A HAUNTING WE WILL GO

Believe it or not, "cows" are big this year.

So is gore. And Batman and Robin Hood. But not Spiderman, or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

This year, the most popular Halloween costumes range from the really ugly to the cinematic super hero to the farm animal.

"Things that just look ugly are selling well," said Mike Redfearn, owner of Party Palace in Cape Girardeau, a store that sells costumes, accessories and party favors.

"Freddy (Krueger of `Nightmare on Elm Street' fame) is dead," Redfearn said. "We've only sold one Freddie mask this year."

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes, highly sought-after last year, are not so hot this year, he said. "Last year, I couldn't keep them in stock. This year, I'm not selling hardly any," he said.

At Spencer Gifts in West Park Mall, gore masks and accessories that make one look less than human or one of the living dead is the favorite among Halloween party-goers, said Jill Spooler, manager of the store.

"Our whole line has leaned toward the gory look," Spooler said. "Werewolves are really popular and there's a dragon that's selling well."

Prices of gory rubber masks can range anywhere from $15 to $100.

Gory accessories will also be prominent this year, she said. "Gory chest pieces, skeletons and flesh parts; it's amazing how many we sell."

But the store's best selling costume is one of a cow, she said.

"We've been selling that one for three years, but this year there's a new accessory to it. You can make the udders squirt," she said.

Spooler said she is amazed at how well Halloween items are selling this year.

"Our sales are up 35 percent this year on Halloween merchandise," she said. "It doesn't look like there's a recession going on when it comes to Halloween."

Redfearn agrees. For the first time, he said, his store is also renting costumes, something that's already been proven to be popular with adult party-goers.

"When adults go to a party, they don't want to look like they bought a $5 costume off the rack, they want something that looks like a theater costume," he said. "We've got about 125 costumes that we're renting this year for the first time."

Most popular rental costumes this year range from "Elvira" to warlocks and Batman, he said.

But others are more daring.

"The college girls, a lot of them like the sexy costumes, like the French maid," he said.

Lots of people have already reserved costumes to wear to work on Oct. 31st, he said.

A spokesperson for Boatmen's Bank in Cape Girardeau said the bank holds an annual costume contest and that nearly all employees dress up.

"I think customers get a kick out of it," said Jeanne Goodman, vice president of marketing for the bank. "Last year, we had dancing flowers, M&Ms and couch potatoes."

Cecilia Moore, floor manager at Younghouse Distributing in Cape Girardeau, said Indian costumes are selling well there.

For kids, resembling their favorite Disney character is big this year, she said.

"Mickey Mouse ears and things like that are popular," she said. "Kids like capes and hats too."

Moore and Redfearn said Halloween trinkets are taking the place of candy for trick-or-treaters this year. The small toys are available for from 5 to 15 cents.

"I sell a lot of those to teachers," Moore said. "Things like spider rings and bat wings. Halloween erasers and pencils are the best-sellers."

Redfearn said there has been a large increase in the number of people buying the novelty items to give out instead of candy.

Tiny skulls, plastic snakes and bugs, bloody fingers and glow-in-the-dark spider webbing are some of the items to choose from, he said.

"There just aren't as many trick-or-treaters out there as there used to be," he said.

Children's costumes have changed also, he said.

The old plastic mask-plastic clothing costume is out, he said.

"I can hardly give them away," he said. "The cloth ones are what everybody wants, even though they are more expensive."

The cloth costumes which still have plastic masks sell for about $9.

"And a lot of moms are still out there making costumes. They come in looking for accessories."

And although Halloween is still 11 days away, Redfearn is looking forward to next year's night of fright, which falls on a Saturday.

"Next year is going to be the year for Halloween for the next decade," he said. "After that, it's another five years until it's on a weekend again."