Bloody, sadistic, nightmare-inducing Halloween
costumes are being made and marketed for kids…and
no one seems to scare.
Whereas precautions exist to protect children from
violent movies, TV shows, music, and video games, top
Halloween costume makers and sellers do the opposite,
encouraging children under 12 -- in some cases under 6
-- to dress up as sadistic, deranged murderers from R-
Rated cinema including:
* “Mike Myers” from Halloween
* “Leatherface” from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
* “Pinhead” from Hellraiser
* “Jason” from Friday the 13th
* “Freddy Krueger” from A Nightmare on Elm Street
* "Hannibal Lecter" from Silence of the Lambs
Children can “accessorize” their costumes with bloody
machetes, long knives, axes, chainsaws, and other
torture and murder toys. One “zombie doctor” costume
with “PVC rotting chest, pants with rotted knee, surgical
mask and cap, and latex gloves” comes in size 4-6.
It isn’t all about gore, either. Kids well under 12 are
encouraged to purchase costumes for a wide range of
popular movies the Motion Picture Association has
already deemed inappropriate for their age, including
Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek,
Spider-Man, Iron Man, Star Wars III, Thor, Captain
America and over half of the Harry Potter movies.
How are parents supposed to steer their kids away from
inappropriate movies and images when those same
movies and images are being aggressively marketed to
them every Halloween?
Joel Schwartzberg, an award-winning parenting essayist,
author, and father of three school-age children, has
written on this topic for The New York Daily News, The
Huffington Post, The Star Ledger, AOL Parent Dish, and
iVillage. It’s also the focus of a chapter in his award-
winning collection of essays: “The 40-Year Old Version”
A big fan of the horror film genre ever since his mother
took him to see The Shining at the all-too-young age of
12, Schwartzberg has also written two horror
screenplays, both of which were finalists at the Los
Angeles Shriekfest Film Festival.
costumes are being made and marketed for kids…and
no one seems to scare.
Whereas precautions exist to protect children from
violent movies, TV shows, music, and video games, top
Halloween costume makers and sellers do the opposite,
encouraging children under 12 -- in some cases under 6
-- to dress up as sadistic, deranged murderers from R-
Rated cinema including:
* “Mike Myers” from Halloween
* “Leatherface” from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
* “Pinhead” from Hellraiser
* “Jason” from Friday the 13th
* “Freddy Krueger” from A Nightmare on Elm Street
* "Hannibal Lecter" from Silence of the Lambs
Children can “accessorize” their costumes with bloody
machetes, long knives, axes, chainsaws, and other
torture and murder toys. One “zombie doctor” costume
with “PVC rotting chest, pants with rotted knee, surgical
mask and cap, and latex gloves” comes in size 4-6.
It isn’t all about gore, either. Kids well under 12 are
encouraged to purchase costumes for a wide range of
popular movies the Motion Picture Association has
already deemed inappropriate for their age, including
Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek,
Spider-Man, Iron Man, Star Wars III, Thor, Captain
America and over half of the Harry Potter movies.
How are parents supposed to steer their kids away from
inappropriate movies and images when those same
movies and images are being aggressively marketed to
them every Halloween?
Joel Schwartzberg, an award-winning parenting essayist,
author, and father of three school-age children, has
written on this topic for The New York Daily News, The
Huffington Post, The Star Ledger, AOL Parent Dish, and
iVillage. It’s also the focus of a chapter in his award-
winning collection of essays: “The 40-Year Old Version”
A big fan of the horror film genre ever since his mother
took him to see The Shining at the all-too-young age of
12, Schwartzberg has also written two horror
screenplays, both of which were finalists at the Los
Angeles Shriekfest Film Festival.
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| Campaign conceived by Joel Schwartzberg, author of "The 40-Year-Old Version" |
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