All Hallow's Eve 2007

For the first time in many years, I'm living in the suburbs during Halloween. Satan's holiday certainly has a different feel here than in a city. In Brooklyn, people used to dress up, but I wouldn't see too many kids around. In Sydney, most Australians refused to dress up for Halloween. "That's silly stuff." Instead, they would go to a "fancy dress" party on any other night of the year and put on a costume as if it were Halloween.

A couple of months ago, I looked out of a window and into the backyard of the folks who live next door. "Dana?" I called. "Why is Steve building an electric chair?" Dana explained that Halloween is Steve's holiday, so when I saw a dummy hanging from a noose a few weeks later, I thought nothing of it. Steve's creations make their way to his front lawn (with Steve's help) throughout the month of October. With the strobe lights and fog machines working, the front of their house is convincingly creepy. The tree of heads is the freakiest.

Steve & Maureen also host a Halloween party for adults. This party was last Friday night. Costumes are mandatory. Dana went as Sexy Thomas the Tank Engine, Alexis as a leopard-cat, Tom as [thisisafamilyshow]-in-a-box, and I as Amazing Man. The inside of their house was as well-decorated as the outside, and food & drink was plentiful. Once a second tequila shot guy came to the party, things got crazy.

Halloweeriffic photos. There's also a shot of the tap handles at the BBQ gem Fette Sau, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They're all made out of butcher's tools, so it's Halloweeish enough. Hope everyone had a nauseatingly scary night.