Halloween 2022 guide: Last minute sales, top costumes, accessories and movies
It's not too late to prepare for incoming trick-or-treaters - for a fraction of the cost. Find the best last-minute Halloween sales.
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If you’re not prepared for this year’s swarm of trick-or-treaters, don’t be scared, because leaving things to the last minute could slash your Halloween bill in half.
With just a few days left until Halloween, Coles is reducing the price of its spooky treats and decorations by up to 50 per cent.
Pumpkin pails are now only $2.50, while face painting, hanging decorations and eyeball gummies are going for just under $5.
There’s also half price specials on a range of chocolates and lollies, such as individually wrapped Bleeding Roses, now $5, and Pez Halloween Dispensers for $3.
The Reject Shop is also offering a range of frighteningly low last minute specials, such as Jolly Ranchers, $3, Kit Kat fun packs, $3.75, Zappo Drops, $3.50, Zombie Skittle funsize, $3.50 and Gummy Body Parts, $3.50.
If you’re looking to add a bit of spook to your surroundings, there are plenty of last-minute decoration specials available too.
Coles is now selling Halloween Tinsel Coffins for $4.50, printed balloons, $4 each and Trick or Treat Bamboo Fibre Buckets for $4.
Create an even spookier scene with Jack-O-Lantern carving pumpkins, on sale at Coles for $3.50 per kilo. They’re also offering a range of other carvable fruit options, such as watermelons.
Cole General Manager for Fresh Produce Craig Taylor said Coles’ range of great value pumpkins and tropical fruit was a great way for customers to support local growers and have a go at carving some scary DIY decorations.
“We are thrilled to offer more than just your classic festive products and help the whole family carve out some fun with our great range of pumpkins,” he said.
“This year, we have worked with pumpkin growers from the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Far North Queensland to stock the shelves with perfect pumpkins ready for carving.
“And if orange isn’t your colour, we also have spooky pines and whole watermelons with a carving template to help families put an Aussie spin on Halloween. And, for those little monsters who prefer to treat on the healthier side, our zombie mandarins offer the perfect healthy spook snack.”
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR HALLOWEEN COSTUME
With blockbuster movies Top Gun: Maverick and Elvis breaking the box office and cult Netflix TV shows like Stranger Things and Squid Game taking over our screens, it’s no wonder Aussies are opting to channel pop culture icons for Halloween this year.
Halloween expert and editor of Australia’s only Halloween magazine Hallozween Andrea Beattie says pop culture plays a huge role when it comes to choosing a Halloween costume, with trending film and TV characters proving more popular than celebrities or “real people”.
“For a lot of people, costume choices are tied to their favourite recent movies and TV shows, or are a throwback to the classics,” Beattie says.
“This year, we’ll most likely see characters from Squid Game, Ted Lasso, The Mandalorian, Euphoria and Stranger Things, but also the classic slashers such as Michael Myers, Chucky, Freddy, Ghostface and Jason. Thanks to the recent Hocus Pocus sequel, you might also see a few Sanderson sisters.
“In Australia, we’re less motivated to dress as a ‘real-life’ actor, musician or other celebrity like they tend to do in the US … we seem to stick more to favourite or trending film and TV characters rather than real people.”
eBay Australia spokeswoman Sophie Onikul says sales for pop culture-influenced costumes have skyrocketed in the last few weeks.
“The highly-anticipated final instalment of the Halloween franchise, Halloween Ends, has Aussies not only covering their eyes from the screen but strapping on the iconic white mask for trick-or-treating, with Michael Myers costumes up 171 per cent and Halloween masks up 151 per cent,” Onikul says.
Sales for Top Gun costumes are up 162 per cent following the release of the widely popular Top Gun sequel, and more people are purchasing Elvis ensembles, with eBay costume sales for the King of Rock and Roll up 64 per cent after the success of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic.
Stranger Things costume sales are up 115 per cent after the latest season was released this year, and searches for Addams Family attire have increased ahead of Netflix’s Addams Family spin-off Wednesday.
While trending film and TV characters have given classic Halloween costumes a run for their money this year, Onikul says pop culture favourites are still proving popular.
“Some people are sticking with the classics this year like alien costumes (up 222%) and Harry Potter costumes (up 98%), while masks from The Purge continue to be popular (up 298%).”
HOT PET COSTUMES
Pets are howling, growling and getting in on the Halloween action this year.
Costumes designed for pooches and pusses are proving popular in pet stores and online as Australians continue to embrace the traditionally American celebration.
You can dress Fido as Dracula or the devil, and turn your cat into a bat if you want to take them along on your trick-or-treating or complete your own outfit. Pet Circle, Pet Barn and Amazon are just some of the retailers offering fang-tastic costumes that will make the hair stand up on your furry friends.
Here are five of our favourites:
CREATE YOUR OWN PARTY
When there is something strange in your neighbourhood, who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters, of course.
But on October 31, it’ll be impossible to tell the difference between supernatural ghosts and crowds dressed in ghoulish costumes as more Australians are expected to dress up and deck the streets with spine shivering decorations and extravagant light shows.
Indeed, local Halloween haunts are coming back to life after two years of restrictions, says Beattie.
“A lot of Halloween lovers are going all out to make up for previous years, planning elaborate walk-throughs and haunts that are bigger and better than ever before,” she says.
“At Hallozween, we’ve seen loads of local community trick-or-treating groups promoting their events on our Facebook page, as well as an increase in registrations for local trick-or-treating maps around the country.”
Consumers are forecast to spend $430m on their Halloween celebrations, stocking up on food and sweets, and purchasing costumes and decorations, according to research from the Australian Retailers Association with Roy Morgan.
“Halloween is a great time to celebrate some spooky silliness and, with five million Australians expected to do so this year, the event will help build sales momentum for retailers in the run up to Christmas,” Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra says.
Deep in the western suburbs of Melbourne lies Natalie Mitchell and her family – and a skeleton named Anna – who look forward to hosting their annual Halloween party, while raising much needed funds for local charities.
Last year’s event raised more than $8000 for the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.
“If the weather is nice, we could see well over 1000 people come through,” Mitchell says.
“Our theme this year is Jurassic Park. People will be able to get photos, dance along to some tunes from our DJ and score a yummy lolly bag. They can also buy raffle tickets, make a donation and purchase cookies on the night.
“We have a local Williams Landing Estate Map with other participating houses (17 houses in total) welcoming trick-or-treaters on the night.”
After a two-year hiatus, The Craigieburn Haunted House in Victoria is back, offering a unique and free community event in Roberto Pugliese’s garage and backyard.
“This is our seventh year and each year it gets bigger,” Pugliese says.
“This year’s theme is Stranger Things … we spend anywhere between $2000 to $4000 a year.
“It’s fun to see people enter with confidence and exit crawling on the floor in fear. We record the event and share the footage. We love it, and so do our guests.”
NATALIE MITCHELL’S TIPS ON CREATING YOUR OWN SPOOKY PARTY
Pick a theme: Nothing says “organised chaos” more than a theme that you can tailor your props and decorations, food, lolly bags and music to. Whether it’s witches, zombies or pumpkins and ghosts, you can make a bigger and better impact when your walk-through and display have a common topic.
Don’t forget lighting and music: You can’t have one without the other. If you really want your party to attract some attention, be sure to invest in some decent lighting and extension cords. Highlight your props so visitors can see them in full effect when the sun goes down, and you’ll want that music (or sound effects) playing to help create the ultimate mood.
Choose your costume: Whether you’re entertaining guests or welcoming trick-or-treaters, have all your costume pieces ready to go. Attention to detail is key and small things like the correct make-up, mask or wig can make all the difference.
MUST HAVE ACCESSORIES
Retailers say carved pumpkins and creepy decor items will be all the rage this month.
Coles expects to sell more than 251 tonnes of jack-o’-lantern pumpkins and 80,000 mini jack pumpkins this Halloween season.
Demand for mini jack pumpkins has doubled with Coles selling 88 per cent more volume of mini jacks compared to the same period last year.
“Between October 14-18, customers purchased triple the amount of mini jack pumpkins compared to the same period last year,” a Coles spokesperson says.
Dean Salakas of The Party People says customers are looking beyond just decorating the front yard and focusing on the inside.
“Homewares such as our witches cauldron scented oil burner and witches brew coffee mug are doing really well this year when historically they haven’t trended so well,” he says.
Kmart’s Rob Day says there has been strong interest in the event.
“Families and friends are looking for more reasons to spend time together and also it’s an event that kids love and we see that as the reason it continues to grow in size,” he says.
Get in the mood – we have all the must-have Halloween accessories, from spooktacular decorations to delicious confectionery.
LED PUMPKIN
Get ready to scare with this light-up pumpkin decoration. $12 from The Reject Shop, rejectshop.com.au
SOFT SPOOKY MASKS
Whether you dress up as a skeleton, a clown or a franken-monster, these face masks will guarantee a thriller night. $3.50 each from Big W, bigw.com.au
WITCH HAT INFLATABLE RING TOSS
Have non-stop fun at your Halloween party. $24.90 from The Party People, thepartypeople.com.au
LIGHT UP SPIDER
Add some extra spookiness to your Halloween decoration with this 90cm tall inflatable spider. $70 from Kmart, kmart.com.au
HOLOGRAPHIC GHOST BALLOON
This spooky ghost balloon will add the perfect finishing touch to your party. $12.80 from Spotlight, spotlightstores.com
MINI CHUPA CHUPS 50PK
Keep the fun going forever with these individually wrapped lollipops, the perfect portion size for parties. $6 from Coles, coles.com.au
LIFE SIZE SKELETON GROOM
Spookify your yard with this 160cm haunted house prop. $80 from eBay Australia, ebay.com.au
HALLOWEEN WREATH
Perfect to put on the front door to great any trick-or-treaters. $20.30 from Big W, bigw.com.au
GUMMY BODY PARTS 30PK
They may look like real human organs, but they are actually delicious lollies. $3.50 from The Reject Shop, rejectshop.com.au
TRICK-OR-TREAT PAIL
Kids will love this bright and spooky trick-or-treat pail – perfect for collecting goodies. $1 each from Kmart, kmart.com.au
WHAT TO WATCH
HALLOWEEN ENDS
The final chapter of one the most enduring horror franchises in horror history, Halloween Ends has audiences howling in the cinemas now, but the Laurie Strode v Michael Myers showdown began more than 40 years ago, and has had sequels, remakes and reboots. John Carpenter’s original and its immediate sequel are available to stream on Stan, as are Rob Zombie’s 2007 remake and the 1998 reboot Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.
MIDSOMMAR
Director Ari Aster’s debut feature film Hereditary is hands down the scariest movie of the last decade. Not so much jump scares as a sense of creeping dread with Toni Collette in near career-best form as a mother wracked by grief and haunted by demonic manifestations. Aster’s follow-up Midsommar (Netflix, Stan), starring Florence Pugh as an American tourist who becomes entangled with a strange Swedish cult, is no less disturbing.
SMILE
This year has been a bumper year for horror on the big screen. Jordon Peele’s twisting, deeply disturbing Nope is still playing on a few screens. Or the truly brave-hearted could try the utterly terrifying Smile, starring Sosie Bacon as a psychologist plagued by increasingly disturbing visions. New in cinemas last week is the acclaimed Barbarian, about a young woman who gets more than she bargained for when booking a rental home.
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Originally published as Halloween 2022 guide: Last minute sales, top costumes, accessories and movies
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