Remember when Halloween costumes used to be far more simplistic and always came in boxes? ’80s kids in particular should remember these days, as every child who trick-or-treated during that era definitely wore some of these costumes. Nowadays, there are Halloween costume shops seemingly everywhere, and no shortage of elaborate costumes on sale for both children and adults. Still, for those with a fond nostalgia for the classic plastic costumes, the documentary Halloween in a Box will definitely entertain.
In their heyday, these costumes were manufactured by three major companies from the time: Ben Cooper Inc, Halco, and Collegeville. Usually consisting of a simple plastic mask and some kind of top, a variety of characters from pop culture were given the costume treatment in this style. This includes superheroes like Wonder Woman and Spider-Man to various ’80s icons like Hulk Hogan, Pee-wee Herman, Mr. T, Freddy Krueger, and characters from major franchises like Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Even for younger fans of the Halloween holiday who weren’t around at the time, it’s highly fascinating to revisit the production of these costumes, as well as seeing just how much children seemed to enjoy them.
Synopsis: Before the days of elaborate Halloween costumes, there were costumes in a box. Remember them? We seemingly all wore these costumes as kids. Now hear the story behind these costumes and the history of the big three companies that made them, Ben Cooper Inc, Halco, and Collegeville. For years, these costumes were a beloved Halloween institution dating back in the 1930s. In 1982 at the height of their popularity, the first case of domestic terrorism, the Tylenol Scare shook the United States and threatened to cancel Halloween forever. In an effort to save the holiday, the costume giants, although rivals in business, were forced to come together and unify or trick or treating would become extinct.
Halloween in a Box is produced by HNN Productions with Indie Rights handling distribution. Filmmaker Rob Caprilozzi directs. The film will be available to stream on select streaming services, including Amazon, starting on Oct. 1, 2019. You can watch the trailer for Halloween in a Box below, courtesy of Horror News Network on YouTube.
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