The Naughty Factor

BOO!

Scared you didn't I? No? Oh well. Either way here is this weeks Halloween entry. This weeks post is about costumes.

There's a lot of great ideas for Halloween costumes out there. I prefer the classics; your vampires, superheroes, ghosts, and monsters that kind of thing. Sometimes throwing in a popular movie character for good measure. While this year's current choice "Maverick" is indeed an awesome one, it's not really what I want. In the recent past some of my costumes have been re-hashed based on time restrictions and lack of resources. Here's the complete list:

2005 - Clark Kent (I had planned on Darkwing Duck but the costume fell through at the last minute so I re-suited up)
2004 - Don Vito Chorleone
2003 - Clark Kent
2002 - The Devil
2001 - Silent Bob
2000 - The Wolf Man
1999 - The Ghost Faced Killer (I'm not proud of the back to back Scream Killer years, but it was the late 90's and I was trying to be cool and indifferent)
1998 - The Ghost Faced Killer
1997 - Gothic Vampire
1996 - Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde
1995 - The Headless Horseman
1994 - Dracula
1993 - Commander William T. Riker
1992 - Batman
1991 - Robin Hood
1990 - Dracula
1989 - Batman
1988 -1984 Pre-kindergarten costumes included Batman, the Wolf Man, a bunny, and something else, but I don't remember because I was really little

There's always the concept of multi-costuming. I mean, there's at least 2 solid nights to every weekend, and that's not counting the actual Halloween night, and possible parties throughout the week. So having a couple different costumes can't hurt. As a wise man once said, that way you "have a second chance to make a first impression."

There is a catch with Halloween costumes. Girls always have twice the costume options. This is both bad and good. It's bad because it's unfair that they have more selection than guys, but its good because the options are doubled based on the "naughty factor". This is how girls get to let down there neckline and let their slut flag fly. Not all girls take advantage of this, but enough do to make it awesome. Here's an example; a girl wants to be a witch she can be either a) a witch or b) a naughty witch. I'm not saying opting for the "naughty" choice makes you a slut, but I am saying it makes you awesome.

The Naughty Factor is something I've been praising for years, and it was even exposed on last years Halloween episode of HIMYM, which also gave me the idea for the Maverick costume. But friends will admit I've been toting the glory of the Naughty Factor for years (Byrne, I'm looking to you for validation on this).

So there you have it, the Naughty Factor. It's totally a thing.

Here is this week's homework

Watch:
The Frighteners - Before Peter Jackson became known as one of the most amazing filmmakers in the history of ever by making the Lord of the Rings trilogy he made The Frighteners. It stars Michael J Fox as a would be ghostbuster who's kind of down on his luck since, luckily for him Jake Busey shows up and starts offing people (it's important to know that Busey's character is a mass murderer who got the chair a long time before the movie takes place.) You'll notice that Busey's grim reaper like appearance is eerily similar to that of the Ring Wraiths. Either way, it should be noted that when watching the movie I noted the similar cinematography and style to LOTR only to see "Directed by Peter Jackson" show up in the credits. I only hope someday Peter Jackson and Tim Burton make a baby, because despite being a slobbish artsy nut bag, he (or she) will make the most beautifully shot scary movies ever.
Fallen - Denzel Washington stars with John Goodman in this thriller about a cop who, after witnessing the execution of a serial killer, discovers the killer was possessed by a fallen angel called Azazel who passes through host bodies by touch. Never before has someone singing the Rolling Stones "Time is on my Side" been creepier. Watch for an appearance by Codco alumn Robert Joy as one of the possessed victims.

Read:
The Vampyre - John Polidori. This one is pretty short so you'll have plenty of time to watch movies and listen to music. The background of this one is what makes it so legendary. In June of 1816 Lord Byron had a few friends stop by his villa on Lake Geneva. A challenge was issued to the guests to write a scary story. Byron wrote something no one remembers, as did Percy Shelley. Shelley's wife Mary wrote a little novel called Frankenstein and Byron's personal physician John Polidori wrote The Vampyre. The first gothic vampire story. It's about this orphan named Aubrey who winds up traveling Europe with the mysterious Lord Ruthven. I don't want to give away the plot...but Ruthven winds up being a vampire. I read an adaptation of this when I was like 10 and it holds up as one of my favorite stories.

Hear:
Witch Doctor - Mark Bragg. A local boy done good. This ain't the Witch Doctor you heard the Chipmonks squeak out when you were a kid. It's awesome though. I highly recommend checking it out. Don't download it though, buy Bear Music, support local artists.
Witchy Woman - The Eagles. You know how certain bands remind you of certain things? Well despite being the quintessential laid back California rock band, the Eagles always remind me of the fall of the year. I think it's mostly to do with how that's when their tape/CD always showed up in my Aunt Pat's car music cycle, but all the same songs like Hotel California, which is about hell, and this one, which is about, well, a witch, make for some good October listening.

Oh yeah, here's one for the phrase book.
Naughty Factor: [naw-tee fak-ter] (noun)- the doubling of Halloween costume options for females by giving them the regular option, and the naughty version of the same costume.