Halloween, also known as All Hallows’ Eve, is a holiday with an evolving history that includes the mid century. Halloween has always been about the presence of the past (in the form of spirits, ghosts or remnants of the departed) with the present. So we thought it was a good time to look back and ask, What did the mid century make of Halloween?
Mid Century Halloween Legacies
Well, one legacy is the accessibility of Halloween costumes. With costumes more mainstream, mid century costumes included more mass market costume items based on TV characters and generally became less creepy to have wider appeal. The rise of suburbia, also a mid century phenomenon, helped to make trick or treating in costumes more of a wide scale practice. Concern for safe alternatives to wandering the streets was also a concern and gave rise to the increasing popularity of haunted houses.
Entertainment
Music and movies were a part of mid century Halloween. Horror as a film genre was established and growing by the 1950s with films such as The Fly, The Blob, Godzilla, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It wasn’t all serious and scary. The mid century was also the era that gave us the TV show The Addams Family.
Decor
You can still find many vintage pieces of decor that work well for Halloween. We round up a couple, plus a retro-inspired print we couldn’t resist for its playful mid century vibe.
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This vintage brass wall hanging depicts a cat family enjoying a full moon. Perfect for Halloween or year round for cat lovers!
Orange says both Halloween and mid century, so this vintage fondue pot can serve you well all year and be particularly on-theme for Halloween!
This one’s new, but the print’s design takes its cues from classic Halloween costumes and uses a mid mod palette.
For more fall MCM reads, check out Fire Up the Fall Color With These Burnt Orange Picks and 10 Mid Century Thanksgiving Table Essentials. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more Atomic Ranch articles and ideas!
