Come All Hallows Eve, there are two sorts of costumed revelers lurking in the shadows, experts say: Children, whose interests lie mainly in the grisly garb that will get them the biggest bags of candy; and adults, for whom Halloween is the penultimate once-a-year opportunity to slip into their favorite fantasies and raise the roof.

For both, heaven on earth is a wall-to-wall emporium of masks, tinsel wigs, swords, suits of armor, weapons, jewelry, banners, helmets, flails, maces, daggers, fog machines, fake blood, plastic skeletons, rubber spiders, clown wigs, glow-in-the-dark toilet paper, boas and plumes, costume jewelry, indoor props, inflatable Elvis dolls, wings and halos, neck and bow ties, pet costumes, gloves, capes, caveman accessories, hippie headgear, brooms, straw hats, and ears, horns and tails. And in their rapture, many hardcore Halloween revelers will pay almost anything for the perfect gear.

This year is no exception. The top sellers for all ages, according to Eileen Petrillo, owner of Characters & Costumes in Guilford, include Star Wars-themed costumes (the dark lord, Darth Vader, is flying off the shelves, Petrillo reported), Harry Potter and medieval garb.

"Renaissance does very well each year," said Petrillo, whose husband, Richard, helps with the Halloween rush. "And every Halloween, men want masculine costumes and women want to look sexy. So cowboy costumes and things like the French maid always sell."

Men's costume favorites - like the cowboy, pirate and police officer - fly off the shelves, Petrillo said, and the variety of costumes for women expands as the demand for sex appeal grows.

The River Street shop stocks racks of French maid, downstairs maid, upstairs maid, Little Bo-Peep, nurse, pirate wench, "bad girl" inmate, gangster moll, peasant girl, leopard, lynx, cat, tiger, zebra, Marilyn Monroe, "Jungle Jane," Gothic coffin, crimson vixen and sexy witch costumes in all sizes, including women's "plus," said Petrillo.

This year's top female fantasy seller is "Officer Naughty." For the unapprised, "Officer Naughty" is a short-skirted, tightly clad corrections officer complete with hat and boots.

Pet costumes are popular items. Dogs may find themselves dressed as Superman, Cinderella, "King Dog," "Doctor Barker," rock stars, inmates, brides and grooms, hippies, fire chiefs, Dracula, Robin Hood, pirates, clowns, cats and mice.

Business starts building a momentum approximately two weeks before Halloween, Petrillo noted last week. On Friday, a steady stream of customers made its way along the racks of rent-available costumes and packages and hangers of outfits made for buying.

The sales peak arrives on Halloween day, Petrillo said, when adults en route to costume parties descend on the shop to buy or rent last-minute get-ups. The other half of the eleventh-hour rush are "frantic" parents searching for costumes for their children, said Petrillo.

"We have adults rushing in here who literally want us to get them in costume for a party that's going to start in an hour," Petrillo laughed. "It gets really crazy here on Halloween."

The hit movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" starring Hollywood heartthrob Johnny Depp has spawned a legion of men searching for that suave pirate look, said Petrillo.

Married couples often seek "couples only" costumes, Petrillo noted, including Robin Hood and Maid Marian, Joe and Marilyn, Adam and Eve, George and Martha Washington, Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Samson & Delilah, Beauty and the Beast and Mike and Carol Brady.

Eras are as popular as characters, Petrillo added. Looks from the 1970s and 1980s are growing in popularity, with 80s icons like Madonna and Billy Idol topping the favorites' list.

Lastly, there are all manner of vampire teeth, artificial scars, disembodied heads, bleeding masks, furry cat ears, bald caps, plastic fingernails, chokers, poison rings, makeup kits, skull canes, beards, mustaches and fiber optic accessories to complete your back-from-the-dead ensemble.

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