Maria DeVivo's Top Ten Group Costume Ideas


Top Ten Group Costume Ideas

As a middle school teacher, I see my students often struggle with Halloween. They’re at this really weird age where they WANT to dress up and go Trick-or-Treating, but for some reason, it’s not “cool” (and you know when you’re 12 and 13, it’s all about your reputation.) So, I started doing “group/theme” costumes for those reluctant kiddos (plus I offer some kind of incentive for their bravery). 

It breaks my heart to see a child lose the magic of Christmas in their heart, but it pins me something awful when they flat-out refuse Halloween. Hopefully, these ideas can help invigorate the spirit in some students/kids. 

These costume ideas would work for any large group (and really, any age range, too).

1. Cruella DeVil and the Dalmations

2. Astronaut and Aliens

3. Ghostbuster and Ghosts

4. Witch and Black Cats

5. Vampire Queen/King and Bats

6. Mrs. Claus/Santa and Elves

7. Cat in the Hat and Things

8. Snow White/Prince Charming and the Dwarves

9. Mr. Monopoly and the Monopoly Board (each kid is a different “property”)

10. Ellie Stradler/Dr. Grant/Dr. Malcolm and Dinosaurs

11. Zoo Keeper and Various Animals (or Farmer Joe/Jane and Animals)

12. Carmen San Diego and Waldos (or opposite)

13. Archeologist and Egyptian Mummies

14. Painter and The Drawings (each kid paints their face abstractly and carries a “frame” on a stick for photo ops)

15. M&Ms/Skittles


Witch of the Black Circle
Dawn of the Blood Witch
Book One
Maria DeVivo

Genre: Horror
Publisher: 4 Horsemen Publications
Date of Publication: March 7, 2022
ASIN: B09NB1G11Y
Number of pages: 217
Word Count: 64k

Tagline: When it comes to witchcraft, it's never just a teenage phase...

Book Description: 

For as long as she can remember, high school senior Joephie Turner's mother has told her she is cursed by a witch. As she settles into her new hometown of Northport, Long Island at the height of the 1980s Satanic Panic era, Joephie is accepted into a circle of friends obsessed with the occult. Demonic messages on cassette tapes, shady youth group leaders, and passionate sexual encounters push the teen into a thrilling world that lends a deeper meaning to the proverbial mantra: "sex, drugs, and rock and roll." Until it all goes wrong.

A decade later, haunted by nightmares of cults and rituals, formidable burgeoning witch Joephie pieces her memories together in search of answers about the small group of suburban teens that meddled with dark forces. As an adult, Joephie will have to decide what, or who, she is willing to sacrifice from her past in order to claw her way back to sanity.

Inspired by true events, Witch of the Black Circle is a deliciously wicked and nostalgic journey through time where the lines of reality and the supernatural blur. Content warning: satanic rituals; sex; graphic violence; language; drug use


Excerpt

Dan reaches over to his bag and pulls out his math book. In the front pouch, I notice a small novel with a black cover. “Hey,” I say, nodding my head in the backpack’s direction. “Whatcha reading?”

“Uh, nothing,” he answers, shrugging his shoulders.
I put out my arms and tap my fingers together like a baby grasping at something. “Lemme see it!”

“Nah. It’s really nothing,” he repeats, but he’s unconvincing, and it makes my curiosity burn a hole in my brain.

Kit’s curiosity is piqued as well, so she stands up and moves behind the chair with the backpack. “Now, now,” she sings. “No secrets here, Dan!” She grabs the bag from the chair and pulls out the book. “The Satanic Bible?”

Dan quickly shoots up from the chair, snatches the book away from her, and cradles it to his chest as to hide the cover from us. “Shhhh…” he admonishes as he looks side to side, assessing if my mother was in the vicinity or not.

I hold out my hand again. “What are you reading that for?” I ask. “Give it here.”

Reluctantly, he turns the book over to me, and I examine the cover, the spine, and the back like an investigator studying a piece of crime-scene evidence. Only, I don’t have on rubber gloves. I’ve known about this book. Heard about it. Knew the story of the author, Dr. Anton LaVey, and his Church of Satan. Practically, every youth ministry I had attended had mentioned the evil of this piece of literature at some point in time: If you even look at the book, you can be possessed. Being in its presence alone can have a profound effect on your heavenly soul. Dare not open or read the pages for fear of infiltration by a powerful demonic force. But as I actually hold the book for the first time in my life, I feel … nothing. No fear. No wonder. No spooky taboo. I press the book in my palms trying to feel for any ‘other-worldly’ vibrations or indication that if I open it up I will be damned to hell. But no. Nothing. Zip. Zilch. And more lies and deception from my past teachers come into clear view. “Dude. It’s just a book.”

“Yeah, I know it’s just a book,” he huffs, grabs it from me, and shoves it back into his bag.

The three of us sit back down in silence for a few minutes.

“You okay, man?” Kit asks, concerned.

“Yeah. Fine.”

Clearly, he’s not.

“Where’d you get it?” I ask.

“Why’d you get it?” Kit emphasizes.

Dan looks behind him and scans the kitchen again. Then, he moves his upper body slightly across the table as if to beckon me and Kit to huddle in. We oblige him and he speaks in a soft, hushed tone: “Thomas. This guy from my school. He got the connection with that Ricky kid and the Knights of the Black Circle.”

“The Knights of the Black Circle?” I ask. “What’s that?”

Dan glares at me and holds up his arm revealing the faded black circles drawn up and down his arm, over and over and over. I had thought they were just silly drawings borne out of boredom, but…

 “They wanted him to read the book and know some stuff before they accepted him,” he continues. “Thomas said he could probably get me in, too, and told me what passages to study and shit.”

Kit’s pretty eyes widen, and her bangs touch her eyelashes again. “He knows the Acid King?”

A sneer forms on Dan’s lips and he nods. “Uh huh.”

“Wait,” I protest. “What are you talking about? Who are the Knights of the Black Circle?

What’s an Acid King?”

“The Knights…” Dan explains, “they’re a group. Local. They do stuff. They know stuff.”


About the Author:
 
Maria is the Author of the Amazon bestselling and award-winning series The Coal Elf Chronicles, the YA psychological horror series The Altered Experience, and the NA Urban Fantasy series The Aestrangel Trinity. When not writing about dark fantasy and horror, she teaches Language Arts and Journalism to middle school students in Florida. A lover of all things dark and demented, she takes pleasure in warping the comfort factor in her readers’ minds. Just when you think you’ve reached a safe space in her stories, she snaps you back into her twisted reality.












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Have You Seen A Michigan Cryptid?

Michigan has numerous tales of weird creatures roaming the wilderness, the most popular is the Michigan Dogman. 

There are also stories about lake monsters, melon heads, sasquatch, and wendigo.

There's even a tale about a little red devil that haunts Detroit, Le Nain Rouge.

Have you encountered any of these monsters?

If so I'd love to hear about it.

Please fill out this form https://forms.gle/WTpFeyKRznhDtXkm9 or send your story to hauntedflintauthor@gmail.com 

 

Official Book Description for Ghosts and Legends of Genesee and Lapeer Counties

We have received the back cover copy for Ghosts and Legends of Genesee and Lapeer Counties which will be out this fall. 

Cover coming soon. 

See it first on My Patreon.



Ghosts and Legends of Genesee and Lapeer Counties

Haunted America Series

By Roxanne Rhoads & Joe Schipani

Book Description:

Strange and spooky history

Ghost stories and urban legends lurk throughout Genesee and Lapeer counties. 

A Clio man’s spirit is thought to still reside in the junkyard office where he was murdered. 

For almost two centuries, the Flushing area has been fascinated by tales of the wealthy Brent family whose land is connected to numerous tales of murder, mystery, and ghosts. 

In Lapeer County, the Bruce Mansion’s unnerving façade hints at the specters inside, and the land and buildings once belonging to the Lapeer State Home are plagued by haunting cries and ghostly activity. 

Join authors Roxanne Rhoads and Joe Schipani as they take you on a tour of Genesee and Lapeer locations full of paranormal activity.