Congratulations, Halloweenies: you’ve made it to the 99 day mark in the 2007 countdown to Halloween. Like your high school woodshop teacher, we’ve just unceremoniously dropped a digit, but in this case it’s cause for celebration. Just 3-ish more months until everything comes in shades of orange and black, scary movies are playing on every channel, and you can finally shed your 9-to-5 gear for that badass costume you’ve been working on for weeks. Good times!

We’ve been planning for the 2007 all year, and are getting really close to unveiling our new site design and this year’s theme as well as a casketful of articles. If you’d like to be alerted when we unearth everything, just subscribe to our feed. Also, 365 Halloween just moved over to a new server in preparation for everything, so if you see any broken stuff please shoot us an e-mail so we can resurrect it.

Now would also be a good time to send in submissions if you’d like to see your Halloween-related website, book, art, event, music, haunt, whatever featured on 365Halloween.com. We’ve got a lot planned for this year, and although we’d like to feature absolutely everything we find, there’s only 2 official staff members here so guest writers are really encouraged.

Autumn will be here before you know it, so enjoy the rest of your summer while it lasts!

If you’re from an English, German, Polish or Portuguese-speaking culture then you’re probably familiar with the Friday the 13th superstition. It usually rolls around a couple times a year and causes all sorts of “bad luck”. But how did thus “unlucky” day get such a bad reputation, and is there any truth to it?

There are many theories regarding the origin of Friday the 13th– from Norse legend to Biblical explanations- but none of them are substantiated. Based on historical events, Greece and Spain have chiefly observed Tuesday the 13th as their day of unavoidable misfortune. Even though science has attempted to prove that “luck cannot be predicted and is largely beyond our capacity to influence or control”, it is estimated that “$800 or $900 million is lost in business on [Friday the 13th] because people will not fly or do business they would normally do.” There’s even a name for those who are phobic of this dastardly day: paraskavedekatriaphobia. Yah, try saying that 3 times fast.

The mind is a powerful thing, so instead of worrying about ill-fate on Friday the 13th, just believing that you’re lucky can result in creating your own good fortune. For instance, my birthday is on the 13th so I’ve always felt it was a special number for me. Most Friday the 13ths have been “lucky” for me, quite possibly due to positive mental association that I have. What are your Friday the 13ths like? Have you had a string of good luck or bad luck?

Plenty of boils and ghouls will be out tonight attending spooky-themed events so get out there, have fun, and make some of your own good luck. (If you’re in San Diego, come by the Creature Feature show and say hi!)

It’s difficult to watch an 80’s movie and stay silent. Between the plot holes, 30-something “teenage” actors, unsubtle dialogue and “creative” outfits, there’s a lot of fun opportunities to yell at your TV (or use air quotes in its general direction). I doubt anyone was listening all those times I said “someone needs to recreate that outfit”, but Found Item Clothing answered my plea anyway. They make recreations of shirts from “your favorite movies, TV shows and more”, including classics from Teen Wolf (my fave) and UHF. For a Halloweenie, this means that dressing like your favorite obscure 80’s movie character just got a lot easier. But wait, there’s more! Not only does FIC make the shirts, they offer 12 detailed tutorials on how to dress like characters from Real Genius, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Big Lebowski, Beverly Hills Cop, and Wet Hot American Summer. Nerds, rejoice!

Thankfully, there are other online resources that save you the trouble of playing the “pause, rewind, pause, screencap” game. If you’ve ever wanted to dress as Bill and Ted for Halloween, you’re in luck. BillandTed.org provides 3 very detailed tutorials on how to make Bill and Tedd costumes from both movies, as well as a fan costume gallery. The Wyld Stallyns shirt is also finally available!

Instructables has a thorough Ghostbusters tutorial and 80s Tees also has some interesting costume ideas. Notable among them are Screech, Al Bundy, and Beavis without a mask. About a jillion general 80’s costume ideas are available at In the 80s and Mable’s. If you just don’t have the time or inclination to go DIY this year, several readymade 80s costumes are available from Buy Costumes.

As always, you’ll probably find the most unique & genuinely vintage 80’s costumes on eBay.

If you have made an 80’s movie character costume or know of a good tutorial online, please let us know in the comments.

And because 80’s Tees has so many funny designs, it would pretty much be criminal if we didn’t show a few more of them. The “costume” shirts remind me of those plastic smock costumes from the 70s/80s… in the best way. Enjoy the flashback!

Karate Kid Cobra Kai Costume

I’m not going to mention anything worn in the movie Dodgeball. Jerseys and tracksuits aren’t funny, and a dodgeball costume is built for laughs. This style of retro attire is more akin to the late 70’s, early 80’s rollerskater. For both men and women it’s going to be about the same:

For the best shirt possible, put your fake team’s name on there with a marker or using iron-on paper and your printer. If you’re going as a group of dodgeballers, opt for printed shirts from services like Spreadshirt (who offers glow in the dark ink). Plain t-shirts are good, and raglan sleeve shirts are better. For shorts, don’t be afraid of spandex if you’ve got it! This is a free wheeling kind of costume that improves in proportion to how ridiculous you’re willing to make it. It’s a scientific fact, so go nuts with this costume. Optionally, you can add a windbreaker (which is a good idea since this costume can be chilly in late October), fake mustache for the guys and a high sideways ponytail for the gals. Dodgeball can be a dangerous sport, so why not add an oozing wound or black eye? (Just get an “injury stack” makeup kit or a general makeup kit that contains one.)

Did you make a dodgeball costume? Did you find useful pictures or tutorials online? Please contribute your findings in the comment section below.

BONUS: Throughout October use coupon code FALL18 to get 20% off your order at Spreadshirt.