Halloween brings out the best and worst in me, I must admit. The best of me involves being creative; I love coming up with costumes, carving a pumpkin, and hosting a very casual adult party to watch the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, which literally marches under my windows. It’s loud, it’s fun, and nobody expects you to serve them fancy eats and drinks.
As for the worst in me, it revolves around the kids. I like to scare ‘em.
When my daughter Julia was about 11 years old she decided to have a Halloween sleepover party with five or six of her friends. They all wanted to watch scary movies, and were not pleased when I said “no” to the movie “Halloween” a John Carpenter slasher film that scared the bejeebers out of me when I saw it, as an adult. I told the kids they could watch some classics, and rented “Carrie” and “Psycho.” I put in “Psycho” and watched the first few minutes with them. I had forgotten how slowly the movie begins, and how completely UN-scary it is at first. The girls were rolling their eyes at me, and Julia complained that I’d treated them like babies. I shrugged and said, “just wait,” and left the room, hoping that I hadn’t misjudged their capacity, as modern kids, to be terrified by a movie.
Minutes later I heard the first shriek, and then another. Someone yelled, “Turn it off!”
Ah yes, I still had it.
True, one girl’s mother called to tell me her daughter wouldn’t sleep with the light off, but I didn’t care. Sometimes, you just have to show the kids that they’re not as cool as they think. And that there’s a lot to be said for doing things Old School style, like Hitchcock on Halloween.
This year I’m planning to serve a truly disgusting (yet somehow quite tasty) treat to the kids and adults. It’s a kitty litter cake, as conceived by Bruce Littlefield, Howdini’s guru of fun. Our Howdini host is the always hilarious comedian Lizz Winstead.
If you’re looking for a gross out snack that will horrify your kids, you can’t do better than this, people. Check it out!
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