I like a good, scary Halloween costume. And it seems that a lot of people are going for “scary” when Halloween night comes around - but come on, sometimes I see people trying too hard. They’re trying to be WAY too scary.

Does a zombie mask really need to have bloody scabs, worms coming out, an axe in the top of the head, battery-operated glowing red eyes, AND does the mouth need to be wide open in an apparent scream?? That’s what I mean by “overdoing it”. And you all know what I’m talking about - you’ve seen masks like that.

So this Halloween I would like to advocate the use of less over-the-top masks. I want to encourage the use of subdued-yet-creepy masks. So here’s my list of recommendations…

Michael Myers
You can probably not top this as the most understated, subdued, non-in-your-face, yet outright scary mask ever made. I love it. Michael Myers is a classic, it will never get old, and whenever you wear this as your costume you are guaranteed to get comments from people.

Frankenstein
Ain’t nothing wrong with a well-made Frankenstein mask. I have one (the Universal Studios one) and I love it. It’s easy to make into a costume - a turtleneck and a sport coat, some black boots…and you’re good to go.

Eerie Old Man Mask

There are a lot of variations on the old man mask. I don’t have one particular favorite - you can go expensive or cheap on this one, but there are a lot of really cool options out there. And most of the time you can use this mask with just about any type of clothing - a flannel shirt and a pair of jeans, an overcoat, a suit, a mechanic’s uniform…whatever. They all go with the mask.

I still personally have NOT decided what to be this Halloween, but it’s probably going to be an old man at this point. I’m thinking: old man mask, western shirt, jeans, boots, and a fake shotgun. Whatever I am, I plan on being scary!

There’s not much I love more than Halloween. Except maybe a pepperoni pizza from Mo’s (my favorite place). And Abita beer. And Morticia, my woman.

But besides all that, I have a thing for Halloween masks - scary ones. Cool ones. Awesome ones. Crappy ones, too.

Here’s one I like: the Goth Skull Mask at Eerie Shop. Check it out…for forty clams you can’t go wrong.

Wicked cool, isn’t it?