The undaunted Halloween

By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer

At Ala Moana Center's Halloween Express, Carol Nehl considers a Spiderman outfit for 4-year-old son Jacob. Superheroes are a popular choice every year with Hawai'i kids. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

So despite employment uncertainty and general anxiety over terrorist attacks, Hawai'i appears to be gearing up for the annual spookfest, although it may be a little quieter than in years past.

On the Big Island, Maggie Bell turns her home in Kona's Kilohana subdivision into a haunt each Halloween. Her college-student son usually designs the scarier "gross" displays, while mom favors a Disney-esque layout.

This year, however, Bell is going with what she calls a "Red, White and Boo" theme. While it's not a patriotic design, the low-key tribute to Hollywood's milder magical and monster-ridden productions seemed a kinder and gentler way of celebrating during a fearful time.

"I have a lot of body parts," she said, "but I'm going to do away with that."

Meanwhile, sales of Halloween costumes across the country seem to indicate a preference of the cute and cuddly characters over the ghoulish. Local retailers aren't sure they see any shift in costume tastes, although some say that's because Hawai'i shoppers are pretty tame to start with.

"If you went to a (product) fair in Chicago you'd find Halloween things I'd never buy," said Beth Tom, who owns the discount retail group Pricebusters. "Body parts hanging out, knives hanging out of the neck."

Pricebusters has been enjoying some healthy Halloween traffic, Tom said, despite a general shopper slowdown. So has Wal-Mart, said Tom Munson, a buyer for the company's Mililani store.

"Our sales have been fine," Munson said. "There was some talk that it would be softer, but that didn't happen."

Still, it's tough to gauge shopper tastes until the final day or two, said Kristi Arrasmith, assistant manager at Party City in Waikele, another big seller of holiday supplies. She has noticed a minor spike in sales of firefighter costumes, possibly a tip of the hat to the heroic New York rescuers who perished in the Sept. 11 attacks. And she has seen some returns of horror costumes, but it's not clear why they were rejected.

Adult rental choices may give a clearer indication. Karen Wolfe has observed a difference this year. She's costume shop manager at Diamond Head Theatre, which does some business in costume rentals.

"People are asking for a lot of red, white and blue," Wolfe said. "And we've had fireman requests and New York City requests, more than we've ever had before. Even nurses, we're having more requests for nurses."

The big sellers have included Power Rangers for boys, and Josie and the Pussycats and a "Megastar" Brittney Spears clone for the girls, Arrasmith said.

Across the state, sponsors of Halloween events are pressing on with plans and, since most haunted house projects here have always taken keiki for a walk on the mild side, there have been few changes.

Noa Hussey, teen director for the Kaimuki-Wai'alae YMCA, is directing his youth teams in building a haunted house at Aloha Tower Marketplace. They also have chosen scary movies as their theme.

"Some movies didn't make the cut because of the tragedies," Hussey said. "We've stuck to the basics ... the mainstay horror films, so we don't come off the beaten road and so there's no reading into it, no misinterpretation.

"The people who pay to come are coming to be scared. By the same token, we don't want to cross that line. With the events that happened, they're already a little scared."

Some stores have been directed by Mainland corporate offices to be sensitive. For example, the usual Party City Grim Reaper display has been stowed away, Arrasmith said.

And, although the police say only the usual safety precautions have been advised (see them online at honolulupd.org/safety/halloween/hst.htm), some parents may be feeling nervous.

For example, party supplies have been flying off the Pricebuster shelves, Tom said, so she's guessing that some families may be opting for parties rather than dispatching children on trick-or-treat missions.

The conclusion that comes through most clearly, however, is that people are determined to celebrate, one way or another.