Amazing, really, that Halloween is very nearly upon us. It seems like just yesterday we were putting the final touches on our Texas Polygamist Bride of Frankenstein costumes and heading out into the nippy fall air. And the costume guides have begun! Some are already anticipating the costumes we'll be seeing too much of, others offering some off-the-beaten-path suggestions. We here at Movieline prefer to walk a line right down the middle: suggestions not so obscure you'll have to explain who you are all night, but then not so obvious that you'll be asked to pose with all the other Jon & Kates for an evening of group portraits celebrating your lack of originality.
That said, we thought we'd kick things off with three quick and easy ideas just for the ladies.
Mariah Carey as Mrs. Weiss in Precious
Though it doesn't open until six days after Halloween, Precious should be high enough on the radar for your Mrs. Weiss Halloween getup to earn plenty of high fives and shouts of "You go, you no-nonsense-taking, totally deglamorized, mustache-rocking, social-working, Miss Mariah Girl-Thang. MmHMMM!!!"
Esther the Orphan
Did anyone actually see Orphan? That's utterly besides the point. They more than likely saw the posters and billboards, and that's the look we're going for here. "There's something wrong with Esther," the tagline goes, but it's nothing a little faultily administered electroshock therapy in an Estonian mental institution can't fix. (Note: Bring a flashlight to hold under your chin for full, undershadowy effect.)
Sandra Bullock as Mary Horowitz in All About Steve
Bullock's one-movie-long return to form ended abruptly with this stinker about a cruciverbalist (crossword puzzle writer, not a witch-exorcist) who stalks a news cameraman, then falls into an open mineshaft and saves a little deaf girl with her boots. We have no idea why this failed to connect with audiences, but your costume will almost certainly be a hit (with lovers of bad cinema). A mullet wig and some streetwalker boots complete the look.