# 80's Retro Halloween



## SummitCityScribe (Aug 9, 2021)

Just found this pic of me and my best friend heading out for a night of trick-or-treating<a href="https://imgur.com/LLxPjoY">

The masks were store-bought but my friend Mark hand painted both of them. Fun Times!


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Neat! Thanks for sharing. You were far more advanced than my '80's Halloween memories! I remember late 70s/early 80s we'd go to pick out our vinyl costume and plastic mask. I don't know that I have any pics of me, but will put a pintrest page and an example below.

I believe we only got access to the fancy latex masks in the mid/ late 80s. I remember my brother and I trying them on, then all of the sudden hearing this shriek like a siren went off. Guess my brother was trying out the 'werewolf'' mask and walked around the corner of an aisle in the store...surprised a little girl who screamed in terror!



__ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/127508233169622136/


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## SummitCityScribe (Aug 9, 2021)

corey872 said:


> Neat! Thanks for sharing. You were far more advanced than my '80's Halloween memories! I remember late 70s/early 80s we'd go to pick out our vinyl costume and plastic mask. I don't know that I have any pics of me, but will put a pintrest page and an example below.
> 
> I believe we only got access to the fancy latex masks in the mid/ late 80s. I remember my brother and I trying them on, then all of the sudden hearing this shriek like a siren went off. Guess my brother was trying out the 'werewolf'' mask and walked around the corner of an aisle in the store...surprised a little girl who screamed in terror1
> 
> ...


 Oh yeah, I wore those Ben Cooper costumes for most of my childhood. I might have even worn that very Spider-Man suit one year!

The masks my friend and I were wearing in the photo I posted were of a flexible, lightweight material that we affixed to our faces with spirit gum. Mark's wolf-man was a half-mask, whereas my ghoul was a two-piece (upper and lower) that moved with my jaw when I talked. I believe we bought them at a Circus World or Kay Bee toy store (both long gone now) and the night before Halloween, we wore them while walking around our local mall to gauge the reaction from shoppers. A great Halloween memory!


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Does sound neat. Have any other pics? I actually got on a 'vintage' kick a few years ago. For me it was memories of the Beistle cardboard decorations we taped in the windows, so I took a trip down their 'memory lane' and tried to remember which ones we had. Vintage Beistle Halloween

I don't ever remember having the exact piece, but thought their cardboard streamer would make neat panels for a graveyard lantern.


















Then I came across some really creepy Halloween images from the teens, 20's, 30's etc (19!)


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## SummitCityScribe (Aug 9, 2021)

That lantern looks fantastic. I sure wish I had some of the wonderful old Beistle Halloween decorations my folks used to put up at our house every October, but we lost them in an attic fire back in 1997. BTW, have you ever read David Skal's book about Halloween? Lots of great stuff about the origins of the holiday's traditions and decorations.


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## Fright Boy (Oct 1, 2014)

Gosh, I so loved Halloween in the 80's. Was there a better time for Trick or Treating? I know my Mom has to have a picture or two of me from that time. I will need to ask her to dig them up for me. Heck, I would love to see them. The only two costumes I remember are that I went as Dracula one year and another year I talked her into letting me get a Living Nightmare make-up kit; it was the Burn Out. I even took some old clothes and singed them with a lighter. I looked so realistic, that a few ladies yelled for their husbands to call the paramedics. I think I had this Death Mask kit too.


















Oh, my. I found the make-up kit my Mom bought while trying to find pics of the Living Nightmare kit; it was made by Paas (the Easter egg coloring kit people) 








Hahahaha I remember that.


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## SummitCityScribe (Aug 9, 2021)

Fright Boy said:


> Gosh, I so loved Halloween in the 80's. Was there a better time for Trick or Treat? I know my Mom has to have a picture or two of me from that time. I will need to ask her to dig them up for me. Heck, I would love to see them. The only two costumes I remember are that I went as Dracula one year and one year I talker her into letting me get a Living Nightmare make-up kit; it was the Burn Out. I even took some old clothes and singed them with a lighter. I looked so realistic, that a few ladies yelled for their husbands to call the paramedics. I think I had this Death Mask kit too.
> View attachment 21631
> 
> View attachment 21632
> ...


PAAS? The Easter Egg people? That's wild. I'd never seen that vampire kit. Thanks for sharing the pics!


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## Fright Boy (Oct 1, 2014)

SummitCityScribe said:


> PAAS? The Easter Egg people? That's wild. I'd never seen that vampire kit. Thanks for sharing the pics!


They had a few different kits; and even a commercial. Check out this link I found.








Remember these easy vintage Halloween makeup kits from the '80s? - Click Americana


Did you ever have one of these vintage Halloween makeup kits from Paas in the 80s, so you could go trick-or-treating looking like a vampire, clown, werewolf or ghost?




clickamericana.com


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

SummitCityScribe said:


> That lantern looks fantastic. I sure wish I had some of the wonderful old Beistle Halloween decorations my folks used to put up at our house every October, but we lost them in an attic fire back in 1997. BTW, have you ever read David Skal's book about Halloween? Lots of great stuff about the origins of the holiday's traditions and decorations.


Thanks. I have not read the book, but thanks for the tip. Will have to put it on the list!




Fright Boy said:


> Gosh, I so loved Halloween in the 80's. Was there a better time for Trick or Treating? ...


lol - Well, I remember it as a time of cyanide scares, razor blade in apple rumors, needles in candy comments, kids getting goodie bags Xray'd, throwing out any 'homemade' treats - unless they specifically came from someone 'trusted', etc. Plus classic movies like Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm St, Amityville Horror, Exorcist, etc. So yes, that was surely the golden age  - just doesn't seem like we get that 'all inclusive' scary atmosphere today... unless you can count a good covid scare?


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## EuclidBoo (Aug 18, 2021)

SummitCityScribe said:


> Fun Times!


I know it's a boxed costume... but I thought nothing was scarier than this ghost!


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

EuclidBoo said:


> I know it's a boxed costume... but I thought nothing was scarier than this ghost!
> 
> View attachment 21640


Love this pic and the costume! I grew up i nthe 60's and 70's. Aside from a few years when we made our own outfits, I remember going to W.T. Grants or Woolworths for our costumes. Ben Cooper, in the box with the cellophane window on the lid so you could see the mask. The costumes were flimsy with the fabric ties in back and the masks had the elastic string to hold it on your face. Could never see well and you were sweating profusely after ten minutes! Best times as a kid!


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## Fright Boy (Oct 1, 2014)

EuclidBoo said:


> I know it's a boxed costume... but I thought nothing was scarier than this ghost!


As luck would have it, I just ran across this documentary recently. I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, as I just found it for Free on Youtube late last night. But I will be watching it tonight.

Halloween in a Box

I want to say I had one of those. There is a strong feeling that I did, but I don't remember it clearly if I did.


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## corey872 (Jan 10, 2010)

Wow! Amazing documentary! I can't believe the video has less than 500 views ! That has to be a trip down memory lane for millions of people. They even go into the cyanide scares and at least put forth the claim that they helped with a 'transformation' of Halloween around that time through their booklet. Maybe so, as it definitely seems to have more of a 'community' tone now...I don't ever recall 'trunk-or-treat' or similar tings before that. I also swear I had the devil costume shown at 1:13. Neat stuff!!


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