October 15, 2006: This contest is over. Thank you to everyone who participated! Cub from Georgia is our lucky winner. Congrats, Cub!

We’ve teamed up with the fine folks at Spirit Halloween to offer you a great contest. You can win any Halloween costume of your choice from Spirit’s website, and all you have to do is link to 365 Halloween. It doesn’t have to be an awesome site or get tons of traffic, it just has to be a website (personal or business site, blog, MySpace page, LiveJournal, etc). If you have multiple sites then you can enter the contest multiple times just by placing a link on each site. The winner will be picked at random and will be announced on October 15, 2006. Your costume of choice will then be shipped to you by October 18th, just in time for Halloween.

DETAILS:
All you have to do is link to 365Halloween.com with this banner:

As long as the banner is clicked just once, your site will be entered in the contest. This information comes from our web stats program; there is no need to notify us when you put up a banner. We will narrow down all of the entries to 10 random websites as well as the 10 websites that produce the most incoming traffic. We will then randomly draw from those 20 people to determine the winner. If your website produces a lot of traffic then you will have the opportunity for multiple entries, as you may be included in both the “10 random websites” and “10 top incoming traffic websites”. Winner may choose from any of the Halloween costumes available on the Spirit Halloween website, including “Theatrical Quality” costumes that retail for $100+. Winner may also choose from a child costume or baby costume. Some costumes may be sold out by October 15th, so be sure to pick your favorite now and a 2nd choice as well.

RULES:
–Link to 365Halloween.com from your website using the provided banner above. Multiple websites will be considered multiple entries.
–Be sure to include easy to locate contact information on your website. If we are unable to locate your contact information, or you take longer than 24 hours to respond to the winning announcement e-mail, then we will randomly select another winner from the remaining 19 entries.
-Only legitimate websites and incoming traffic will be counted. No bot-generated websites or traffic sent through illegal means (e.g. a script or bot). Violators will be disqualified.
-Contest open to US residents only.

For questions please contact 365 Halloween.

Here are just some of the Theatrical Quality Costumes available to choose from:

View all Theatrical Quality Costumes available from Spirit Halloween.

This article idea has been simmering in my brain for nearly 13 years, since my first viewing of Point Break and subsequent infatuation with the bank robbing Ex-Presidents it featured. I’ve always been a little fascinated by real ex-presidents, and when adding dated suits, guns, and a commanding presence into the mix, I was drooling to recreate their costumes for Halloween. As time went on I noticed lots more films that featured badass main characters that simply wore a suit and a few equally easy to obtain accessories, and realized that a suit is a very versatile Halloween costume item. These are also office-friendly, which is cool since finding an appropriate yet fun costume for work can be daunting. Since many people already have one on-hand, and adults are notorious for last-minute costumes, I knew this post could help inspire some quick, sleek, group costumes.

So we’ll start with the Ex-Presidents from Point Break. This might be the hardest set of costumes to recreate due to the diversity of the suits and the chosen presidents, but it’s definitely going to look the coolest. (To give you a point of reference for their styles of suits, and as an excuse to brush up on your history, I’ll also be listing their years of presidency.) On the far left we have Richard Nixon (37th prez from 69-74) wearing black pants, a gray jacket, red tie, and Nixon mask. Next is Jimmy Carter (39th prez from 77-81) wearing head to toe brown (jacket, pants & tie) and Carter mask. Ronald Reagan (40th prez from 81-89) is the best dressed of the bunch in tuxedo, black bow tie, and Reagan mask. Although, note that the style of mask worn in the movie isn’t in production anymore, so if you find an old one be sure to snatch it up. Finally there’s good old Lyndon B. Johnson (36th prez from 63-69) wearing a light gray jacket, light brown pants, black tie and LBJ mask. I’ve seen Johnson masks available at sporadic times in the last 13 years, but currently there are none available that I can find. (If anyone finds a supplier, please leave the info in the comments!) Everyone should be wearing a white button-up shirt (except for Reagan who wears a dressier tux-friendly shirt) and white gloves. If anyone wants to identify the different guns they’re carrying, that would be a big help. (UPDATE: See comments for gun info.) There’s not much online in the way of reference photos, but Infinite Coolness has the biggest gallery. A dressed-down version of the Ex-Presidents costume can be seen on Flickr.

If you’ve got a simple black suit, white button-up shirt, black tie, and black sunglasses, you’ve got several easy movie character costume options. For a group of people, Reservoir Dogs makes an impressive and simple group costume. Just make sure the ties are skinny, the glasses are Ray Ban (except for Mr. Orange), and that you each pick your moniker: Mr. White, Mr. Orange, Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink, Mr. Brown, or Mr. Blue. But don’t just settle for the look; if you’re going to wear the costume you’re going to need the attitude and some quotes. Delivery is of the utmost importance in any costume, but it is crucial when your outfit and accessories are simple and could be easily confused for “some dudes in suits”.

Same thing goes for Men In Black costumes. Just change the black tie to a wider width, get a pair of Ray Ban Predator sunglasses (Predator 2 for Agent J and Pedator 8 for Kay) and get your quotes & delivery down. The replica guns are no longer in production, but you can often find them on ebay. New Eye Studio makes a replica Neuralizer that can be ordered over the phone. And here’s a closer look at the actual suit.

While a defined jaw isn’t going to hurt, what you really need for an Agent Smith costume is the black suit, black tie, silver bar tie clip, earpiece, slicked hair, and sunglasses. You’ll have to run through the revelation monologue at least once while you’re in this costume, and it never hurts to memorize a few fight scene poses in case you encounter another Matrix character. For a more innovative take on Agent Smith, check out this costume from ComiCon. But please, don’t even think about wearing facial hair with this costume. You have to make sacrifices for a great costume, and sometimes shaving is one of them.

The final suit costume requires the right hair for both people, but this one is always a cult favorite. Yep, Vincent and Jules from Pulp Fiction. There’s a new wig out this year that is perfect for Jules’ mini-fro. He sports some crazy facial hair so either grow your own or you’ll need huge sideburns, goatee & moustache, and soul patch. Vincent’s hair is a very simple style (long, straight, with slightly shorter layers in the front), but there’s no perfect wig available. I think the best bet would be the High Society wig due to the layers in front and the ends that flip slightly outward, but that side part looks like it might be trouble to change. The next best thing is the Unisex Pageboy wig, and if you straightened out the ends so they didn’t flip under and cut some layers around the front, then you’d be all set. John Travolta has a signature widow’s peak so unless you were born with one, you need to fake it with a bit of black eyeliner. Bonus points if you have a cleft in your chin! If you opt for a Vincent & Mia couples costume then swap out the black tie for a bolero and add some cowboy boots. (Try post-overdose Mia to shake things up!) If you haven’t already memorized all the best monologues and one-liners from Pulp Fiction, be sure to do so before Halloween. For an alternate version, add some faux brain/skull splatter on your suit!

There’s probably tons of great pop culture characters that I’m missing here, so please leave your suggestions for suited costume ideas below. If you’ve recreated any of these costumes (or have found some online) you know we want to see pictures, so send them our way. Good luck with your costuming!

Do we have any other zombie-bakers in the house? If so, this post is dedicated to you.

Every time I visit a baking website or store I come up with new ideas for Halloween recipes and creepy food presentation. If you’ve been to the site before you may have realized this already. So far I’ve covered this year’s new Halloween-themed cupcake and cake options, and I’ve finally found some cookie cutters that befit our creepy kitchens. Cuz we know the traditional pumpkin and cat shapes are old hat.
In the shapes of hands and feet, these small cookie cutters will make a delicious spread fit for zombies and cannibals alike. This could actually be one of the most simple, yet impressively presented, homemade treats in your spooky arsenal. I picture just small amounts of red icing on the fingertips & toenails (or almond slivers, as many “witch’s fingers” recipes suggest) and some of the digits being snipped off or malformed before baking. Unlike other roll-out/cookie cutter recipes, you won’t have to spend copious amounts of time frosting each one to make it look fantastic, and you won’t have to resort to those nasty pre-made dough packages from the store. One more upswing is less frosting = less sugar during a time when everything is loaded with sugar. Here’s an idea of what a stack of hand cookies looks like, and how deforming the hands and feet can give it an even creepier appearance.

Traditional cookie cutter recipes tend to be of the white flour & white sugar variety, but I’ve got a great recipe that comes out a rich brown (“rotting hand brown”, shall we say?) and can be considered a low sugar treat. It’s actually sweetened only by molasses (which is actually a very concentrated sweetener!) but you can add a bit of maple syrup or sugar/fructose/stevia/xylitol before baking or sprinkle the unbaked hands and feet with a light dusting of sugar before popping them into the oven. I make this recipe frequently, and everyone except the ginger-hating crowd has given them great reviews.

Molasses Sweetened Ginger Cookies

• 3 cups whole wheat flour (I like 1/2 spelt, 1/2 w.w.)
• 2 teaspoon non-aluminum baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 cup margarine (Earth Balance brand is great)
• 1 cup unsulfered molasses (corn for lighter taste or blackstrap for a full-bodied taste)
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup or unbleached sugar (optional)

Mix dry and wet ingredients separately then add together to form a thick, soft dough. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Grease cookie sheet. For rollout cookies, shape dough into 2 large balls and roll out on floured surface for cutting out. For drop cookies, roll into small balls and flatten with the bottom of a greased glass. 1/4″ thickness will produce crispy texture, and thicker cookies will be softer. If desired, sprinkle lightly with sugar before baking. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

Let us know what you think of this recipe, and if you make some hand or feet cookies we’d love to see pictures!

“She is cold, she is beautiful, she is evil… she is Miss Horrorfest. Do you have what it takes to be the Queen of Horror?” taunts the lush lips in the YouTube video. Horrorfest is a weekend of 8 films taking place November 17-19, 2006. It’s put on by After Dark Films, and they’re looking for a new Queen of Scream. The Grand Prize winner will receive $50,000 and reign as Miss Horror Fest for 1 year. If you ever wished you could be Elvira or Vampira, this is the perfect contest for you. It’s judged on physical presentation, best costume, scariest appearance, and personality, with each criteria being worth 1/4 of the score. You can either upload a video to their YouTube page (where voting also occurs), or participate in one of the 5 live auditions.

We agree with the majority of the comments regarding the current entry videos: no thanks. But this is great news for the women who are genuinely interested in being involved in the horror film industry, and have the skillz and personality to pull it off. Ladies, you still have an excellent chance at winning! I think everyone would like to see some more quality entries, so polish up that macabre character you’ve been working on and get those camera rolling.

I know these pictures are quickly making the rounds through the Interweb, but they’re too awesome not to mention. In preparation for the Zompocalypse, a few crafty individuals have created their own (cool-looking but non-functional) Zombie Preparedness kits. The original seems to have come via Gizmodo, and might have been a promo item for the slaughtering-zombies-in-a-mall 360 game, Dead Rising (although one person claims it originated in the SomethingAwful forums). They consist of a shadowbox containing a gun, bullets, and some clever stencilling and/or Photoshop magic. They’re probably not a particularly time-consuming or difficult project, but would definitely set the mood and start some interesting conversation where ever they are placed! If you create your own Zombie Preparedness kit (for Halloween decor or as a precautionary measure), we’d love to see your take on the idea. Your options are pretty much limitless.

As expected, there has been some discussion of the weapon choice on the various websites that these have been mentioned. The tourists balk about the absence of a flame-thrower or chainsaw, and Zombie Survival Handbook purists have lots of suggestions of their own. (The latter is one of my favorite groups of people, as they are the only ones who will engage you in a passionate explanation of how to properly re-dead the undead.) Personally, I’m torn. Looks-wise, a big old solitary shotgun is going to create a visual impact that no other weapon will. However, as someone who actually works on a plan of attack for the Zompocalypse, I want to see an assortment of mid-sized blades and rifles and way more than a couple boxes of bullets. Maybe I’m taking this project too seriously? Eh, I doubt that’s possible. Perhaps someone should just make a compromise. Maybe start with a big wall safe where all the real anti-zombie supplies are kept and cover it with your artistic In Case of Zombies shadowbox. Okay, that’s your new assignment kids; get to building!

There are many traditions that we begin on October 1st, and decorating our computers is one of the easier ones. A quick online search and you can convert your desktop and chat program into a spooky experience that evokes Halloween spirit all month long. After Sean created us some amazing banners, I was feeling inspired and decided to make a few buddy icons for 365 Halloween readers. The larger sized ones are compatible with Yahoo Instant Messenger and MSN Instant Messenger, while the smaller ones are geared towards AIM and Trillian users. Of course, you’re free to use them as a message board avatar, on your MySpace, on your website, etc. Just be sure to right-click and “Save As” rather than trying to hotlink, and do not redistribute.

But what if evil clowns, wild-eyed pumpkins, and candycandycandy aren’t your thing? I spent a good chunk of time today scouring websites for the best free Halloween icons (both buddy icons and desktop icons) and came up with a few great sites. A lot of what’s available online is fairly hideous, so you can save a lot of time by just heading straight here:

Pixelgirl Presents (desktop icons)- The absolute best. These are beautiful, high quality designs, and there are lots of icon sets. You have to browse through all holiday themed sets, but the section isn’t too huge so it’s worth it. You get even more choices if you’re on a Mac.

Icon Factory (desktop icons)- A close second, with several equally well designed icon sets. Very creative, and again, more selection if you’re on a Mac.

Icon Archive (desktop icons)- Several cute sets, with Hide’s Halloween being the best.

Acme Icon (buddy icons)- There are 7 funny icons that you can customize, and there is a nifty “IM your icon to a buddy” feature.

Iconator (buddy icons)- You’ll have to wade through a lot of the aforementioned hideous icons here, but this is the largest selection and there are some good styles.

Do you have an icon site to recommend? What are your favorite Halloween-related desktop icon sets?