thePULSETrick or treat
Halloween Outlet has everything you need for Mischief Night
October 2004 – Anyone who says Halloween isn’t one of their favorite holidays – with the exception of Laurie Strode of course – is just lying.
“It’s the one day of the year you can be someone else,” says Nicole Arvanigian, manager of the family-owned and operated Halloween Outlet on West Boylston Street in Worcester. “You can be someone completely outside yourself and no one thinks twice about it.”
Arvanigian guided this reporter and a friend on a tour of the world-famous outlet on a warm, sunny afternoon in early fall. The leaves were still unchanged and the store’s notorious animatronics, which this year range from a gyrating body hanging from a noose to a construction worker vomiting toxic waste, were silent. But a feeling of Halloween was still in the air. How could it not be in a place where vampires, ghouls and maniacal clown faces surround you at every turn?
This year, says Arvanigian, the hottest costumes for women include martini glasses, mermaid ensembles, 1950s doo-wop and 1960s hippie garb, zombies, Flamenco dancers and Spanish senoritas. And of course, there are always the essentials: sexed up policemen, firefighter, gangster and gothic ensembles, Candy Stripers, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, Felicity Shagwell from the Austin Powers franchise and witches.
“But they’ve vamped them up a little bit,” says Arvanigian. “It’s not just your traditional witch anymore.”
Movie inspired costumes – Nosferatu, Pirates of the Caribbean – are also big this year. Medieval garb in the spirit of King Richard’s Faire, as well as vintage outfits, lab coats and novelty costumes are likewise must-haves. Novelty costumes range from a deviled egg ensemble to a “poopie-shorts” outfit, featuring a latex butt with, well, unsightly stains.
“You think you’ve maxed yourself out each year,” says Arvanigian on the shock factor, “but the next year you just go beyond.” Novelty costumes in the way of giant sperm, penises, the Slim Jim man and a whoopie-cushion are also available. “And pimps, of course,” she says, “a staple.” Adding after a little thought and a laugh, “And hos.”
For teens, a goth-inspired un-dead “prom zombie” costume is new this year, as well as pixie outfits (think Tinkerbell) and not-so-traditional witches.
With all those choices, even Arvanigian, who is surrounded by the costumes and masks on a daily basis, says she doesn’t know quite yet what she’ll wear this year. “It always changes,” she says, surveying a costume-packed aisle nearby. “I look at the costumes and I like a different one every day.”
An almost limitless supply of masks is also available, ranging from political figures John Kerry and George W. Bush, to characters from the camp classic “Killer Klowns from Outer Space.” Others include bleeding skeletons, hockey masks, Whacko Jacko – a Halloween Outlet design inspired by Michael Jackson – the Predator and the ghoulish, memorable face from Scream.
New to the store this season are shoes, ranging from the “ho” variety to the giant, novelty assortment worn by clowns.
For those couples who can’t stand to be separated from each other, even for one night, ensemble costumes are available. Some include handcuffs, lock and key, salt and pepper and a ball and chain. If you’re aiming for a more grotesque look, latex paste-ons (with the help of makeup) are available in the form of bullet holes, a “face crusher” (featuring a hand crushing through the skull), maggots, zipped lips, puss and leeches.
And how could it be Halloween without a few campy decorations? Front yard tombstones have always been a staple, but new this year are “creeper peepers” displayed on shelves or above an awning and “mailbox monsters,” which are bound to give your mailman a little shock.
Halloween Outlet and www.frightcatalog. com offer over 5,000 rental costumes that range anywhere from $20 to $150 and are on loan for a 24 hour period. Starting October 1, two professional makeup artists will also be on-site at the store to do demonstrations and apply and assist with makeup.
According to Arvanigian, the store will be open extended hours in October and is “completely stocked and ready to go.” They’ve been waiting for this all year.
When asked if she’s ever gotten any out-of-the-ordinary costume requests, she says nothing is out of the realm of possibility. “People come up with all different ideas,” she says. “But you can’t really take offense to it. It’s Halloween.”
