From sexy to scary and everything in between, stores are doing it big and over-the-top this Halloween. From cackling witches; to toothy vampires and sexy gypsies, Samaroo's and Jeepers Creepers Halloween Store pulled out all the stops for their young customers and those young at heart.

A highly publicised and much anticipated event in the United States and other parts of the world, Halloween is increasing in popularity with Trinidadians too said, Rakesh Mohan, the owner of Jeepers Creepers Halloween Store.

He said, "This year a lot of people started buying their costumes in September so it was earlier than even we had anticipated. We usually get large crowds coming in around the last week in October but that has change this year."

"We carry large props such as tombstones, graveyards, grim reapers, spare body parts and other pieces of Halloween garden furniture that no one seemed interested in times gone by but this year it is one of the most popular items sold. People seem to really want to get into the spirit of Halloween and will even go as far as to make their house look haunted," he added.

"This year we are also noticing that guys are actually trendier with Halloween – before you would see the ladies coming to buy costumes for their boyfriends and husbands now the roles have reversed," he said.

Mohan noted that much of the hype for some of the much-liked Halloween characters such as vampires, witches, superheroes and pirates have stem from what people saw in movies.

He said, "This year we have customers gravitating both to the traditional Halloween characters and non-traditional characters. Before you never saw the guys coming in to buy costumes and now they are usually the first set of customers I see coming into the store."

Despite being dressed up as Iron Man at his store's new location just off the south entrance of Grand Bazaar, it was business as usual for Mohan.

He said, "We carry over 150 styles of costumes and cater for children as young as three months all the way up."

The store which has been in existence for the past four years has a main branch located at 110 Eastern Main Road, El Dorado. Carrying a wide range of accessories that include, fake blood, vampire teeth, glowing skulls, whips, chains, masks and a whole lot more; costumes retail from $245 all the way up to $485.

He said, "Some people already know what sort of costume they are looking for and for those who don't, we have a lot of helpers in store that can assist. We carry a lot of props and accessories so we can mix-and-match several items until you find something that you like. For the children, we understand their minds change

frequently. They see something and like it and then a few minutes later they will see something else and of course, like it too. However with their parents around usually the parents will choose something their child feels comfortable in." Is there a trick to finding the right costume for Halloween? "No not really; it is all about using your imagination. If you like vampires and have always desired to portray one for Halloween, we can help you achieve the look you want. Whether it is a sexy vampire or a scary one; we want our customers to be happy with their selection and live out their fantasy," he said. For more information call 754-2199.