Marc Jacobs Scares Lil' Kids plus the History of Halloween Costumes

October 30, 2009

"Mommy, why is that clown holding another clown’s head in his hand?” wondered the child of the mommy blogger who snapped these pix of what can best be described as an "Insane Clown Massacre" of a dozen blood-spattered, apparently homicidal clowns in various states of dismemberment...aka the Halloween window display at the one of the Marc by Marc Jacobs stores. We've always hated clowns, found them creepy and in no way funny whatsoever (which is probably why the movie Shakes the Clown is one of our demento faves), so we give this grotesquely fabulous window display a big Halloween thumbs up. As Calfinder, the fab blog which posted this Happy Holiday Horror pointed out: bizarre store window displays which are designed expressly to scare the living daylights out of children are really what the spirit of Halloween is all about!

And according to history, they're correct. The origins of Halloween date back over 2000 years to the ancient Celts and their Druid priests who sacrificed livestock and crops in honor of their Gods, all the while hedging their bets by disguising their identities in animal skins with the heads attached in the hopes of confusing any returning ghosts. After Pope Boniface IV later co-opted the pagan holiday into something more church-approved, the Scottish men of the day celebrated by impersonating the dead...sound familiar? For more, be sure to check out our fun podcast on the history of Halloween costumes & the holiday itself.

- Lesley Scott