HALLOWEEN IN A BOX {2019}

WHEN HALLOWEEN WAS HELD ON BY A RUBBER BAND.  Back when I was a lil monster in the 1970s, a Halloween costume was usually gotten from some store like Woolworth's for about $2.98.  The costume itself was a vinyl smock usually with the name of the character and some representative artwork on the front while the mask was a vacuum plastic thing with a rubber band stapled onto it which held it on your head.  Halloween eve would feature the sound of many vinyl smocks swishing up and down the dark streets while moisture from your breath condensed inside the plastic mask.  If any of this sounds familiar to you, you'll probably want to check out the brand new documentary HALLOWEEN IN A BOX which debuted on various VOD services on October 1st.  The doc features many vintage photos and home movies of kids in their costumes from the 1940s - 1980s as well as a fairly detailed history of the children's Halloween costume makers Ben Cooper Inc., Collegeville and Halco. 

If you don't already have an interest in the subject, this documentary may come off as a little dry and not for you; however, true Halloween nuts will find quite a bit here to interest you.  Among subjects covered is the "Who created Spider-Man" controversy:  several years before Marvel Comics' created the Spider-Man we all know by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Ben Cooper was producing their own Spider-Man kids Halloween costume apparently designed by Jack Kirby.  Did Steve Ditko happen to see a kid wearing that costume years before creating Marvel Comics' Spider-Man??? 

Ben Cooper Inc. Spider Man (L), Marvel Spider-Man (R)

Also covered is how the Tylenol tampering case of the early 1980's almost put a end to Halloween and these costume companies.  For those with an interest in nostalgic Halloween, this documentary might just hit the spot.