Revelers in high gear for Halloween
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » It’s the biggest day of the year for monsters in the horror hall of fame.
Local residents were out in droves Monday, buying scary costumes and paraphernalia for Halloween.
For little kids who can’t wait to go trick-or-treating, superheroes such as Spider-man and Wonder Woman are the most popular figures to dress up as this year. Characters from the Disney movie, “Descendants 2,” are also a favorite, said Mindy Barnes, an employee at Spirit of Halloween in Wilton Mall.
“Plus you can make your own costume,” she said. “We have everything from corsets to makeup. A lot of older girls want to be vampires. For boys, it’s anything to do with a chainsaw. There’s even costumes for couples like peanut butter and jelly, or soap and a loofah, and costumes for the entire family from ‘Cat in the Hat’.”
Beth Todd, of Saratoga Springs, stopped in the
store, not quite sure what she wanted to dress up as.
“I work at Mary’s Haven, a hospice house,” she said. “We’re having a special party tonight and everyone is encouraged to come in a costume.”
After browsing through the large selection, she decided to be a swashbuckling pirate and bought a threecornered hat, just like Jack Sparrow’s in “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Tim Spiezio, of Gansevoort, said the thing he likes best about Halloween is the way masks and costumes eliminate differences between people, such as social status.
“You don’t know who anybody is,” he said. “Everybody’s kind of equal.”
Spiezio went all out to decorate his house and yard for Halloween.
“I built a coffin that’s hanging out of the back of my truck,” he said. “We also have skulls and a graveyard, a blacklight ghost and a skeleton that lights up. My son and I are going to take turns answering the door, for trick-or-treaters, and working the skeleton. We pulled out all the stuff we’ve collected over the years.”
The Riggi mansion on North Broadway in Saratoga Springs is one of the most popular destinations for local trick-or-treaters. The home is decorated with numerous pumpkins, beautiful wreaths filled with autumn-colored flowers, and large “Howl o’-ween” banners promoting “Posh Palozzo Pups” -- a book Michele Riggi created showcasing her pet canines. Proceeds from book sales benefit an animal hospital.
“Every year the display there gets bigger,” said Amy Thomas of Saratoga Springs, who takes her children trick-or-treating. “It seems like every member of the family is in costume.”
The FYE store in Wilton Mall has a large display of things for people who like spine-tingling terror, including Michael Myers and Psycho T-shirts.
“We’ve sold a lot of horror action figures such as Living Dead Dolls,” said Amber Taylor, store manager. “Plus we’ve got a whole bin of horror movie DVDs.”
People can turn the lights out and curl up with frightful flicks such as “Carrie” or “Creep Show.”
A remake of the movie, “It,” based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel, has sparked a resurgence of interest in “Pennywise the Dancing Clown” outfits, masks and memorabilia.
“I saw the original movie,” Taylor said, smiling. “That was pretty intense.”