Don't look for a kinder and gentler Halloween in the Tristate this year.

        More sensitive, yes. More patriotic, definitely.

        But less scary? Not likely.

        The makers of the city's Halloween traditions and parents of the kids who haunt them say they intend for life to go on as usual despite the Sept. 11 terrorist attack and the altered mood of the nation. Halloween is about having fun and making fun of scary things.

The Marconets of Glendale made a patriotic, pumpkin-headed witch. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        “We aren't scaling back the frights, but we have modified them to be more sensitive” to people's feelings in light of the terrorist attack, says Jennifer Bowers, Paramount's Kings Island spokeswoman. PKI's FearFest, an elaborate seven-attraction haunting supplemented by several chilling rides, opens today.

        Because of that “more sensitive” attitude, PKI did change the name of one attraction at FearFest from the Morgue to Maze of Madness, out of sensitivity to the death toll in the attack on America.

        Parents and children are looking for more patriotic costumes, but you should still expect to see younger teen-agers pushing the envelope.
       

Patriotic costumes

        Ghouls, vampires and goblins will be haunting the streets on Halloween to be sure. And teen-agers are “always looking for that special something to make their evening all the more disgusting,” says Nicka Petruccio at Cappel's downtown Halloween annex.

        But this year, there will be a strong sidewalk parade of red, white and blue, more princesses, Gothic and Renaissance characters and fewer bloodied body parts.

        “Everyone has gotten real patriotic,” says Alice Andolina, manager of Costume Castle at Ward's Corner in Loveland.

        The store has sold out of Uncle Sam hats, and the George W. mask is on a second re-order. The Statue of Liberty, Betsy Ross, George Washington and Abe Lincoln items are selling well and “if it's red, white and blue, people want it — makeup, clown costumes, cheerleader outfits,” Ms. Andolina says.

        According to BuyCostumes.com, sales of superhero and public servant costumes have risen significantly since the tragedies, far outpacing the sale of scary costumes this time last year. “It's really amazing how kids in particular are changing their Halloween costume choices based on the country's shift in attitude and values,” says Jalem Getz, president of the Milwaukee-based Web site.

        At Party City in Kenwood, manager Bill Braden says they've had a “little run” on firefighter hats. The military look is “holding its own” there, as well as at Costume Castle.

        “People want to be generals more than anything else. We've had a lot of requests for Colin Powell (masks). We're selling them as fast as we're getting them,” Ms. Andolina says.

        The Sept. 11 tragedy clearly has taken some of the gruesome out of the gruesome side of Halloween. “Body parts are not selling as much as previous years, at least so far. People think it's not apropos,” says Joann Roetting, manager of Cappel's in Blue Ash.

        Jonn Schenz of Schenz Theatrical Supply in Camp Washington, in the Halloween business for 35 years, says, “I usually have a few coffins with body parts at the front of the store for Halloween, but I've pulled the coffins to the rear for now, and I think I'll leave the body parts out and downplay it a bit.

        “I was worried about Halloween at first,” Mr. Schenz says. “People have had so much on their minds. But people need escapism. They need something to put a smile on their faces. They're starting to think about it now.

        “It's too soon to tell, but it's not going to be the year of blood and gore. But not everybody is going to be a policeman or firefighter, either. It's going to be diverse.”

        Last year, the sultan costume was big at Party City, Mr. Braden says, but he doesn't expect much interest this year.

        Although Ms. Andolina usually gets belly dancer/sheik orders, she's seen no move to sheiks this year. “Just a few belly dancers,” she says.

Care for youngsters

        The terror of Sept. 11 was real-life horror. Dr. William J. Hansen, a clinical psychologist at Children's Hospital Medical Center, has heard from parents who are worried about how to handle Halloween in the wake of those attacks.

        He suggests that parents of younger children let them see the face behind the mask, so to speak. He compares Halloween to The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy and her friends are intimidated by the idea of the wizard until they peek behind the curtain.

        This year, with all the news about terrorism and the images of the World Trade Center tragedy fresh in our minds, it might be best to look behind the curtain first thing, he says.

        Get beyond the ghosts and goblins and witches and talk about the nature of Halloween itself. Make it clear how scary things are created. For example, rather than introducing youngsters to a carved jack-o-lantern at night, start with a pumpkin and go through all the steps of carving it, Dr. Hansen says.

        If you're going to visit a haunted house, take young children to the site and let them see it during daylight before the ghosts and goblins invade, he says.

        Older children, especially teen-agers, might decide to dress up like terrorists for the holiday.

        Dr. Hansen advises against it.

        “I think that's really a bad message to allow something like that,” he says.

        Halloween is a good opportunity to talk about stereotypes, Dr. Hansen says, pointing out that half of the caricatures of ghosts and jack-o-lanterns are friendly, not scary, characters.

Precautions are standard

        Tristate parents are used to being careful around Halloween. Many limit where and when their children trick-or-treat, and they frequently dump out their children's candy and examine it to make sure it hasn't been opened.

        Many parents indicate they will take care this Halloween, but they are unwilling to call off its traditions completely.

        “My nephew found his old Scream costume and gave it to my daughter, Danielle,” says Deborah Weik of Independence about her 7-year-old daughter. “She asked me, "Can I be Scream this year?' so I said sure.”

        She plans to keep trick-or-treat activities within the neighborhood and attend a neighbor's annual party.

        Jane Bretl of West Chester doesn't plan to change anything about celebrating Halloween with her children, Evan, 4, and Cole, 2. She plans to dress Evan in his firefighter outfit from last year.

        Chris and Ted Lemmon of Milford have four teen-agers: 14-year-old Danny, 16-year-old Greg and 18-year-old twins, Ben and Jenny. While the three older children have lost their zeal for the holiday, Danny has chosen his theme.

        “He's going to be a Ghostbuster and his friends are dressing up as ghosts,” mom Chris says. She doesn't think the sadness of Sept. 11 will wipe out the fun of Halloween.

        “That's a holiday and I don't think it will change at all. I walk a lot in the neighborhood and some people are starting to put out their decorations, but it's still early.”

        Everyone's more aware this year, says Shari Kelly-Burrows of Union Township. Her daughter, 8-year-old Layne, is more into being a princess than a ghoul.

        “We're anti-scary here,” she says. “Recent events makes us more conscious of all our decisions, more this year than last. Because of my own sensitivities, I still want to be able to have fun but be more aware” of what Halloween means.

        She says she's noticed a difference in the behavior of her students at Anderson High School.

        “I can't wait to see what they do, although they've changed, too,” Ms. Kelly-Burrows says. “We had a pep rally recently and one of the teachers played and sang "God Bless the USA,' and they were all quiet. It was the strangest thing. They're becoming very sensitive, so it will be interesting to see what they (the students) do for Halloween.”        

Haunted houses

        The U.S.S. Nightmare, the rusted and rickety steamboat docked on Newport's Riverboat Row, is every bit as scary this year, spokesman Jeff Blom says.

        “We certainly took some things into consideration in light of this year's events and certainly would have changed any references” that might have related to the terrorism attack, he said, “but it's still as scary, still as intense, still as haunted.

        “We didn't feel we needed to change or alter anything because we didn't have anything related to the tragedy,” he said. The Nightmare opened last Friday with its annual mix of chainsaw wielding maniacs, severed body parts, mad scientists and creepy noises.

        Terry Tranter, managing partner of Nightmare Estates, housed at the Beach Water Park and also open since last Friday, agrees that this Halloween is as gruesome as in the past — a mix of monsters and maniacs, menacing the guests.

        “We've in no way scaled back the frights,” he says.

        Jim Knippenberg, Joy Kraft, Jason Nebel, Peggy O'Farrell and Shauna Scott Rhone contributed to this report.

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