Trueblood on HBO

Dressing up in couples Halloween costumes gives an added dimension to the enjoyment of an adult party. Aside from plain old fun, it can open the door to a wide range of conversations as people try to analyze the implications of your matching or complementary disguise.

Vampires are as popular as ever - look at how present they are in the current mass entertainment culture - books and film Twilight and the more over-the-top HBO hit series True Blood. In the TV series, vampires emerge as more or less normal-looking people, except for their retractable fangs, but as regular viewers know, the denizens of that dark world still like to dress up stereotypical attire, especially for a party.

So a black cape or dress with burgundy appointments would not be out of place along with some plastic fangs and makeup.To give your lady and gentleman blood-sippers an additional touch of currency, bring a six-pack of "True Blood" beverage that you can offer other guests. Simply doctor up some beverages with fake labels you can print out yourself - it doesn't have to be too fancy.

(For those of you unfamiliar with the television series True Blood, its premise is that a new technology has created a drinkable substitute for human blood that can nourish the vampires - thus they're threat to people is supposedly diminished.) Other popular outfits work off of historical periods - pirate couples are a perennial favorite as long as the lady is sexy and her man dashing.

One  online costume shop offers 60s-era Sonny and Cher matching outfits ("I've got you babe"), but with all of the 40-year anniversary-of-Woodstock buzz this year, you have plenty of material to choose from if you do it yourself. Think hippie couple involving bell-bottoms, tie-dye, and long hair parted in the middle. If you want to go celebrity rocker, there's a ton of colorful and iconic performers to invite to the party from Janis Joplin to Jimi Hendrix.

Some other attention-grabbing Halloween couples costumes that have proven popular include an eyebrow-raising electric plug and socket, bacon and eggs, and bull and matador. For added fun, you can always change the gender roles and reverse costumes.