Today we have Mark Gelineau, one of the authors of A Reaper of Stone (see my review a couple of posts back), and he has a fun Top 10 list for us. Checkitout! :)
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Howdy all. My name is Mark Gelineau and I, along with my writing partner Joe King, are Gelineau and King. We are two long-time friends and the authors of the Echoes of the Ascended series.
We are releasing a novella a month. Each of them takes place in the same fantasy world, but there are four different series. A Reaper of Stone is a classic, cavalier story. Our next book, Rend the Dark, coming October 15, is a dark fantasy/horror adventure, perfect for the Halloween season.
Leah here at White Sky was kind enough to offer me a spot for a guest blog, and so I thought, in the spirit of the season, I would put forward some fun costume ideas. But let’s be honest. When it comes to horror, movies tend to get the lion’s share of representation in the costume department. So here, I wanted to offer up some costumes specifically for the LITERARY horror lover. Check them out.
1) Cthulhu
Let’s face it. Cuddles the Cuttlefish is not just dreaming in R’yleh anymore. He is a pop culture icon. Plushies, T-shirts, even a guest shot on South park. So get out there and let those tentacles fly.
Option 1: A Deep One. Continuing the Lovecraft theme, a good fish/human hybrid costume is always a winner. Bonus points if you correct people who wrongly assume you are the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Option 2. I originally wrote “Deep One” as “Depp One” which would also be a cool costume. Johnny Depp plus fishman= fun times for all.
2) Edgar Allen Poe
Advantages – Stylish, classy, easily accessorized with ravens, black cats, falling houses, etc. Excuse to drink absinthe
Disadvantages – Awkward mustache. Victorian era clothing not known for comfort.
Option: The Red Death from the Masque of the Red Death. Scary and gory, but with just enough elitism to prove you are simply better than those guests who showed up as the guy from Scream
3) Frankenstein
Sure, this appears to be a tried and true Halloween classic. But you are taking the literary angle! You know that “Frankenstein” is not the monster, but rather the doctor. So while everyone else is going for bolts on the neck, you can go classy white lab coat. Or even better, you can go the full literary path and go as Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein. Bonus points if you can get two people to dress as Byron and Percy Shelley and follow you around.
4) The Other Mother from Coraline (or Other Father)
Ok, sure, it was a movie too, but it was a beautiful one, and anything by Neil Gaiman immediately gets a free pass on everything from me. Simple to do. Get yourself some big black buttons and put them over your eyes. Then, proceed to outdo everyone else at the party until they don’t pay attention to you any longer and then forcibly try and sew buttons on to their eyes.
5) The Dark Tower
Now, here’s the deal. Anybody can dress up as a gunslinger and go searching for a Man in Black like Roland. But if you want to go full-tilt and impress book snobs, go as the titular piece of architecture from Stephen King’s series. Mingle aggressively around the party, so you are places at the same time.
6) Dorian Gray’s picture
Get yourself a nice picture frame at the local Michael’s, then wear it around your neck as you proceed to let the various stains of your debauchery mar you throughout the evening.
7) Hamlet’s Dad
Not necessarily horror, but it sure is literary. Make sure as you go around the party, you keep urging people to avenge you. Try and target the laziest, most emo person you can find.
8) The Governess from The Turn of the Screw
Get yourself a couple of creepy kids to follow you around whispering awful, terrible secrets. It’s like Disney’s Mary Poppins, only with more twisted victorian stuff, and who doesn’t like that?
9) Grendel
If you want to go really old school, then you gotta go with the big G. You can kind of shape the image of your Grendel any way you want appearance-wise. Then, have someone following you around describing everything you do in West Anglo Saxon verse.
Bonus: If you really want those extra pretentious points (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?) then you should go as John Gardner’s Grendel and insist on seeing everything at the party as an extension of some form of philosophy.
10) A copy of 50 Shades of Gray.
To truly terrify anyone, go as a copy of the book itself. Classy black and silver cover but make sure your pages are dog-eared. See how many people run away screaming.
See how many people want to read you.
Scary times.
So there you go. Ten costumes assured to both terrify and impress. Thanks very much and keep an eye out for Rend the Dark coming October 15. And for more about us, check out www.gelineauandking.com.
A big thank you to Leah at White Sky Project for letting me on here.
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Thanks, Mark!
Does anyone want to add anything to this list? How about costume ideas for a Labrador-Husky and a Jack Russell Terrier? It’s our puppies’ first Halloween!! They must have costumes!! LOL.