Tag Archives: scary halloween costumes

Today in Halloween: Clowns and Indians?

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Here’s another of our looks back at old-timey Halloween costumes, pulled from the vast array somebody plunked down on the Internet.

Your guess is as good as mine – likely better – on a time frame for this snapshot. The boots on the kid in the middle are interesting and make me guess early first half of the 20th century.

As for the costumes?

The fringe on the kids on the outside makes me think they’re western getups, maybe Indian costumes.

And while I can’t quite figure out the mask on the kid in the middle, that outfit sure looks like one worn by a clown or jester.

More next time.

Today in Halloween: A truly frightening bust

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Here’s another dip into the vintage Halloween snapshots resource that is the vast series of tubes we know as the Internet.

I’ve seen a lot of these photos on the web but there’s little explanation of their origin. I’ve been making some (not-so) educated guesses on a few of them.

This one seems to be another with a rural setting, based in part on what looks like a field or rolling hills in the background and … holy hell, what’s the deal with the trick-or-treater on the right?

The other three have that mix of old clothes and bizarrely terrifying masks that we’ve become accustomed to in these vintage photos. Ditto for the one on the right, with two very noticeable exceptions.

Maybe I’m missing the point here, but wonder why this kid put on a creepy mask and then stuffed her bust with a couple of couch cushions?

We’ll never know.

Trick-or-treater on the right, I dub thee Zombie Mamie Van Doren.

Today in Halloween: A witch and … a what?

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It’s time for another dip into the misty days of Halloween long gone. It’s another snapshot of creepy trick-or-treaters!

I’ve been trying to run some of these masks through Google image search, hoping I can identify them.

The little kid on the left is, obviously, a witch. It’s a pretty classic mask, hat and outfit.

But the guy on the right? A Google image search mostly produced photos of bald old men from Russian websites. True story.

So, based on the bumpy skin, the big pointy teeth and the outfit that looks like it might be some kind of medieval armor, I’m gonna say this kid was ahead of his time and decades ahead of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” costume designers.

Looks like an orc to me.

Today in Halloween: Creepy trick-or-treaters

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You may have seen some of these scattered around the Interwebs or you might not have; they’re not as ubiquitous as awkward family photos.

As an occasional feature here during Halloween season, I’m going to show some of the best, creepiest, in some cases most nightmarish old Halloween costume photos I found online.

There’s some pretty creepy trick-or-treaters among these. Most of them are vintage and black and white, which only adds to the spooky appeal.

Kicking off our series is this early 20th century kid in a jester costume. Hmmm. He’s not especially creepy … oh dear god, he’s holding a human head! And he’s looking to collect treats in it!