Donning strange costumes usually allows us to get into somebody else's skin. Well, Halloween is one occasion that encourages us to do the same. It allows us that one evening in the year when we can dress up as we wish and walk the streets without wondering about what others will think. Of course, if our costumes are really interesting, there is great fun in watching others stare in envy and admiration.

Of course, getting dressed for Halloween has little to do with getting clothes to match our personalities. Rather, the point is to make a statement, and dress in a way that would be a complete change from our daily looks. Several of us are usually not Frankensteins in our daily lives. Yet, that does not stop us from donning the garb of a Frankenstein monster to get everyone to notice the major transformation.

Costume rental stores are usually quite packed around this time. There is always a mad rush for witch costumes, mummy costumes, and the like. Those who start looking for their Halloween costumes a little too late usually end up with costumes that would not scare a fly. That certainly is a pity. After all, the point of most Halloween costume parties is for attendees to scare the bejabbers out of everyone. There really is no point in dressing up as a fairy (unless one is a little girl) for Halloween.

That is where masks come in. Even if one does not have a terribly frightening costume, a scarily realistic Halloween mask might be a terrifying answer. These days, manufacturers of Halloween masks take great care as they create masks that appear very real (if zombies and mummies can ever be made "life"-like). Earlier on, masks were commonly made with materials such as latex. These days, a large number of masks are made out of materials like silicon. This tends to make their textures very similar to human skin.

Yes, it can be quite revolting when you have a very realistic Halloween clown mask with blood oozing out and flesh hanging down from the sides. But then, that is the point of getting dressed for Halloween! You have to try and relive the scariest moments. If you are most scared of being bitten by a zombie, it should be interesting to go out in a Halloween zombie mask while you go "trick or treating". Halloween masks help us become our own worst nightmares. Halloween allows us to disguise ourselves in all kinds of gruesome ways.