old school halloweenie movies

One of my most favorite things about Halloween are a few of the movies that play on TV - more specifically on ABC Family's 30 (or 10 or 5 - they change it every year) Days of Halloween. The one I look forward to most is the ever-popular Hocus Pocus!

But one other movie that I never see getting any TV love is The Worst Witch. A very young Fairuza Balk (The Craft, Almost Famous) plays magically-handicapped Mildred Hubble who has some problems fitting in with the other witches at a prestigious witch academy. In swoops Tim Curry (who plays the sweet transvestite in one of my other favorite Halloween movies, The Rocky Horror Picture Show) and saves her from a life of spoiled potions and bad broom rides when he recognizes that she truly does have what it takes to be a Top Witch. My favorite scene is when Mildred flies on his very large cape (which were his bat wings). Does ANYONE remember this movie too? Gosh I would love to see it again!

I'm pretty sure The Worst Witch and Hocus Pocus laid the foundation for the mad love I have for the Harry Potter series!

What are your fave Halloween movies?

Hocus Pocus photo via imdb

october 31 wardrobe

J loves Stanley Kubrick. The summer after our freshman year in college he came to stay with me and my family for one week. In one week we watched way too many Kubrick films. The man is a wee bit twisted, to say the least (or the most).

One movie that I was most disturbed by was A Clockwork Orange. There was some weird-O stuff going on in that flick.

Cut to a few years later - a Clockwork Orange thought hadn't passed through my mind - and I was minding my business, or rather other people's business, flipping through People magazine and I see a photo of Christina Aguilera dressed up in an all-white ensemble with suspenders and fierce make-up that I was oddly drawn to (I love her flair for the dramatic that manifests itself in her outfits and bold lipstick). It took me a few seconds to realize that she was paying an homage to the ultra-violent delinquents of Kubrick's film and I liked it.

So as I sat contemplating this year's Halloween costume, I knew at least one thing, that I didn't want to purchase one of those mass-manufactured, pre-assembled guises. I've always either waited too long to put together my outfit and not dressed up or been too lazy to think of something and begrudgingly bought an overpriced costume-in-a-bag.

So, I'm taking a cue from Ms. Aguilera and putting together a costume that I know I won't have to fight with my husband to wear.

Thoughts?

Photos via bigbadmovies.com buzznet.com and X17online.com