Cabbage Patch Killers

16x20 inch Black & White print on Epson Art Cotton Smooth 250 gram paper. From the NYC Village Halloween Parade, 1982–86.

A pair of menacing masqueraders prowls through the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade in the mid-1980s, their innocent doll masks juxtaposed with heavy chains and remarkably realistic-looking firearms. This black-and-white analog shot, captured with a 35mm Pentax, emphasizes the jarring contrast between the wide-eyed, dimpled faces and the gritty, leather-clad figures emerging from the dark NYC night. The powerful burst from a Norman 200B flash glints off the metal links and the matte finish of the rifles, while a single cigarette protruding from the taller figure's mask adds a final touch of dark irony. Captured on grainy Tri-X film, the contrasty lighting and sharp focus preserve a provocative moment of 1980s street theater, illustrating the subversive and often edgy creativity that defined the annual NYC tradition.