say things about my Miranda cosplay like “I chose Jack over you! Sorry, I have a soft spot for bad girls” and I just HAVE to interact with some in-character quip, and when I cosplay as Morinth I act like a minx–it is insanely fun to do and fans get a kick out of it.

Any helpful advice for fellow cosplayers?

Never get discouraged, whether it is negative comments on your costume, your skill level, etc. The worst thing you can do to yourself is start comparing your work to cosplayers who have either been making costumes for years, have fancier tools and equipment, or a bigger budget. Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t have the right budget, tools, body type, gender, or personality for a character. If you want to dedicate your time, money, and passion into a certain costume that is your business and no one else’s. And always remember: HAVE FUN WITH IT!

A big thank you to Taylor for granting us an interview! Be sure to check out more of her work at her Deviant Art page: http://hmwsgx.deviantart.com/.

Viral YouTube sensation Venetian Princess is holding a vote on which of our costumes she should wear this Halloween! She’s modeling two of our top costumes on her Facebook page.

You can choose from:

Our white Lilah dress from Jonah Hex, or…

Our green Scarlett O’Hara costume, officially licensed from Gone with the Wind.

We think she looks beautiful in both! Head on over and cast your vote.

The hazy fog of autumn reminds me that there are some things that you must see beyond to truly understand their beauty. Much in the same way, sometimes there are aspects of a spectacular film that can be lost in the grandiosity of it all if we fail to take in the subtleties. Of these subtle nuances of cinematic style, none is often times more neglected than the art costuming.

While the most heralded films tend towards the more extravagant, there’s a contingent of filmmakers intent on creating a masterpiece based solely on the atmosphere of the film. That is to say, while sets and technology have pushed films to heights never before imagined, there is a small pocket of Hollywood that reserves the extravagance for the story and the connection of the players with the audience.

That being said, sometimes the costuming that fades into the background can be the most jarring pieces of artwork on the set itself. The undertones of a film inform the necessity for imagery. After all, what is pressed into celluloid is literally poetry in motion. The visual impact of a film gives shape and form to the way in which members of the audience think about the world around them.

Some of the most visceral forms of understatement come in films whose story is complex and multi-layered. In this way, the skin of the character is meant to support, not distract. For instance, the most violent films can be absolutely Pollock in execution, allowing the costume to perform as a blank canvas on which the artists (namely, the actors and their director) paint their story.

The film Equilibrium is in the same breath grandiose and riddled with understatement. The entire point of the film is combating one’s emotions –that is to say that the emotional landscape of the film is grey, completely devoid of the subtleties in emotion that define us as human. The costumes are all monotone, a chromic depiction of the futuristic sameness of humanity. No one stands out, nor is anyone meant to. It’s this stark contrast between the ballet of violence and the uniformity of the characters that give the film its depth.

The costumes come to define and contradict the characters as they begin to develop. Christian Bale’s character begins soft, almost blending into the dreariness of his environment until a chance meeting with a woman who reminds him of the giggle in his late wife’s smile smashes his built-in understanding of emotion and the irreparable harm it can cause. As his world becomes streaked in blood reds and bruised blues, the tone of his uniform takes on a different hue. Though still grey, there’s something distinctly unique about it –the wearer’s transformation boring slight wrinkles, misplaced splotches of imperfection into the clothing itself.

Of course, sometimes uniformity can cause a significant rip in the imagery, creating a visual palette that can be hard to swallow. In GATTACA, the uniformity is quite striking, considering the elegant colours that provide the overwhelming essence of the film. It’s a film focused on individual DNA.

While similar in its helix shape in every human being, the raw material doesn’t define the being in the human. In the same way that the material of each grey and black suit is similar in fibre and texture, the actual living, breathing creature inside has his own thoughts, his own emotions, his own understanding of who he is –despite the constant push for humanity to become one individual. Insomuch as one’s DNA doesn’t define him, it has the power to create him.

For instance, Ethan Hawke’s character is enticed by the very idea of touching the moon; however, his DNA would suggest that he isn’t fit to do so in this new society in which only those with the genetic mapping of perfection are allowed to reach for it. He learns of a way in which he can mask his DNA for that of another, thus giving the physical visualisation of the film scope: our interior doesn’t necessarily definer our exterior. In this same way, the brilliant colours of the film and the dullness of the attire push and pull to create a tension in the audience, forcing our subconscious to reconcile with we see with what there actually is.

As minute a detail as costuming is, it can go on to define and expand the science of a film, give the film texture where there was none originally. With the world constantly at odds with itself –wanting all the extravagance of fantasy but yearning for some sort of silent stability– film allows us to take this contradiction and see for ourselves that one aspect is as important as the other. The costumes in film provide the crag in logic that our eye is forced to process. In this way, we are forced to identify our own internal struggle and regard, if reluctantly, that the quiet is as important as the loud.

Stephanie Gutowski is a beautiful geek extraordinaire, making her way around the convention circuit dressed as characters from Star Wars, Resident Evil, and more. She was gracious enough to step away from her sewing machine for a few and answer some questions.

When did you get into cosplay and why? What was your first costume?

I first jumped into cosplay in 2000, as I had a dream to become Sailor Jupiter. Shortly after Halloween, I got distracted by other things and didn’t cosplay again until 2007, when I met my boyfriend Sean. He told me that he dressed up as a stormtrooper. I had to become his Twi’lek counterpart, naturally. After several months of trial and error, I put together my first real costume. It was a mess and I vowed to do better. Thus, I began my slow, arduous journey into cosplay.

What do you enjoy most about making costumes?

I love holding the finished product in my hands, being pleased with it and knowing that I made it. That scraps of fabric and glue and thread all came together and formed a character known across the world by fans of all ages.

What do you enjoy the least?

I absolutely hate being stuck and feeling like I’ve run into a wall. When I first started working with spandex, I ran into a lot of issues sewing it and eventually became so distraught that I gave up. But I’ll eventually come back to it. I just don’t like when I run into road blocks that keep me from finishing what I’ve started.

Do you have any costumes in the works? Any costumes you’ve been wanting to make?

I have one costume brewing that I’m keeping under wraps until it’s finished. I do, however, have a few dream costumes. Someday, I will be Commander Shepard, Hawke, Sailor Pluto, and Rogue. Someday!

Of all the characters and species in Star Wars, why a Twi’lek?

Twi’leks have always been the eye candy of the Star Wars universe. Well, at least until BioWare got in there and turned them into badasses. Well… yeah, there were a few other EU twi’leks that kicked butt, so I guess it was their versatility and abuse of the rainbow that got my attention. Plus the head tails. Latex prosthetic plus body paint? What could be more fun? I knew that if I chose to portray a custom twi’lek, I could have a ton of fun with it. Everything from the clothes, personality, to skin color… I could just go to town. I was also really into purple at the time and it was a great excuse for me to really embrace that. They’re one of the most recognizable species and they’ve got tons of fans. The possibilities seemed endless.

Expanding on the last question, how do you go about deciding what you want to make or who you want to cosplay as? What factors go into that decision?

I only cosplay characters from games and movies that I like. I also pick characters that I identify with. For instance, I’m kind of a goof. Selphie from Final Fantasy VIII embodied the carefree, yet deceptively powerful being I’d always pictured myself as. Though I think I really only ever accomplished the dorky part.

Any words of wisdom for aspiring cosplayers?

Never give up! Never surrender! Seriously, that’s like the golden rule. Use it and it will solve all of your problems.

Be sure to check out more of Stephanie’s work at her Cosplay.com profile.

If you attended the recent PAX East convention in Boston – or if you’ve been watching the buzz around the web – you’ve seen the amazing cosplay work of Dan Lewis. And if you haven’t seen it yet, prepare to be impressed. Dan is the creator of three stunningly detailed costumes from the video game Mass Effect 2. We caught up with him to ask him a few questions about his work.

Tali'Zorah, Shepard, and Mordin Solus costumes from Mass Effect 2, built by Dan Lewis (in center). Photo from The Convention Fans Blog.

Star: You’ve created three costumes from Mass Effect 2 – Shepard (in N7 armor), Tali’Zorah, and Mordin Solus. How did you choose these costumes to build?

Dan: When I started building the costumes, there was a distinct lack of exceptional Mass Effect costumes out there.  I found these examples (1 2 3), and though they were inspiring I was sure I could do better, or at least as well.  I was about halfway complete with the Tali costume when I found pictures of Holly Conrad’s Mass Effect cosplay troupe at Comic Con. This did raise the bar if I was to make a respectable costume compared to hers. Soon after, Evil FX revealed a Mass Effect costume with many new build techniques I was not aware of. I was able to use many of their techniques in my costumes.

I debuted my first two Mass Effect costumes at PAX Prime 2010 to a very positive response.  At that convention I meet a costume maker who made a very impressive Mass Effect costume of a character I never though would be possible.

The majority of the challenging Mass Effect characters had been created as costumes at this point, except for Mordin – who happened to be one of my favorite characters.  Mordin is a very difficult character to create an accurate costume for, due to his alien proportions  I decided if I could make a mask that was wearable and looked decent, I would go ahead with the rest of the costume.  The mask turned out quite well, so I found a volunteer to wear the costume and continued the build.

Mordin Solus mask, a work in progress. Photo by Dan Lewis.

The completed Mordin Solus mask. Photo by Dan Lewis.

How did you get started making costumes? What sparked your interest?

I have been going to Anime/Comic Conventions for many years and always enjoyed the costumes.  I had attempted a few costumes, but largely I had them commissioned as I did not know how to sew.  I could sculpt, though, and using my sculpture skills to make parts for a costume seemed feasible to me. After finishing Mass Effect 2 and finding very few costumes for the series I decided to try it myself.

What was the hardest part of making these costumes?

Proportions.  Making sure everything is the correct size to be wearable was difficult.

What part did you enjoy the most?

Painting a piece that you have toiled over is very fun.

What are your favorite materials to work with?

For sculpting I have been using Klean Klay and WED Clay.  Though I have tried other kinds of clay that are superior to those, they are also significantly more expensive.  For molds, I have used latex, silicone and Ultra Cal-30 cement, depending on the application.  For casting I use latex, RTV rubber, fiberglass and urethane resin.  For painting, I use spray cans of acrylic enamel, some latex enamels or air brush paints depending on the application.  I also brush on Tamiya and Model Master brand paints for detailing.  I also use EVA foam for armor parts that need to be flexible.  I’ll use vacuum formed PET for visors and high impact urethane sheets for other plastic details and vacuum forming.

For electronics, I use a simple battery powered LED Christmas light string and EL Wire.

How about your least favorites?

Polyester resin used in fiberglass and body filler is VERY stinky so I don’t like using it, but it’s unavoidable because of how strong and cost effective it is.  Spray paints also stink but are also very useful and cannot be avoided.

What’s next? Any other costumes that you’re planning to make?

I’m thinking about Remnant Tesla armor from Fallout 3 New Vegas, and a Super mutant from Fallout 3.

Do you have any advice for any aspiring cosplay builders out there?

Sign up for prop builder and costume forums such as The RPF, 405th.com and Cosplay.com, and rather than posting your question, search the forum first as your question is likely already answered.  Have a plan and make some blueprints.  There are plenty of other costume makers out there who share their techniques, so don’t be afraid to apply a technique to a costume you are making based on one from a different costume.

And most importantly, don’t be discouraged if a piece looks bad.  Start over and try different techniques and you will be successful eventually.

Oh, and Craigslist and pawn shops are a great place to get power tools you want to play with but don’t have a lot of money for.

Mordin, Shephard, and Tali costumes at PAX East 2011. Photo by Jaime Chapoy.

Step inside, and follow that garden of rose petals leading from the front door to the bedroom. See the candles surrounding the comforter stretched across the floor, that special someone waiting for you in the center wearing next to nothing and holding a rose stem in his teeth. Now close your eyes. Listen to the soft mellow hum of Kenny G. from the iPod dock. Feel the first traces of cloth start to leave your body as you writhe against your lover’s touch. And try not to envision this:

That’s a little something we like to call the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. It’s the real thing, too, kiddies, the aftermath of when Al Capone sent some gunmen to rub out a few rival gang members. It’s also a pretty good representation of how our wallets feel on Feb. 15. So with that said, here are a few things you may not know about this most pesky of holidays.

1. Men Spend Double

Ladies, are you curious as to why men often grumble under their breaths about what a stupid holiday this is? Well, let’s look for a minute at the amount of money that men spend compared to you. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that guys spend around $158 each year on the holiday, while ladies skimp by at $85. Considering the fact that you ladies have been narrowing the gap in the earnings race over the last 10 years, according to the U.S. Labor Department, it may be time for you to step things up a bit. Women currently earn 79% of what a man earns on average. When it comes to V-Day spending, however, they dole out only 45% of what their counterparts do. Cheapskates!

2. Men Don’t Want Anything

Okay, guys, so you’ve got your complaint in about the gifts that your women get you, but before you go off feeling sorry for yourself, consider this. More than one-third of you claim that you don’t even WANT a present on Valentines Day. Come on, guys, you can’t have your red velvet cake and eat it, too. What’s it going to be, more awesome presents or a mutual agreement to act like the holiday doesn’t exist? If it’s the latter, you’re out of luck. Only about 20% of females would be all right with ditching V-Day altogether. That means 80% are in relationships where they expect something. And, guys, if yours is one of the 20%, you hold on to her like grim death.

3. Probably Because All They Get Are Cards

Sales data for Valentine’s cards shows approximately 1 billion are exchanged each year. Of the 1 billion sold, 85% (or 850 million) are bought by women. Considering the little factoid above—that men spend way more than ladies on V-Day—it is apparent the guys are racking their brains trying to find the most perfect of gifts for their sweethearts, and they simply don’t have the time for some cheap-ass sentiment. Regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, the statistics show that half of those cards you’re buying up will be purchased in the last six days leading up to the holiday. Some thought!

4. But At Least You Are Supporting the U.S. Economy—WRONG!

So maybe you are doing the local floral shops a service by paying about $40 more than the roses are actually worth, but when it comes to the actual production of the roses, you U.S. citizens aren’t doing local produce any favors. See, California makes more than 60% of the nation’s supply of roses, but most are bought and imported from South American sources. Of course, we have a tradition of scalping one another in this country on price. Most florists on average charge you 30 percent higher for the same rose selection during V-Day than they would any other time of year.

5. Roses Are Only the Fourth Most Popular Valentines Gift

In a span of three days, around 110 million roses will be delivered each year. Even though this is a pretty impressive number, sending flowers is only the fourth most popular Valentines gift there is, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, with only 32% of people who celebrate the holiday buying in.

(Thanks to the Bureau for taking time out of their busy schedules to track down this incredibly valuable information.)

Greeting cards (65%), date night (44%), and candies (38%), post better numbers, though most of us have to do all three. And by “most of us,” we mean guys. Approximately 73% of all the roses purchased are sold to men. No wonder most Americans will spend an average of $119.67 on the event this year.

6. Tell Us about Your Valentine’s Day Again, Grandpa!

Well, sonny, in ancient Rome during the Lupercalia fertility festival, we men would get to draw the name of a young woman to have sexual relations with for the entire year. In the Middle Ages, we sort of did the same thing. You never knew if you were going to lie down with a princess-in-training or that cute little peasant girl with the pus-y boils all over her face. It was a gamble, but we took what we were given, and we liked it. You chose the name of that Valentine written on parchment and you wore it on your arm with pride for the whole week. There wasn’t any of this love and free choice business. You played the hand you were dealt, and if she happened to have the plague, so be it.

7. Valentine’s Day Is NOT a Day for Lovers—At Least, We Hope Not

While cozying up by the fire with your special person seems like the sort of thing this holiday was made for, try not to get carried away with the idea that Feb. 14 is some kind of special symbol for all things amorous. In fact, if you look at who receives the most Valentine’s each year, the thought of V-Day and sex is a little disturbing. See, teachers and children are the major recipients. They are followed by mothers, then wives, then sweethearts, and finally pets. Of those categories, there are three that you should never even consider having sex with unless you are married to the teacher, want to end up on a sex offender registry, or have no qualms about not being allowed near an animal shelter or pet store for the rest of your life. Also, one in five Valentines given are from children to parents, and each year, 9 million of you will buy Valentines for your pets. Just let it stop with the card and maybe a treat, okay?

8. Valentine’s Day Historical Round-Up

There have been some pretty cool things happen on Valentine’s Day, aside from the Massacre referenced above. For starters, the oldest surviving Valentine dates back to Charles, the Duke of Orleans, who wrote a poem to his beloved while imprisoned in the infamous Tower of London. He was released in 1440 after being held in captivity more than 20 years for his part in the Battle of Agincourt. Unfortunately, she died before he could see her again. Other cool historical facts:

• Alexander Graham Bell applied for the telephone patent on V-Day, 1876.
• Richard Cadbury invented the first candy box in the latter half of the 19^th Century.
• Hallmark produced its first Valentines Card in 1913.
• Sugar Ray Robinson-Jake LaMotta VI, the final meeting of these two ring legends, was fought on Valentine’s Day in 1951. Robinson won the fight via 13^th round TKO, but to reiterate Robert DeNiro’s delivery from the film Raging Bull: “You never put me down, Ray.” Robinson did, however, beat LaMotta ugly-nasty.

9. So Maybe Valentine’s Day IS a Day for Lovers After All

Since penicillin was invented to, among other things, fight syphilis on Feb. 14, 1929—don’t tell us that’s a coincidence—it has made sex on V-Day a little safer for those willing to try it. And apparently, there are quite a few people out there giving it a spin. The condom company Durex reports that their sales increase 20-30% around the holiday compared to how they hold up the rest of the year. Furthermore, March is the prime month for at-home pregnancy test sales, which means that not only are more people getting it on during this time of year, but also condom companies in general aren’t doing a very good job with their products.

10. Valentine’s Day Blues

Valentine’s Day has recently received an additional label, summed up by the acronym SAD, which stands for Singles Awareness Day. Before you go off broadcasting your perfect relationship, keep in mind that for every 120 single men, ages 20-29, there are only 100 single women. Of course, guys, there is hope if you can make it past 65, because the numbers tip greatly in your favor with 100 single women for every 33 single guys. So if you’ve meant to start pimping, that’s probably the time. Further proof that women are not immune from the Valentine’s Day blues: approximately 15% send themselves gifts or flowers each year, so not to come under the harsh spotlight of loneliness. In other words, there are a lot of pitiful people that just don’t want to hear how perfect your boyfriend or girlfriend is. Show some respect, ‘kay?

11. Valentines Day Is a Time for Torturing Kids

And no, we don’t mean tormenting them with Mom-Dad sex tapes, though that would be a good way to teach abstinence, we’re thinking. No, we mean that all those candies you buy each year have to use cocoa, and that must be produced somewhere. And one of the most prevalent places for cocoa production is the Ivory Coast, where an estimated 300,000 kids are used as part of a child slavery ring each year for this very thing. The next time you dig in to one of your beloved chocolate-covered cherries think about what those poor kids have to go through to make the ingredient that brings you so much joy. If you can still have a happy Valentine’s Day after that, then our guilt tactics are obviously not working as well as they should.

12. Strange Facts about Kissing

What Valentine’s Day piece would be complete without shining a little light on the ol’ philematology (that’s the art or science of kissing, and it makes us really smart that we were able to google that up, so a little respect please)? For starters, kissing is not necessarily good for one’s health. Indiana refuses to allow mustached gentlemen to “habitually kiss human beings.” If you’re with your wife on a Sunday in Hartford, Connecticut, then don’t you even think about kissing her in public! And if you kiss a total stranger in the town of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, then you could, by all accounts, be arrested or slapped with a fine. In addition to these odd facts about kissing, here are a few more:

• One minute of kiss-time burns around 26 calories
• In a lifetime, you’ll spend about two weeks lip-locked with someone (approximately 524,160 calories burned)
• To beat the world record for longest kiss, you’ll have to go more than 29 hours (approximately 45,240 calories burned)
• Setting your goals a bit lower, you can always kiss for 2 minutes and 19 seconds while submerged in water if you want to break the longest underwater kiss record
• 3 minutes, 6 seconds will beat the longest movie kiss record set by Jane Wyman and Regis Tommey in the 1941 film “You’re in the Army Now”

That does it for us, Star Costumes readers. However you celebrate the holiday, make sure you use protection, regardless if that means buying up latex from our friends at Durex or simply avoiding the 80% of women who expect you to get them something. Feb. 14 is a time for love, and that’s something you can practice whether you’ve met that special

Happy New Year, horror fans! We put our heads together—and by that, we mean that yours truly scoured through the list of upcoming horror films of note and came up with a game plan for the films that belong on your scary movie radar. Keep in mind, however, that lists like this measure anticipation more than they guarantee quality. We’re fully aware several of the flicks mentioned herein will suck mountain oysters, but then again, you never know until you try! (Then again, sometimes ya do.)

SEQUELS

We suppose it’s best to get these out of the way first. Let’s face it. Most sequels are just plain moronic. Sometimes they get that way immediately. Sometimes it takes two or three efforts before the milk goes bad. In 2011, the sequels that we’re most looking forward to are:

Scream 4

The fourth installment attempts to be a reboot/sequel hybrid that combines the old cast from the original Scream trilogy with a new host of victims ready to be sliced up by everyone’s favorite Ghost-Face Killer(s). We’ve got no reason to think this movie will be any good when it opens on April 15, 2011. Wes Craven has always been an overrated filmmaker. My Soul to Take was one of the worst pieces of crap to come along in sometime. And the third Scream film was equally as bad. So why are we looking forward to this so much? Well, we know we shouldn’t be, but sometimes when you let an idea sit for a while, it’s possible to come up with something fresh and new upon revisiting it. Being the eternal optimists that we are, we’re kind of praying that’s what happens here. After all, the original writer and cast—the surviving members anyway—are returning. New decade. New rules. Count us in.

Zombieland 2

One of the most pleasant surprises of 2009 was the frequently hilarious and surprisingly soulful Zombieland, which assembled an unlikely but perfect group of characters with a cast that included Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin, and Emma Stone. And let’s not forget that surprise cameo that pretty much elevated the original flick from solid to great. In 2011, we get to catch up with these desperadoes again, and there’s no reason to think it won’t be equally as awesome. Definitely need another cameo that will rival the first! Mel Gibson, anyone?

The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence

The Human Centipede—wow, what a disturbing and surprisingly plausible piece of horror shock! Beyond this, the characters were somehow sympathetic in spite of being attached face-to-butt via a gastrointestinal tube most of the movie. We have no idea what is in store for us with The Human Centipede 2—after all, the first didn’t leave a lot of room for sequels. But with an effort that was as interesting as the first, why the hell not?

ChromeSkull: Laid to Rest 2

Yes, it’s a pretty stupid and self-descriptive name for the killer from the original Laid to Rest, and it may make for a schlock title, but the first LTR was so graphic and glorious that we are certainly willing to take this ride again, so long as you’ve got Robert Hall returning to the director’s chair and the stunning Danielle Harris returning to her horror-ific roots—remember she was the young lady from Halloween 4 and 5 (and those crappy Zombie remakes).

Halloween III

Speaking of the crappy Zombie remakes, a third Halloween in the newly rebooted series is on its way with director Patrick Lussier filling in for the man, who made Michael Myers into a horribly un-scary joke. Lussier gave us the entertaining remake of My Bloody Valentine and the underrated Dracula 2000, so he’s a welcome breath of fresh air to this series, even though Scout Taylor-Compton is also returning to the role of Laurie Strode, where she will presumably scream, cry, snot, and do anything but act for 90 minutes. While that is a huge skid-mark on the undergarments of this sequel, we’re willing to give it one more shot thanks to the change in writer and director. And oh yes, no Silver Shamrock this time around!

Sleepaway Camp Reunion

When Return to Sleepaway Camp reunited surviving members of the original’s cast in a new camp-killer storyline, we were excited. Then we hit the play button and witnessed one of the worst acting performances of all time in “Your Ass Stinks” Michael Gibney. Nevertheless, just when you think this movie’s going to suck, it starts to recapture the spirit of the original and reminds you, in loving fashion, just what kind of flick the first Sleepaway Camp film was to begin with. Director Robert Hiltzik recreates the cruelty of kids about as well as anyone behind a camera. That makes us eager to see one more effort from the guy, who gave us Angela and her disturbing meat-stick.

Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She-Vampires

It’s slightly disappointing that Bruce Campbell will not be reprising his role in this sequel to Bubba Ho-Tep, but we’re still happy the movie’s going to happen. This time around, the ever-capable Ron Perlman will fill the role of the King, while Paul Giamatti will be taking 50 percent of all his earnings as the lively Colonel Tom Parker. The plot centers on Elvis running amiss of some girly vamps while shooting a film in Louisiana.

Horror Sequels We’ll Probably See, Though We Probably Shouldn’t:

Paranormal Activity 3
Jeepers Creepers 3: Cathedral
The Strangers 2
Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D
Piranha 3DD

REMAKES

There is really only one remake here that could actually improve on the original, and we’ll just mention that to get it out of the way. Child’s Play gets Chucky back to his murderous basics, and while the first was a decent horror flick, it was hardly good enough to warrant a slew of crappy sequels. It’s by no means a horror classic, and could certainly stand the tune-up. We’re a little less happy about the next three remakes, but the originals were so good, it’s hard not to be a little curious.

The Thing

Okay, so this is the second time John W. Campbell, Jr.’s, short story “Who Goes There?” has been remade for the big screen. But it feels more like a remake to the John Carpenter remake, which itself was a superior effort to the B-movie standard from 1951. Carpenter’s The Thing was such a claustrophobic and dynamic horror-thriller with that perfectly quiet and understated ending that it pretty much ranks in our top 10 as one of the best horror movies of all time. That sets the bar pretty high for director Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr.’s, redo, and it is unlikely he’ll raise it. Nevertheless, it will be nice to see what some of the improved FX will do for this hellishly fun shocker.

Fright Night

Welcome to Frrrrrright Night! While the horrific vampire comedy from 1985 is another one of our favorites, and therefore, should not be touched, we’ve got to say that director Craig Gillespie has demonstrated a knack for re-casting with David Tennant in the role of aging horror host Peter Vincent and Anton Yelchin as hapless dreamer Charley Brewster, who believes his next door neighbor is a vampire and feels that his TV idol is the only one capable of stopping him. Add Colin Farrell to the mix as the evil Jerry Dandridge and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as “Evil” Ed Thompson, and you’ve got the recipe for another horror classic.

The Crow

Director Stephen Norrington will have to move fast if he wants to squeeze this one out by the end of the year. So far, he doesn’t even have a lead officially cast, though Ethan Peck is in talks to fill the role originally brought to life by Brandon Lee, who tragically died while filming. By all means, we should probably let this one go. After all, there never has been another incarnation of the character—though many have tried—that has come close to Alex Proyas’ original. Still, with Nick Cave (music star, writer of The Proposition) on board as scribe, there is hope!

HORROR ORIGINALS

Red State

Writer and director Kevin Smith doesn’t always knock ‘em out of the park, but we give the man credit for always trying to challenge himself as a filmmaker. He refuses to be pigeonholed and is constantly trying to reinvent himself. His previous efforts have included angst-ridden comedies, rom-coms, comedy-dramas, comic books/superheroes, and now he’s going for the throat. Red State is a straight horror effort about some misfits, who become the targets of a group of psychotic fundamentalists in the Midwest. We’re eager to see how he plays it, and we won’t have to wait long to find out (March 2011). Doesn’t hurt having Melissa Leo on board either!

Twixt Now and Sunrise

Okay, so we don’t know much about this one’s plot, but we do know that director Francis Ford Coppola is helming the piece, which stars Val Kilmer, Bruce Dern, and Elle Fanning. That’s a pretty good start. And for those of you who think Coppola should stick to his mobsters and leave horror alone, we should remind you that he got his start with the fright flick Dementia 13 and he also turned in what is perhaps the best adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula ever filmed. He knows what he’s doing, people! What we do know about the plot is that Kilmer plays a horror author, and that the title comes from the short story “Young Goodman Brown,” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and centering on a man who encounters what is probably the Devil within a forest.

The Tall Man

No, this one has nothing to do with the Phantasm movies, but it does sound equally as creepy (if not more so). Jessica Biel plays a woman, whose child is abducted. The deeper she goes into finding out answers, the more she starts to believe that her child may be the victim of an urban legend known by the film’s rather foreboding title. What really makes us want to see this more is that the guy behind it—writer-director Pascal Laugier—gave us the film Martyrs, a disturbing horror effort that is hard to shake once you’ve seen it. Let’s hope this one ends a little more cheery!

The Last Voyage of Demeter

What can we say? We’re suckers for claustrophobic monster movies. With director Stefan Ruzowitzky at the helm, we’ve got just that, as the acclaimed pro behind 2007’s The Counterfeiters tries his hand once more at the horror genre. (He also gave us Anatomy and Anatomy 2.) Here he takes on one aspect of Stoker’s Dracula, giving us names and faces to the characters, who were part of the ill-fated voyage of the Demeter in the classic novel. The Demeter left for England from Transylvania with Dracula’s coffin on board. When it sailed into harbor, the body inside was missing, and there were no survivors. This is their story. Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and Ben Kingsley star.

The Cabin in the Woods

When an old man tells you not to go there, make fun of him. That’s the tagline. Beyond that, we know that it is “a twisted and unusual take on the familiar ‘cabin in the woods’ formula,” according to IMDb. Critics have referred to it as a rip-off of Cabin Fever, but with Joss Whedon penning the script and Cloverfield writer Drew Goddard making his directorial debut—with a cast that includes Richard Jenkins, Chris Hemsworth, and Bradley Whitford—this one shows promise.

We definitely know we’ve left some titles out. With thousands of movies on the horizon, and the horror genre rollicking along at a steady pace, we’d like for you to share the fright flicks that you want to see over the coming 365. What stands out to you, and why? Also, do you agree or disagree with any of our selections? Don’t just sit there. Let us have it!

ALSO COMING IN 2011
Red Riding Hood
The Apparition
Priest
The Roommate
Apollo 18
The Woman in Black
Vampire
Dream House
The Factory
The Darkest Hour
51
ATM
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Jack and Diane
Detention
Intruders
Suicide Kids
Fantomas
Blood Fare
The Awakening
Faces in the Crowd
Into the Darkness
The Fourth Reich
Thorns from a Rose
The Letters
The Collection

Okay, boys and girls, it’s time for the big question: have you been good this year? Of course, to answer that adequately, one would have to define “good.” For some, it means saying your prayers and taking your bath every night before bed. It means not back-talking Mommy and Daddy when they tell you to brush your teeth. It means not slugging little Jimmy in the head when he starts hording in on your best girl.

For others “good” might mean calling a taxicab in a rare moment of good judgment to avoid your fifth DUI for the year. It could mean only attending brothels in Reno, where that sort of thing is legal. It could also mean taking change out of the Salvation Army collection when the bell ringer isn’t looking and leaving the whole bills for those who really need it.

However one defines the word, there is an equal amount of diversity when it comes to actually celebrating Christmas. We here at Star Costumes have decided to take a look at this diversity as well as shed some light on the reasons why we do the things we do. So let the sleigh bells ring, the reindeer fly, and the eggnog flow, it’s time for “15 Bizarre Christmas Facts and Traditions.”

1. Having an Epiphany

Most Americans will be shocked to discover that not everyone copies every little thing that we do with regard to the holidays. The retail gods would have you believe that the Christmas season here starts sometime in September and ends when people are sick of buying crap or too tapped out financially to do anymore. In Italy, Christmas traditions are more Christ-based with a focal point on the Nativity scene. Christmas trees and lights only recently started to pick up steam over the traditional wooden pyramid decorated with fruit. The country really gets in to the holiday, with the celebration season beginning on Christmas Eve and ending on January 6 (the Epiphany).

2. A Carhop Christmas

Who are those people on the roller skates doing the best they can not to crack a pelvis? Well, here we call them carhops, but in the Venezuelan capital city of Caracas, they’re just average people rolling their way to Christmas Mass. While it seems crazy to us to risk life and limb on Christmas Day for an activity mostly associated with childhood, we suppose that it would be better to break one’s neck in service of the Almighty than delivering a large order of chili cheese tots to some random stranger. The city really gets behind the experience, too, blocking off access to the area for motor vehicles.

3. Along Came a Spider

The Ukraine has a curious tradition that involves the arachnid. Apparently, the people there consider web-and-spider an essential decoration to their Christmas festivities. There, finding a spider web on Christmas morning brings good luck. For those freaked out by the furry eight-legged creatures, it simply necessitates a change of britches.

4. Stir Around the Clock

Leave it to the British to over-complicate the mixing of Christmas pudding. According to Christmas lore, you must stir the pudding in a clockwise direction if you want your Christmas wish to come true. We’re not sure about this one. It seems like if Santa and Jesus are that legalistic, then the whole point of the holiday is little more than a legal accounting ledger with a balance sheet where you’ll never come out ahead.

5. Most Horrifying Time of the Year

We hear a lot of adults and politicians squalling and bawling about how the country is failing its children. Kids have no discipline. Kids have no respect. It’s all the teachers’ fault. How do we get these little suckers back in line? Austria has it figured out. Introducing the Krampus! Hmmm…krampus, cramps, PMS, one look at this thing, and there’s got to be a correlation. Anyhow, the Krampus is an uneasy and unlikely sidekick of St. Nick. While the Jolly Fat Man is busy giving all of us good people presents, the Krampus’s job is to hunt down the bad children, fly them away in his basket, and drop them cowering into the pits of Hell, presumably after he’s chewed their faces off.

Photo by Anita Martinz.

6. Everything Goes Better with Mustard

Ah, those crazy Brits are at it again! Never mind that the boar is a beast loaded with succulent portions of meat that can feed an army. Nothing says Christmas like a severed boar head, apple in mouth, smeared with mustard. We have to interject at this point that while the boar’s head may be a Christmas tradition, if we were to eat any creature, human or otherwise, it seems like there would be more productive pieces of meat we could chow down on. Somehow the Boar’s Head came to represent the Christ Child’s victory over sin. Christian traditions—making beautiful things terrifying for 2,000 years!

Photo by qejecit.

7. Ooo-oooh, Witchy Woman!

In Norway, there is a tradition where on Christmas Eve all the brooms in the house are hidden from view. The practice began to prevent witches and other mischievous spirits from breaking in at night and stealing all the brooms for a crazy nighttime joyride. Apparently, these entities are brilliant enough to make a stick with bristles on the end fly, but they’re too stupid to look under the couch cushions.

8. Holy Crapping Yule Log, Batman!

This Catalan Christmas custom is perhaps one of the best. Meet Caga Tio, a yule log with a happy face and a red hat. Prior to the holiday, he is “fed” a variety of foods like nuts, berries, Twix, Kit Kats, we’re thinking nothing is off-limits. After two weeks of ceremonial feeding and being kept warm under the comfort of a nice blanket or quilt, it’s time for Caga Tio to give back. But he’s not going to do it without a fight. On Christmas Eve night, the children get together and start smacking the poor bastard with sticks while crooning a disturbingly happy melody. As the beating continues—think piñata, but only with far more disturbing symbolism—Caga Tio starts to let loose with one of the most backed up BMs the world has ever known. He continues getting whacked until he finally passes a salt herring, onion, or some other food that kids hate. Ah, memories of grandpa…

Photo by Wikipedia.

9. Because Once Isn’t Enough…

Okay, we admit it. Poop is just funny, especially when integrated so expertly into the season of giving. After all, what better gift is there than a box of burning crap on your neighbor’s doorstep? (The standards never get old.) Catalonia has one tradition that combines the best of poop with the Holy Nativity scene. Thought to symbolize fertilization of the earth, the incredible pooping man—also known as a caganer—is usually hidden among a traditional Nativity display, squatted down for his unholy contribution. Sort of a “Where’s Waldo?” type deal. With poop. In the old days, he was just some guy in traditional garb. These days he can take the form of a celebrity, athlete or public figure. Now please, tell me: why hasn’t this gained more popularity in the States?

10. And Not a Bush in Sight…

If you’re American, then you’ve probably never associated shoe-throwing with anything but a Presidential press conference. However, in Czechoslovakia single women look to their shoes to determine whether the coming year will bring holy matrimony or another 12 months of one night stands, who never intend to call them again. What the woman does is this: she takes off her shoe, stands with her back to the door, and tosses it over her shoulder. If the shoe lands with the toe facing toward the door, then she can start picking out bridesmaids. If the shoe lands with its heel toward the door, then she’ll have to stock up on birth control and wait another year. If she’s standing too close to the door and the shoe bounces back and hits her in the skull, then it’s about eight stitches.

11. Black Peter Starring Al Jolson

Dutch Santa Claus (also known as Sinterklaas) has apparently never seen Roots or heard of the Emancipation Proclamation. He travels with a slave assistant known as Zwarte Piet (or Black Peter). Sinterklaas gets all the glory, giving out presents to good children while making an ominous threat to the others: if you’re bad, Black Peter will take you away from your parents and move you back to Spain. Zwarte Piet usually appears in blackface makeup, just like Al Jolson used to do when he’d sing “Mammy.” Instead of ditching the tradition altogether, his role has been moved in recent years to that of “chimney sweep.”

Photo by Looi.

12. Christmas, Now With 44% More Rotting Guts

Greenland gets very creative with their contribution to holiday unpleasantness. If you have never heard of the kiviak, then you really should get out more. What is a kiviak? Well, it’s an auk, silly? What is an auk? What am I going to do with you people? It’s a bird! And an auk dressed in seal skin and buried under a rock during the first frost makes for mighty good eatin’ come Christmastime. This delicacy requires you to dig it up out of the dirt during the holiday season and squeeze hard until its guts fall out like in Dawn of the Dead. After that, you eat it and savor the flavor of Stilton Cheese in the morning. We’re getting hungry already.

13. Kallikan-who!?

Okay, the Greeks don’t get a lot of points here for originality—or maybe they do, who knows which one came first—but we welcome any opportunity to incorporate crazy red-eyed monkeys into our holiday offering. The Kallakantzaroi, aside from having one of those names you’ve got to read ten times in order to type it correctly, are considered evil spirits that come break into your home on Christmas Eve just like the Norwegian broom flyers. If you want to keep these nasty spirits out of your home, then the logical thing to do is hang a pig’s jaw inside your chimney. Sleep tight, mates.

14. Will Wear Horse Head for Money

Wales is the origin point of this proud tradition. If you’ve got a spare horse head lying around, then it’s time to put that bad boy to good use. Shove it onto a pike and take to the streets begging for money while wearing horse hair—if you’ve got a spare horse head lying around then you’ve probably got some of this, too. In both cases, we are scared of you, so please stay away from our homes on Christmas Eve. We’ve got enough to worry about with the broom-stealing witches, the crazy-ass monkeys, and the cramps, er, Krampus lurking about.

15. Let’s Play Hide the Pickle

The Christmas Pickle Tradition is often mistakenly associated with Germany. It’s far more likely that the tradition started here in the States as the traditional dates given for the first stories do not match with German lore. The two most common origin points occur in the U.S. One comes from a Bavarian man, who was also a veteran in the Civil War and a prisoner at the time. Weak and near the point of death, he begged the prison guard to give him a pickle before he died. With compassion in his heart, the guard complied and the pickle given out of goodwill possessed healing powers that cured the man of his ailments.

The more probably origin, however, is Berrien Springs, Mich. How do we know this? Well, we don’t. All we do know is they took the Vlasic and ran with it. Each year Berrien Springs has a pickle festival to commemorate a probable fictitious story that two Spanish boys traveling home for the holidays were taken captive by an evil inn-keeper on their journey. Placed in a pickle barrel, they faced certain doom until Jolly Old St. Nick showed up and freed them from the evil tyrant. Not sure what happened to the inn-keeper after that, but we’re thinking Santa probably shot him in the face.

Photo by Wikimedia Commons.

How many other weird Christmas traditions are out there that we missed? Share them with us below. In the meantime we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. May your holidays be warm, bright, and as weird as you want them to be!

This week brings the annual day of wholesale turkey slaughter that millions of unsympathetic Americans (us included) have grown accustomed to. And, if you’re like us, you can’t wait to dig in to yet another Thanksgiving feast. The holiday, which has come every fourth Thursday in November since the early 1940s, is a precursor to the even bigger Christmas season. But unless you’ve been living under Plymouth Rock the last few centuries, you probably already knew that.

What you might not have known, however, are some of the facts we were able to dig up here for your holiday amusement. So crank open the cranberry sauce, splat another helping of mashed taters on the plate, and focus on the season’s major decisions, such as baked turkey or fried—it’s time to enjoy some crazy Thanksgiving facts!

Provincetown, Preaching, and Thanksgiving

The pilgrims at Plymouth are often mistakenly thought to have landed at Plymouth Rock, but the reality is that the crew of the Mayflower couldn’t wait that long to get rid of their evangelical brethren. The actual story of the Plymouth Rock landing wasn’t known in its current form until about 100 years after the fact. By then, it was easier just to say they landed at Plymouth Rock since that’s where the pilgrims did, in fact, end up. The actual drop-off point where the Mayflower crew rid themselves of the pilgrims was at the edge of the Cape Cod Peninsula at a place called Provincetown, now a popular gay tourist destination.

Early pilgrims in period regalia.

First Thanksgiving: Texas or Virginia?

While many of us are under the impression the first Thanksgiving meal took place between English settlers and Native Americans in the Plymouth region, history seems to indicate two earlier events as being the actual origin of the holiday. Virginians have claimed that they were the first to celebrate Thanksgiving when travelers aboard the Margaret celebrated with a feast as a means of showing thanks for their safe arrival in the New World. The event was ordered by the London-based sponsor of the voyage. Thirty eight English settlers took part in the feast, which occurred on Dec. 4, 1619, nearly two full years ahead of the Plymouth event. Since 1958, citizens reenact the event that took place at the Berkeley Plantation along the James River. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy recognized the event.

But going back even further, Thanksgiving historians will find an event in Texas that may deserve the nod. Reportedly, the first Thanksgiving took place in a small community near El Paso called San Elizario circa 1598. Spanish explorer Juan de Onate led a rugged and dangerous journey across 350 miles of Mexican desert. Hundreds made the journey with him, and it culminated in a feast that has been reenacted for many years.

Thanksgiving and Thomas Jefferson

Since Turkey Day has been a longstanding tradition among America and its presidents, one would think that our nation’s leaders have been on board with the idea from the very beginning. Any possible opposition would not likely come from our forefathers. That’s at least what many patriotic Americans would have you believe.

But if there’s one thing that listening to our forefathers can teach us, it’s that it’s okay to hate the holiday. It doesn’t make you un-American. In fact, President Thomas Jefferson once called a national day of Thanksgiving, which was endorsed by George Washington in 1789, “the most ridiculous idea” he’d ever heard of. He also thought women’s suffrage was “an innovation for which the public is not prepared, nor am I.” In addition to this, he kept slaves and allegedly fathered a child with one of them, so he may not be the best forefather to ask for advice.

Not a fan of turkey day.

Jingle Bells and Turkey Day

“Jingle Bells,” one of the most beloved (or overplayed depending on your viewpoint) Christmas songs of all time is not a Christmas song at all. Or at least it wasn’t in the beginning. James Pierpoint, the composer and author of the annoyingly catchy little number, created it for the children in his Sunday school class at a Boston church. The song was so popular it was reprised at Christmas. More than 150 years later, we’re still playing it to usher in the time devoted to Santa, Christ, and holiday shopping, and if you think about it, it really does make more sense in its current position.

Holiday Football

The Detroit Lions played the first Thanksgiving Day NFL game in 1934, but that was not the first football game ever played on Thanksgiving. That honor would go to the newly formed American Intercollegiate Football Association in 1876, according to Time magazine. In fact, more than 5,000 other clubs would get in on the action before the Lions played their first game against the Chicago Bears. Since then, the Lions have missed only one Thanksgiving thanks to the World War II draft in which the entire team was called up to do battle against Hitler’s bunch from Nazi Germany. That was also the last significant victory that a Detroit Lions player ever contributed to.

These hats kill fascists.

As for professional football itself, the Lions can’t take all the credit. President Woodrow Wilson recommended the professional ranks of 1920 engage in gridiron combat so people would have something to do after consuming all that turkey and dressing. That day saw victories for the All-Tonawanda (N.Y.) team, who defeated the Rochester Jeffersons 14-3; the Chicago Boosters, who blanked the Hammond Pros 27-0; the Dayton Triangles, who beat up on the Detroit Heralds 28-0; the Decatur Staleys, who edged the Chicago Tigers 6-0; and the Akron Pros, who defeated the Canton Bulldogs 7-0. The Elyria (Ohio) Athletics also played the Columbus Panhandles to a 0-0 tie.

Gimbel’s Not Macy’s

No one is taking anything away from Macy’s. The department store clearly owns the Thanksgiving Day Parade market, and they have since 1924. But few realize that Macy’s was not the originator of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. That honor goes to Ellis Gimbel, who hosted the Gimbel’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to promote his department store and build sales heading into the holiday shopping season. The first Gimbel’s parade occurred in 1920, which coincidentally was the same year pro football seeped into our collective Turkey Day consciousness. More than 50 Gimbel’s Department Store employees dressed up and hit the streets to celebrate Thanksgiving that year. The parade culminated with the arrival of Old St. Nick. For the Thanksgiving purists among you, take heart. The Gimbels Parade still exists in its current form, the 6abc IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade, aired every year from Philadelphia, Pa., on WPVI-TV.

Franksgiving

Franksgiving was a temporary holiday spawned off from FDR’s movement of the holiday from the fourth to the third Thursday of November from 1939-1941. We touched on part of this story in our 2009 entry “32 Bizarre and Interesting Facts about Thanksgiving.” What we didn’t tell you is that in response to President Roosevelt’s bold and well-meaning move, the mayor of Atlantic City decided to deal with public outcry by adopting a “more the merrier” attitude.

The result was Franksgiving, Mayor Thomas Taggart’s name for the bastardized version of FDR’s Thanksgiving holiday. The public support was largely on Taggart’s side to go ahead and celebrate the “real” Thanksgiving in its usual slot on the calendar. At the time, 52% of Democrats supported FDR’s move while only 21% of Republicans did, showing that even in those days, the two parties didn’t get along too much. In fact, the Merrie Melodies cartoon “Holiday Highlights” even made fun of the warring factions by declaring two Thanksgiving dates on the calendar: one for the donkeys and the other for the elephants.

Surprisingly little has changed since.

Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire also made light of the situation with an animated overlay sequence in the film where a confused turkey roams back and forth from one calendar square to the next before giving up with a shrug of the shoulders to the audience. We’re not sure what you all think about this, but it may be time to break out the brats and weenie dogs and reinstitute Franksgiving for next year. What do you say?

Westminster Abbey 1942

In 1942, tensions were high as World War II raged on. For more than 3,500 American troops stationed in England, it didn’t seem like there would be a Thanksgiving to celebrate. But that’s when London’s Westminster Abbey stepped in and invited the number to celebrate the holiday inside the church. American troops crowded into the facility and belted out “America, the Beautiful” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” less than 200 years after pilgrims fled from Britain in protest of religious oppression. It was also around late 1942 and early 1943 that WWII momentum started to swing in the Allies favor.

Black Friday

Black Friday is not the busiest shopping day of the retail season. We know, judging from the yearly fistfights over toys and dresses and TV sets, you’re probably thinking “how could that be?” We were, too. But apparently the desire to last-minute shop for holiday presents on the Saturday before Christmas has the retail event beaten when it comes to overall sales. We’re not sure, but it’s likely this is thanks to desperate men trying to stay away from that Dec. 25 lump of coal from the wife and kids. So, ladies, the next time your husband complains about you getting up at 2:30 in the morning to go camp out in line outside of your local Target, remind him of this small fact.

Silence of the Lambs Turkeys

Sure, the President comes out and pardons a turkey every year around this time. It’s a tradition that is as old, some say, as Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. The slave-emancipating 16^th of our great country is rumored to have been the first fowl pardoner. The event supposedly came as a favor to his son Tad, who had a pet turkey he didn’t feel right about eating. The first public pardoning, however, came from the guy, who dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. President Harry Truman launched the event as we know it today in 1947, saving the life of one lucky turkey. However, each year 46 million of these birds aren’t so lucky. One additional note: George H.W. Bush in 1989 was the first President to issue an official pardon for a turkey. The practice, however, clearly existed long before this action.

Alternatives to Turkey

While you may think of it as a travesty to ever enter into the fourth Thursday of November with any food but turkey on the brain, more people are avoiding the holiday tradition for a variety of innovations. One of the most popular includes turduckens, or “turds” for short. (On second thought, we’ll stick with the long form.)

A scrumptious serving of turds. (Photo by Christopher Corkum).

Turduckens are turkeys stuffed with duck and chicken. Areas where these poultry creations are particularly popular include Louisiana, Wyoming, and South Carolina. In fact, Cajun Country claims to send out more than 5,000 turduckens in the week leading up to Thanksgiving each year. Other alternatives you might consider: tofurkey (tofu turkey, un-American), deep-fried turkey (recommended), or the first Thanksgiving meal (fish, lobster, eels and oysters). And you know what they say about oysters…

Green Bean Casserole Day

That’s right, Thanksgiving lovers, the holiday could just as easily be nicknamed Green Bean Casserole Day when you consider that each year more than 40 million are served to go along with the 46 million turkeys and tons of dressing and cranberry sauce, which are the only two side items that actually have it beat.

That’s it for us, holiday hounds. There will be more festive fun once we get a strong dose of tryptophan and a nice nap under our belts. In the meantime, let us know how we did. Between this and our previous article, what have we left out that you’d like to see turn up in future installments? Also, how will you be celebrating the holiday? We’ve all got our traditions. Share yours with us, and we’ll promise not to steal them, unless, of course, we

Paranormal Activity 2 is out in theaters just in time for Halloween—hard to believe it was about a year ago that the first one scared up $193 million in worldwide box office on a slight budget of $15,000—and Star Costumes would like to take a moment to commemorate the event with a look back on the last 10 years of horror movies and, in particular, scary or disturbing scenes. These do not have to be jump out of your seat moments, though they can be. The number one criterion is this: did they haunt you long after the closing credits?

What scares us is about as subjective as what makes us laugh, so read on with a skeptic’s eye and some consideration about the last time you raced down a darkened hallway hoping that something would not jump out of the shadows and eat your soul.

For us, the scariest scenes of the last 10 years are:

10. Deadgirl (2008)

What It’s About: Deadgirl was a surprisingly well-received horror flick from 2008, and while it’s hard to find any repeat viewing value in the story about a group of boys who stumble upon an imprisoned woman incapable of dying within the bowels of a basement, there are some very disturbing moments. When the boys discover that the nude woman is impervious to murder, these seemingly normal kids start to experiment with the depravity inside themselves, figuring she mustn’t be human so why treat her as one?

The Scare: With each act of victimization, we know that whatever evil put her there for the boys to find will pollute their entire lives. The first scene where one of the boys starts to have hallucinations about the woman turning the tables on him, so to speak, is a hint of things to come and benefits from some quick cutting and very unnerving camera work.

9. Rogue (2007)

What It’s About: Tourists in the Australian outback must contend with an oversized crocodile looking to inflict grievous bodily harm. This little gem of a movie was a pleasant surprise and a throwback to monster-movie making sensibilities of yore, when the director understood that the less you see of the monster the better. With multiple character arcs woven seamlessly into the plotline and a strong cast, which includes Radha Mitchell, Michael Vartan, Sam Worthington, and John Jarratt, this shocker builds to a riveting finale.

The Scare: While the film is riddled with uneasiness and a few popcorn-flinging shots, the best comes at its climax when hero Vartan finds himself discovered in the beast’s lair. The extended fight sequence with a convincingly rendered croc will have you tensed up, filled with dread, and holding on to your fingers for dear life. (You’ll know what I’m talking about when you see it.)

8. Wolf Creek (2005)

What It’s About: Three backpackers are stalked and hunted by a rugged serial killer. Wolf Creek boasts that it is “based on a true story,” which means it plays rather loosely with the murder of British tourist Peter Falconio and the assault of girlfriend Joanne Lees. The attack occurred in July of 2001. Bradley John Murdoch was the accused assailant, and was still on trial when the film came out. He was eventually convicted of murder, deprivation of liberty, and aggravated unlawful assault.

The Scare: Liz (Cassandra Magrath), one of the unlucky three, is rummaging through her stalker’s garage, looking for a way to freedom. She finds a set of keys and crawls behind the wheel of a car. What happens next isn’t that original, but it is handled with expert craftsmanship by actor John Jarratt and writer-director Greg Mclean.

7. The House of the Devil (2009)

What It’s About: A college student, presumably in the 1980’s, struggles with money until she finds a job babysitting for a strange couple (Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov). When Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) arrives at the house, she discovers that she won’t be babysitting a child but a reclusive old woman. Things really start to get freaky after that. Writer-director Ti West has a perfect grip on classic 80’s horror, and his entry would fit in well among the best, leaving the many posers and pretenders of that decade in the dust.

The Scare: Megan (Greta Gerwig) comes across a stranger on the way home from dropping off Samantha at her gig. Things get ugly pretty fast.

6. The Last House on the Left (2009)

What It’s About: Wes Craven’s amateurish original received a much-needed update from director Dennis Iliadis, who benefited from a stronger cast, more polished camera work, and better filmmaking skills than a 1972 Wes Craven possessed (or 2010 Craven for that matter—have you seen My Soul to Take). The story, which was a remake of Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring to begin with, is still a powerful tale of revenge that forces you to identify with some people who do some pretty horrible things in the name of vengeance. Given what the Collingwood family goes through in this film’s 110 minutes (114 for unrated), you can’t really blame them for sticking a man’s head in a microwave and blowing it up.

The Scare: The Last House on the Left’s scares come not from a “jump out at you” fixation and bludgeoning musical cues, but from forcing the audience to witness two girls helplessly victimized by a group of thugs. The rape scene, while not the most disturbing ever filmed, still packs a wallop, and the prolonged torment that the teenagers must go through makes you feel uneasy about yourself and what you’d be capable of if forced to deal with the attack of someone close to you. After watching The Last House on the Left remake, vigilante justice seems perfectly understandable. Coming to that realization as a supposedly “civilized” person is enough to really shake you.

5. The Descent (2005)

What It’s About: Forget the over-the-top sequel; the original directed by Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers) is about a grieving wife and mother, who escapes with her daredevil friends to go caving. As darkness enfolds the explorers, a slimy, grisly group of predators stalk them through the claustrophobic surroundings, using their sense of smell to feed on fear.

The Scare: Even though some pretty creepy and gruesome stuff happens down in the caves, the scariest parts of The Descent are the ones leading up to the bloodbath. Multiple viewings can’t quite prepare you for the death of Sarah’s (Shauna Macdonald) husband and child. Marshall gets you during the accident, and he doubles back to hit you with a hallucination a bit later in the film. Both scenes use sound and unexpected timing to perfection.

4. Inside (2007)

What It’s About: It’s Christmas Eve and Sarah (Alysson Paradis) is alone. A car accident claimed the life of her husband leaving her well along in her pregnancy and facing motherhood without help and without hope. That evening, a visitor comes knocking on Sarah’s door. The woman, dressed in black, claims car troubles, but there is something unsettling about her. Sarah doesn’t trust her, and with good reason. Soon, she will be killing everyone Sarah knows and loves with a pair of scissors and anything else she can get her hands on. Her target: the baby growing inside of Sarah’s stomach.

The Scare: Many great Grand Guignol scenes highlight this twisted hybrid of slasher and Night of the Living Dead. No, the woman isn’t a cannibal or zombie, but that same theme of isolation and fear dominates a superb effort from directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury. The scariest scene for me was when Sarah’s mother drops in to check on her daughter and discovers that she is locked away in a bathroom for her own protection. You probably have a good idea of what happens next.

3. Session 9 (2001)

What It’s About: Brad Anderson directs this moody psychological horror movie about an asbestos removal team, who take on a job cleaning out an old abandoned mental hospital. The cast is one of the strongest you’ll find in a horror film with David Caruso—no really, he’s good in this—Stephen Gevedon, Paul Guilfoyle, Josh Lucas, and Peter Mullan. The great thing about Session 9 is that you can go back to it time and time again and engage in rather healthy film school chatter with your friends as to what’s really going on with it long after the final frame.

The Scare: Actor Josh Lucas plays Hank in the film, and there is a scene where Hank is exploring the mental hospital alone at night that will have you on the edge of your seat. Even so, the nod for scariest moment would have to come at the end where you start to piece together the subtle mysteries of the film to the soundtrack of a demented voice, who recounts the night she murdered a family member. It’s the perfect overlap to a bloody climax, and the kind of scary that ignores cheap jumps to leave the audience with a hair-standing sensation.

2. Let the Right One In (2008)

What It’s About: Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) gets picked on a lot by the boys in his school. He’s smaller and more susceptible to violence. Eli (Lina Leandersson) is the girl next door, but she’s not really a girl at all. As their relationship grows, Oskar finds friendship and acceptance in the eyes of Eli, who is in reality more than 100 years old. She’s a vampire, who only appears to be a 12-year old. And the closer the two get, the more she’s willing to use her “gift” for Oskar’s benefit.

The Scare: Let the Right One In owes much to the performances of its child actors and director Tomas Alfredson. For most of the 115 minutes, the children are the main focus of the film, yet the audience seems to forget their youth, getting immersed in the story as it moves along. Watching Eli dispatch her victims is bad enough, but when you factor in an odd and disturbing moment where Eli enters Oskar’s home uninvited, you’ve got a horror flick that sticks with you. Probably the most disturbing thing about Let the Right One In is its crowd-pleasing finale, which makes the audience cheer something so heinous. While The Last House on the Left forces us into the violent revenge fantasy of killing rapists, drug addicts, and murderers, Let the Right One In will have you cheering aloud the deaths of what are essentially children. And you may never look at school swimming pools the same way again.

1. The Girl Next Door (2007)

What It’s About: Based on the crime-fiction novel by Jack Ketchum, which explores in quite vivid detail a real-life case of child abuse and murder, The Girl Next Door is scary because it pretty much did really happen, though the names have been changed. While the film itself doesn’t hide under the true story banner as many do, it is shot like a film rather than a seedy exploitation romp. Nevertheless, there are some horrible scenes of abuse that will stick with you long after you’re done watching it. Another film, which starred Catherine Keener and came out around the same time (An American Crime), wasn’t nearly as effective or graphic as this haunting assault on audiences everywhere.

The Scare: Ruth Chandler (Blanche Baker) is a horrible woman. She strips young Meg Loughlin (Blythe Auffarth) of every last piece of humanity that the child has, and makes her neighborhood playmates take part in the torture. Meg hangs by her wrists in Ruth’s basement and is basically crucified for the entirety of the film with one of the last shocking jolts coming as Ruth takes a blowtorch to Meg. It’s a horrible scene, and no matter how prepared you are for it, you can’t help but be affected.

What scares you? What will be on your Halloween watch list? If we left any out, please feel free to let us know in the comments section.