The Halloween Aisle

We didn't have a Spirit Halloween store near us when I was a kid.

At Halloween time, we had a few other options. We didn't have Walmart, but we had K-Mart. Then there was our local mall. There the Hallmark store usually had, in addition to its holiday greeting cards, a section of Halloween costumes and items close to the front of the store. I vaguely remember picking up a free Halloween costume catalog from Sears in the mid-1980s, though I don't recall ever buying anything Halloween-related there. Another mall staple, Spencer's Gifts, sold Halloween masks years before the company bought out the Spirit Halloween chain in 1999.

Although I remember Toys 'R Us primarily for its selection of magic tricks and kits—such as the Magic World of Blackstone Beginner's Magic Set—the store carried enough Halloween merchandise to publish its own annual costume catalog. And because I watched reruns of That's Incredible during the 80s, I also associated the store with the haunted Toys 'R Us in Sunnyvale, California.

For costumes, candy, decorations, and other Halloween paraphernalia, I mainly depended on the holiday aisle of our nearest drugstore, Sav-on Drugs. The selection was limited, though I didn't think so at the time. It was where I went when I needed a pot of green makeup, a cassette tape of sound effects, or a bag of candy corn.

One cassette tape that I'm pretty sure I bought at Sav-on was titled "Horror Sounds of the Night." I used the tape as the soundtrack for numerous homemade radio shows and videos over the years, including my own "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" movie. My tape copy was defective, as much of it had a screechy sound that was obviously not intentional. Here is someone else's good transfer of the tape on YouTube:

Another fun find from the mid-1980s was the Create-A-Face Complete Makeup Kit, which included six colors of makeup paint, a tube of vampire blood, glow-in-the-dark monster fangs, "icky teeth," an eyepatch, face adhesive, various "special effect pieces" like bullet holes and a stitched wound, and a waxy "blend" that supposedly helped hide the edge of the effect pieces (it didn't). Though the kit looks pretty underwhelming in hindsight, it seemed like the stuff of professionals when I was a kid.

There are no more Sav-on Drug stores as I remember them (most became CVS Pharmacies). So yesterday I stopped by the Halloween aisle at my local Walgreens to buy some candy to give out (in one week!) and to see what other things they had on the pegboard racks.

The costume selection was a bit sad. Space was severely limited by the Christmas merchandise, already taking up half the aisle. And there were no audio offerings. Unfortunately, the days of sound effects albums and cheesy cover versions of "Monster Mash" on CDs are long gone.

There were, however, glow sticks, several packages of grease and cream makeup, fake fangs, and tubes of vampire blood—all similar to the kinds sold when I was a kid. These would do just fine for any kid planning a homemade monster movie.

At the very least, there was a decent selection of candy. And this store had some pretty good discounts. (After all the markdowns I came away with several bags for $15.) For some things, you can still depend on the Halloween aisle.

The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion (1969)

In 1969, this Disneyland Records Storyteller album was released to commemorate the opening of Haunted Mansion. Intended as a simple promotional album, this recording has become a cherished childhood memory for many a Disneyland guest. "The Story and Song from The Haunted Mansion" includes original scenes and effects that never made it into the final attraction as it follows the story of two teenagers (voiced by Robie Lester and a young Ron Howard) who take refuge inside the eerie mansion during a rainstorm. (Synopsis from DisneyStore.com) The picture above shows Ron Howard in the Happy Days episode "Haunted", made about 5 years after the album.

Ray Parker: Ghostbusters (1984)

Shindig Halloween Special (1965)

Originally aired October 30, 1965. A portion of the episode footage was lost, including a segment with Boris Karloff singing "Monster Mash."







Here is a fan reconstruction of what the missing footage might have looked like, using actual audio from the program.

The Witch Who Turned Pink (1989)

An unlucky witch searches for the way to restore her original coloring, after an unfortunate incident turns her skin pink.

The Worst Witch (1986)

Originally released November 1, 1986. Mildred Hubble is the flunk-out of the Witch's Academy...that is, until she gets her big chance to show everyone just how much magic she can make! The school's headmistress Agatha has an evil twin, who is plotting to cause havoc just before the big Halloween celebration and visit by the Grand Wizard. Can Mildred find a way to stop this plot before it ruins the party? This family fantasy features a stellar cast, including Diana Rigg and Tim Curry, as well as plenty of enchanting action.

Georgie (1968), by Robert Bright

This recording is new to me, but I remember reading the book when I was little.

Disneyland Haunted Mansion 8mm Souvenir Film (c. 1974)

Edited from souvenir films that were sold at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in the 1970s.

Oingo Boingo Dead Man's Party (1990)

Concert video from Halloween 1990 at Irvine Meadows. I was able to see this great band during their 1995 Farewell tour.



Tender Lumplings video shown during the 1995 Farewell tour:

The Paul Lynde Halloween Special (1976)

Originally aired October 29, 1976. Witchipoo and the Wicked Witch of the West give Paul Lynde three wishes for Halloween.

Hallmark Halloween commercial (1989)

Snoopy: The Musical (1988)

Originally aired January 29, 1988. In this segment, called "The Vigil," Linus once again waits in the pumpkin patch on Halloween night, in hopes that the Great Pumpkin will appear. Snoopy accompanies him, but wears dark glasses so as to prevent anyone from recognizing him.

Michael Jackson's Thriller (1983)

This music video was released December 2, 1983, and I probably saw it for the first time in 1984 or 1985, when we rented it from a local store, Video Biz. The VHS release also featured a making-of documentary, where I recall Michael Jackson saying it felt like Tobasco sauce being poured in his eyes while he was wearing the cat-eye contact lenses. Somewhere there is a picture from the mid-80s that shows me mimicking Jackson as the werewolf character, with half of a yellow plastic Easter egg over each eye.

Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978)

Originally aired October 28, 1978, and released in theaters outside the U.S. as Attack of the Phantoms the following year. Anthony Zerbe appears in this made-for-TV movie as an evil inventor working at an amusement park. He also appeared in Child of Glass, another 1978 made-for-TV film. NBC bumper: Movie:

Phantom of the Park Movie from some random person on Vimeo.

Mickey Mouse: Haunted House (1929)

The Skeleton Dance (1929) and Skeleton Frolic (1937)

Two cartoons by Ub Iwerks. First is the 1929 original, made at Disney:


Here is the 1937 remake, made at Columbia:

DTV Monster Hits (1987)

Originally shown October 30, 1987 on NBC. It features a great collection of pop songs for Halloween:

"Thriller" by Michael Jackson
"Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker, Jr.
"Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
"The Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett
"Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell
"Evil Woman" by Electric Light Orchestra
"Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
"You Better Run" by Pat Benatar
"That Old Black Magic" by Spike Jones
"Dreamtime" by Daryl Hall
"Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics

"Monster Mash" Cartoon (1973)

Joe Piscopo's Halloween Party (1987)

I didn't watch this when it aired (I was watching The Search for Houdini that night), but I saw this on YouTube and thought it was amusing. The finale of the show features Joe playing drums to a Bach organ fugue. Pretty scary! I have not watched this whole video, so young viewers should be cautioned that it may contain adult content.