Exactly how frightening is frightening enough? When it comes to movie monsters and cinematic villainy, when is scary too scary, crossing the line from entertaining into fetish, where a dramatic depiction is so real that it isn�t even ironic and loses its validity? And is there any power to scare remaining in the images and actions of the classic Disney villains?

Not too shabby, eh? For the record, the adhesive that comes with Lee Press-On Nails is ten times better than any super glue, and two hours in a hot shower is not sufficient for coaxing spirit gum out of your pores. But the single biggest surprise of the evening was how many people were genuinely terrified at the sight of the old gal who took out Snow White with a little poison in the pectin. Seriously. At the party we were surrounded by the tasteless and the terrifying and every possible combination in-between. In Hollywood there is little to no excuse for attending a costume party in anything other than the actual costume and makeup used in the feature film. A Freddy or two, various Aliens busting forth from chests, and sundry zombies with bits and pieces of flesh hanging off in gooey and bloody clumps were boulevard fare this particular night. But for sheer creeps and authentic chills, my Joe Grant invented and Les Clark animated Hag, with her bright green lids and heavy brows outlined in black eye-liner, made more people step aside and go silent than any of the contemporary ne�er-do-wells. In fact, one soulless nymph from �The Ring� broke character and hid behind her beau, refusing to come within five feet of me � something that came in handy when I discovered the little brat hovering around my favorite artichoke dip. Thrilled with the efficacy of my guise, we made an early exit from the party so that I could delight in wandering the streets in search of similar responses. One poor woman who was cued up outside a local nightclub screamed, broke into tears and begged me to get away. (The closest I�ve come to experiencing what David Stainton must have felt when he announced the closing of Feature Animation Florida). It was amazing! And entirely unexpected. I would never have thought that the old girl still had the power to haunt after nearly seventy years, but by Jupiter, she sure as heck made people stop and stare with something more than �nice costume dude!� in their eyes. People were petrified and fascinated in much the same way they are at sideshows � willing to look, even to gawk, but not so willing to come close. It was all just a little too real � this animated witch come to life on the streets of Hollywood.