Another Fascinating Find: Dressed for Thrills

I've been sitting on this book for a while now, waiting for the Halloween season to be officially upon us.  Written by Phyllis Galembo, Dressed for Thrills: 100 Years of Halloween Costumes & Masquerade, offers a pictorial history of what people used to wear for Halloween.  Let me tell you, most of the pictures featured in the book are far scarier than modern costumes.

Many of the costumes, especially those fabricated in the first half of the twentieth century have an especially creepy feel.  Perhaps, it is because many of them are homemade from waxed or starched fabrics that have been painted in a very unsettling way.  Perhaps, it is because they are all aged and dilapidated to the point where they look like the artifacts of some backwoods cult.  Whatever the reason, if I met up with someone in one of these costumes I would run the other way as fast as I could.

If you're into vintage creepiness, I urge you to check this book out.  Here are a couple of sample pictures (and these are pretty tame compared to some of the other ones!).

Mickey Mouse (circa 1930):

Little Orphan Annie (circa. 1936):