ROUND 1: EVIL ENTERTAINMENT
COSTUME PARTIES: If you don’t want to stay home on All Hallows Eve, then step into the night for a fun fright! Costume parties provide endless entertainment in the form of bobbing for apples or dancing tothe “Monster Mash”and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”! If boogying with a guy or ghoul isn’t your thing, then you could play a murder mystery.
TRICK-OR-TREATING: Meanwhile, trick-or-treating offers plenty of chills and thrills by simply jumping out from behind acornerand scaring the “jeepers creepers” out of unsuspecting witches and warlocks! But, remember, dragging your feet from door to door can be hard work.
Costume parties offer more fun for everyone with less effort, so you can actually relax and have a good time! The party monster “mashes” the competition!
SCORE: COSTUME PARTIES – 1
TRICK-OR-TREATING – 0
ROUND 2: DEATHLY DECORATIONS
COSTUME PARTIES: A good costume party goes all out on the decorations. From fog machines to sound effects, bloody limbs, chainsaws, cobwebs, and cauldrons, the possibilities for creating a creepy mood are limited only by your imagination (and your pocketbook)! You could make abona fide haunted house!
TRICK-OR-TREATING: The decorations you witness when you go trick-or-treating are less impressive. Some houses decorate their front lawns with tombstones and scarecrows. Other houses don’t even bother to turn on the lights. Simply put, don’t expect a spooky experience.
Trick-or-treating gets caught in the cobwebs. Costume parties score again!
SCORE: COSTUME PARTIES – 2
TRICK-OR-TREATING – 0
ROUND 3: FOOD “FRIGHT”
COSTUME PARTIES: Halloween is when the grossest grub crawls out of the cupboard. Brains made from Jell-o, cupcakes covered with chocolate dirt and gummy worms, or bottles of “Beetlejuice” are just some of the crazy concoctions you might find at a costume party. Of course, not all the food is foul. There are also oldies but goodies like apple cider and pumpkin pie!
TRICK-OR-TREATING: On the other hand, trick-or-treating is all about one thing: candy – what kinds, how much, and where to get it. If you’re really lucky, you might even score some full-size candy bars! Plus, there is always a lot to take home, so you’ll have candies (and cavities!) for weeks to come!
Party snacks are superb, but, like vampires, the food turns to dust by sunrise. Trick-or-treating brings a point and a bucketful of candy home!
SCORE: COSTUME PARTIES – 2
TRICK-OR-TREATING – 1
ROUND 4: “GHOST” LIST
COSTUME PARTIES: Since you can’t just whiz through the walls like a ghost, you’ll have to get your name on the covetedguest list before you can go to a costume party. Either that or you’ll have to throw your own bash. On the upside, you can attend a costume party regardless of how young, old, or dead you are.
TRICK-OR-TREATING: Conversely, trick-or-treating is considered child’s play by some smug grown-up standard. After you hit a certain age, which is about as obscure as a mysterious flesh-eating fog, you aresupposed to outgrow the novelty of running from door to door clutching a pillowcase and begging for treats the size of your toes. However, at least you don’t need an invitation to dress up and scare the neighbours!
Who says teens can’t trick-or-treat? Costume parties see their guest lists go up in flames. Trick-or-treating ties the match!
SCORE: COSTUME PARTIES – 2
TRICK-OR-TREATING – 2
ROUND 5: FEAR FACTOR
COSTUME PARTIES: All puns aside, Halloween can be a scary experience in the worst sense of the word. At a costume party, chances are you know the host and some of the other guests, so if you find a thumb floating around in your cider, relax – it’s probably just a fake!
TRICK-OR-TREATING: Trick-or-treaters might not be so lucky. In addition to the pranksters who egg houses or throw toilet paper over trees, trick-or-treating can also turn up some dangerous decoys masquerading as candies. Beware of razors in apples and other unwrapped treats.
There will be nodawn if you aredead. Costume parties snag the final point for safety!
SCORE: COSTUME PARTIES – 3
TRICK-OR-TREATING – 2
ROUND UP: Trick-or-treating came knocking for a treat, but ended up with a trick. The time-honoured tradition of dressing up and thumping on doors is free for everyone and fills many mouths with sugary plunder. However, costume parties use more decorations, more entertainment, and greater safety to bury its opponent six feet under. Happy Halloween from The Magazine!