Published: October 26, 2009 11:36 pm      

What will you be? From scary to retro — there's a Halloween costume for you this year

Picking out the perfect Halloween costume is indeed a serious endeavor. Last year, New Albany resident Heather Benjamin, purchased her five-year-old daughter’s Princess Jasmine costume, which will go well with this year’s Disney-themed Halloween party.

“We plan the (Halloween) party sometimes two years in advance. We are doing a mad science lab themed party next year,” said Benjamin as she shopped for party goodies at Horner Novelty in Jeffersonville.

While Benjamin admits that she usually chooses her costume at the last minute, she and her mother Charlene Caufield, of Jeffersonville, are considering dressing up as the Original Mousketeers for their 13th annual family Halloween party.

According to Chuck Mattingly, owner of Horner Novelty, during the last decade, Halloween has become an “entire family event.”

“It used to be a kid holiday, but now it’s a build-up with decorating the yard and having the kids over and the adults get together for a party. The grandparents dress up too when they take the kids out,” said Mattingly.

Even though Halloween appeals to families, some scary costumes remain popular during the season, especially Freddy Kruegar and Jason.

“Those are strong sellers throughout every year because those are the new horror for today’s population. For the older generation it’s the Draculas, but those aren’t what drive the season,” said Mattingly.

The new scary characters appeal to most age groups, and Mattingly explained that the younger generation pick the characters to scare their parents and the people in their 30s might dress up as Freddy to scare their neighbors.

Because the new scary characters remain popular throughout each Halloween, Horner’s dedicated a wall to such characters as Scream and the puppet from the horror films “Saw.” The pieces featured on the scary wall might change, depending on new movies that produce a scary hit.

Sometimes what’s happening in Hollywood influences popular costume choices.

“If it comes out toward the end of September and it’s a good, popular well-done movie, that can be the item for Halloween,” said Mattingly.

This year it’s not movie characters that are the big draw, instead many people are following a 1960’s, 70’s or 80’s theme.

“The eighty’s are popular because there really are no 80’s party decorations. You think that sixties and seventies are easy to come up with decorations, but for the eighties there really isn’t anything in terms of decorations. Now, with a variety of eighties’ pop stars, it gives people an outlet to do their eighties’ party,” said Horner Novelty VP Greg Kloss.

Kloss and Mattingly agree that the genre is attracting all age groups.

“A little of it are the people who grew up with it, and some are the young ones who are like ‘wow, you looked like that?’ so they want to dress up like their parents,” said Mattingly.

According to Kloss, 1980s pop stars such as Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna are especially popular. In fact, the popularity of Michael Jackson costumes was predicted well before his untimely passing in the summer.

“My prediction is that this (80’s style costumes) is going to be the hottest category. We are already selling gobs of the mesh shirt, where you wear your own tank top and black jeans with it, along with a long black wig and inflatable guitar and you’re in business,” said Mattingly.

So far, Horner’s is restocking several pop star costumes, and the Michael Jackson attire is flying off the shelves. However, it’s unlikely that Horner’s will run out because new shipments of Michael Jackson licensed and look-a-like accessories arrive daily, and on October 31, the selection will be just as ample.

Henryville resident Krysia Gwinn and her friends are considering something out of the ‘70s this year.

“We might do a girl version of the Village People. We just had the idea one day, no certain reason,” said Gwinn, 21, as she looked for ideas at Horner. She added that she will be the policeman from the famous band.

Zombies are also becoming a hit and will be widely seen on Halloween.

“They (80’s theme and zombies) are neck and neck. Zombie is a general term for a wide variety of costumes. There are different looks to a zombie,” said Mattingly. Those seeking out zombie wear are sometimes interested in such characters as a zombie bride and groom or outlaw zombies.

When shopping for a costume, one can expect to pay $25 to $50, but there are costumes under $25. Extremely elaborate costumes, such as those representing Darth Vader, Batman or Superman can cost almost $700.

“We have one of each in stock. Some years we do well with it, and other years not so much. They’re nice costumes, but very few will spend the money on one,” said Mattingly.

When dressing up as a favorite celebrity, costumes are either licensed and look-a-like items to consider, and according to Mattingly the cost can range 10-15 percent more for licensed accessories.

While the economy is soft, Mattingly said that he is still seeing strong sales in Halloween decorations.

“Generally, earlier we sell more decorations and we have sold quite a few big ticket items in the end of September and early October, and we have sold more than we normally would sell. That’s a good sign, despite what we hear about the economy,” said Mattingly.

Also despite the economy, families still anticipate a wonderful Halloween.

“I look forward to the party very year and we really have a good time,” said Caufield.