With some malls canceling Halloween festivities and many parents planning to restrict their children's trick-or-treating this year, Halloween might as well be going to Hell.
Actually, "it always does," said Ann Arema, the bookkeeper at the Hell Country Store in Hell, Mich., which bills itself as the nation's Halloween capital.
Arema said despite the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York and Washington, the town is up for the annual celebration of All Hallows Eve.
"We've got a haunted house and a new store has opened, geared specifically for Halloween. We're up for it and so are the people who come here," she said.
Terrorism isn't scaring people away from Salem, Mass. In "Witch City," terror is a $30-million-a-year business. This year, however, the festivities have been tempered somewhat. While shocked and saddened by the atrocities of Sept. 11 and mindful of threats of more terrorist acts, Salem is heeding President Bush's call to all Americans to "go about their lives."
Ellen Tobiasz, who works the ticket counter at Salem's Museum of Myths and Monsters, said her phone "has been ringing off the hook" with people looking for information on the town's annual "Haunted Happenings."
In the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, Halloween revelers will be able to take in all the haunted houses in style. Premier Transportation is offering "Fright Tours," which will transport thrill-seekers in stretch limousines and plush buses to all five haunted houses in the metropolitan area. The tour comes complete with witch's brew and cookies.
The Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club in St. Petersburg, Fla., is going all out for Halloween, hosting an $85 a person four-course dinner complete with Edgar Allan Poe in attendance (well, an actor playing him, anyway).
"It used to be such a simple costume-and-candy holiday," Krista Boling, resort spokeswoman, told the Business Journal of Tampa Bay (Fla.). "I think Halloween today is nothing like when we were children.
Elsewhere, the approach to Halloween is more subdued.
General Growth Properties Inc. canceled planned activities at its 145 malls nationwide, saying celebrating Halloween could be seen as insensitive in light of the deadly attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon that killed thousands.
"Halloween is traditionally a time for pranks and mischief and some people look at it as a celebration of death," Wally Brewster, a spokesman for the Chicago-based holding company, told the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald. "With everything that is going on in the nation right now, we just don't feel it is appropriate for our shopping centers this year."
The Taubman Co., which operates 31 malls in 13 states including Woodfield in suburban Chicago, one of the five largest malls in the country, said about a third of its properties will host entertainment or other activities but all have decided against handing out candy or other food.
"We eliminated the distribution of any candy or food to err on the side of caution, just because it involves an unregulated exchange," said Karen Mac Donald, director of communications.
Indianapolis-based Simon properties, which operates 250 malls including the Mall of America, the largest enclosed mall in the United States, said it plans to go through with Halloween activities, albeit with increased security in place.
Though mall operators said they discounted the email that has been circulating hinting at a Halloween terror attack, they said it was prudent to "beef up security" to make sure "customers are totally safe."
"We contacted the FBI and they told us there was nothing credible in the threat so we are going ahead as planned with our Halloween plans," Christine Julian, marketing director at the Eastgate Mall in northern Kentucky told the Kentucky Post.
Mark Morgan of Portland, Maine, like many Mainers, is refusing to allow Sept. 11 keep him from carrying on with the family's Halloween tradition.
"I'm still going to let my kids go," Morgan told the Portland Press Herald. "I didn't even think about not going."
Still, many other parents are concerned over safety issues and plan to bring their kids only to the homes of trusted friends.
"I would say it's a personal decision, but then again (parents) have to think of their kids," said Tracey Caldwell of Portland, the mother of 7-year-old Harlie. "You could always buy bagged candy, give it to a friend, and have them give it to the kids so you know it's safe."
Tina Weltch of Crystal Lake, Ill., said she plans to take her 6-year-old Spiderman and 3-year-old butterfly trick-or-treating but when they get home she'll swap their goodies for candy she purchased herself.
"It's going in the extreme but I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially with these little ones," she told the Chicago Tribune.
Terrorism has had an impact on costumes, with adults and children choosing patriotic themes instead of the traditional skeletons, ghosts and goblins.
Lynne Cousens, co-owner of One Stop Party Shoppe in South Portland, said customers are requesting police officer and firefighter costumes, cheerleader costumes, and medieval prince and princess costumes.
Lisa Nimrick, support manager at the Wal-Mart in Washington, Ill., said sales of police officer and firefighter costumes, as well as toy badges and guns are way up.
"They're not going towards the scary-type costumes as they are the policemen and firemen," Nimrick told the Peoria Journal-Star.
At Ballard's Novelty and Novelty shop in Concord, N.H, 7-year-old Taylor McArdle of Bow, N.H., expected to dress as a princess, but showed more interested in Ballard's fake vomit "to freak out Grandma."
Patriotism is definitely in this year, said Becky Guyer of BG Costumes in Manchester, N.H.
"There's a big interest in Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty costumes," Guyer told the Union-Leader of Manchester, N.H. She said anything with red, white and blue in it is in big demand, and face masks with patriotic colors and American flag-style costumes are popular.
Guyer said children are moving away from the more scary, graveyard-style horror and vampire costumes this year to the hero-style costumes.
"Superman and Wonder Woman have been big with the kids," as are Captain America, Batman and the Power Rangers, she said.
"I think we've sold more of the Power Rangers than we have for years," said David Chase at the Wal-Mart in Tilton, N.H.
In Skokie, Ill., School District 68 has banned any costumes featuring blood.
In South Burlington, Vt., Bob Clifford contemplated canceling Spooky Town, the Halloween costume shop he runs every year at University Mall but decided instead to go ahead.
"Halloween may be just the ticket to distract people," Clifford told the Burlington Free Press.
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(with reporting by Dave Haskell in Boston)
