Ye gods, I just looked at my calendar – Halloween is next week. My son isn’t even close to deciding what overpriced costume he wants to wear this year. And my suggestion to cobble together a creative costume from the local Goodwill store has not been well received…
Because I solo from home, I haven’t a clue whether or not businesses still host Halloween office parties. Do they? On the chance you might need some disguised inspiration before October 31, I’ve done your due diligence, courtesy of the film industry. Just how eclectic are my suggested Halloween costume options? You’ll know the answer by the end of this blog post…
Flashdance’s Halloween Party Revelers Were (Mostly) Fully Clothed: The Halloween party scene at Mawby’s Bar in the movie Flashdance offers a wide selection of costumes to choose from, but two in particular are noteworthy.
One is the tent-like harlequin clown costume worn by “maniac” dancer Jennifer Beals (Alex). The other is the full-body alligator/crocodile costume concealing Richie, the former short-order cook who attempts the stand-up comedy life in L.A. (but returns to Pittsburgh). This is the only scene in which Mawby’s exotic dancers aren’t removing their clothes…
Only a Philadelphia Attorney Could Get Away with This One: Andrew Beckett’s costume party in Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia isn’t a Halloween shindig, but the outfits are definitely office-party material.
My personal favorite is the flimsy getup lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) conjures by taping paper versions of laws to his normal lawyer garb, and voila: he’s a lawsuit. Honorable mention goes to Tom Hanks and Antonio Banderas for their matching U.S. Navy “Full Dress White” uniforms.
The Karate Kid Wins for Best Privacy While in Costume: Sure, you remember Mr. Miyagi’s mysterious “wax on, wax off” tutelage from this beloved 1984 film. But do you remember the Halloween dance at Daniel-san’s (Ralph Macchio) new school in California? He shows up to the dance as a shower, complete with polka-dot curtain. (The only detail missing is a functional shower head with running water.)
Daniel’s fabulous costume allows him to have a private moment with his love interest, Ali. He then takes revenge against one of the school bullies who torment him for the duration of the movie: those brainwashed karate students at the local Cobra Kai dojo. This costume is ideal for staging a private conversation with the boss regarding your delayed raise or promotion…
It’s Not Legally Blonde until You Show Up in a Bunny Costume: Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) senses an opportunity to make some friends at a Harvard Law School costume party in the movie Legally Blonde. But it turns out she’s the only one who arrives in a fetching ensemble (as a Playboy Bunny) – the party is nothing more than a typical Cambridge wine and cheese soiree.
Duped by Vivian, her former boyfriend’s fiancee, Elle retaliates by saying “Oh, I like your outfit too, except when I dress up as a frigid bitch, I try not to look so constipated.” How ironic these two become BFFs by the film’s end. If light pink is your color, I say give this costume a try. (Ladies, I do suggest wearing a full body stocking underneath before showing up to your office party as one of Hugh Hefner’s foot soldiers…)
Mean Girls Are so Plastic in Their Halloween Costumes: In the movie Mean Girls, Lindsay Lohan (before all the sad DWI and other drama of recent years) must acclimate to public high school for the first time in her character’s travel-weary life. Halloween is a coming and, according to the popular “in group” of girls known as The Plastics, it is a time for pushing the dress code limits.
To quote: “In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year where a girl can dress like a total slut and nobody can say anything about it.” Lindsay/Cady doesn’t get the memo in time and shows up to the party as a zombie bride, complete with fake blood dripping from her carnivorous teeth. This is the costume you wear to keep your unruly or grumbling lower-level employees in line…
There are other memorable costumes from both iconic and obscure films of yesteryear I could mention, but I don’t want to abuse your reading attention. Instead, here’s a great blog post from amctv.com: “Classic Ten – Movie Characters in All Their Halloween Costumed Glory.” Will your office hold a Halloween party this year? If so, which of these suggested costumes might you consider wearing? May your boss reward you with many treats (and no tricks) next week!
Lori Shapiro is the owner of By All Writes LLC, a business-to-business (B2B) writing, editing, and research company in Marlton, New Jersey. She revels in shielding her clients from the pain of writing their own print and web marketing copy. Call her (856-810-9764) or email her (lori@byallwrites.biz) for a no-obligation project quote today!
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