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photo by Dean Saito
Walking down a deserted stairwell late at
night can be as spooky as Halloween.
by Shelley Hoekstra
BitUlion sUff
Halloween night means candy.
Candy means trick-or-treating.
T rick-or-treating means... mean-
s..."oh heck, what do I wear
trick-or-treating?"
What to wear trick-or-treating
doesn't have to create a prob
lem. Costumes don't have to
cost an arm and a leg. With a
little bit of planning ahead, and a
whole bunch creativity and im
agination, trick-or-treating cos
tumes that are fun to wear, inex
pensive and original can be
made.
"What are you going to be for
Halloween?"
Every household contains
enough old clothes, props and
related "gag" items mat can be
made into a "do-it-yourself"
costume. For men, items such as
tuxedos, military uniforms,
pants, shirts, vests, suits, pa
jamas, hats and sports uniforms
can be used. Women's costumes
can be made from gowns, for-
mals, dresses, blouses, petti
coats, choir robes and old ballet,
tap or jazz clothes. Costumes for
children can be made from
sleeper pajamas, boxes, pillow
cases and old adult clothing.
If a certain article of clothing
is needed to complete the cos
tume and is not available around
the house, check with a neigh
bor or a second-hand store.
Also, left-over pieces of fancy
un| A»piiot|
trim from your sewing bag can
be added to costumes to add
"just the right touch."
Sometimes it's nice to buy just
one piece to add to your costum-
e; this gives the costume an aura
of professionalism. For exam
ple, the purchase of a pirate hat
will give a home-made pirate
costume authenticity, a rnines-
tone tiara added to a princess
costume will add glamour and
sparkle.
Finally, hand-carried props
can complete the costume and
the image you are trying to
achieve. Props can be useful —
you can carry your candy load in
them. Whars more natural than
a hobo carrying a knapsack?
That knapsack alk) can serve as
a "candy carrier." A gangster
could carry a violin case, full of
M&Ms ... or Tootsie pops ... in
stead of guns.
Easy and inexpensive cos
tumes, especially for children,
can be made from cardboard
sheets and boxes. After finding
a suitably sized box, cut out
holes to allow free arm, leg and
head movement. Additions to
the box can be made with addi
tional cardboard or other items,
and attached with glue, staples
or sticky tape. Paint, aluminum
foil, contact paper, cloth or
crepe paper can be used to cover
the box.
A few box-costume possibili
ties include: a robot, die, televi
sion, jack-in-the-box or a pizza
box.
The following costumes can
be made with clothing articles
found around the house: gangs
ter, Harpo Marx, flapper, 50s,
pirate. Roaring Twenties, gyp
sy, pioneer, lumberjack and
hobo.
Sleeper pajamas can be used
in making a variety of animal
costumes. Sleeper pajamas are
made in adult sizes, so the ideas
are not limited to children.
Most sleeper pajamas are
made of a soft, fuzzy material
that easily can be dyed at home.
By adding the proper set of ears,
spots or a tail, pajamas can be
used to create any animal —
from mouse to lion.
Sleeper pajamas also can be
used for non-animal costumes,
such as a monster or a mummy.
Gowns, robes and capes can
be made into costumes with a
minimum amount of sewing,
glueing or pinning. Witch,
ghost, angel and toga costumes
easily can be made out of an old
dyed sheet or cape.
Costumes capture the true
spirit of Halloween. Wear a cos
tume that reveals your true char
acter, or design a costume fitting
for that other identity you've al
ways wanted to assume. Be as
conservative, or as wild as you
wish, and have a blast on Hallo
ween night!
Book offers seven weird tales
by Rebeca Zimmennann
Battalion staff
If you're interested in strange
and unexplained stories, The
Reader's Digest Association,
Inc. has come out with a book
containing seven true experi
ences guaranteed to send shiv
ers down your spine.
"Tales of the Uncanny" cov
ers stories from UFO encounters
to demonic possession with
these seven tales, recounted by
well-known authors.
Whether you're a credulous
or an incredulous reader, you
will have trouble putting the
book down. The tales are well
written and fascinating.
The first story, "Dr. Holmes's
Murder Castle," tells of a seem
ingly respectable businessman
who lured victims to a huge,
specially designed building and
killed them during the 1890s.
"Curious Encounter" details
the 1961 experiences of a New
England couple. Under hypno
sis, the couple revealed fascinat
ing accounts of their abduction,
and subsequent release, by crea
tures in a UFO.
Mediums figure prominently
in two of the stories, "The Re
markable Daniel Dunglas
Home" and "The Captain's Re
turn."
Daniel Dunglas Home re
ceived messages from the dead,
floated through the air and
moved objects around the room.
No one could ever prove he was
a fraud. In "The Captain's Re
turn" a dead pilot sent messages
through a medium that the Brit
ish airship R101 was doomed.
No one paid attention to the
medium's messages, and the
airship crashed and burned.
Spirits and demons figure in
"The Strange Affair at Strat
ford" and "The Possession of
Sister Jeanne." In the first story
objects flew through the air,
furniture disappeared and
mysterious writing appeared in
Rev. Eliakim Phelps's Connecti
cut home in 1850.
Sister Jeanne was an Ursuline
nun in the 1600s who supposed
ly was a victim of devils. Tor
mented by the demons' posses
sion of her mind and body, she
accused a priest of bewitching
her. He later was burned at the
stake. This tale discusses more
than demonic possession. It
offers a vivid picture of a nun's
life, court and Catholic Church
politics and the conflicts experi
enced by a nun who really
wasn't suited for the veil.
The final tale in this book is
yet another version of the Ras
putin story. A Russian peasant,
Grigori Rasputin became a close
friend and adviser to Tsar
Nicholas and Tsarina Alexan
dra. Rasputin's life was filled
with experiences of clairvoyance
and of healing people. His death
in 1917 was as strange as his life.