Step right up to the Carnevil at Spirit Halloween

A few weeks back, I was walking through my local mall and was thrilled to see that Spirit Halloween had moved in for the season. Over my past three visits, they've been adding more and more to the store. So, I took some new photos every time I went. I'll probably keep wandering around there each week, because not only are there new products each time, but they have a pretty good soundtrack playing!

This year, Spirit is going with a carnival or "carnevil" theme. This sort of theme is always a hit with me. It probably has a lot to do with reading Something Wicked This Way Comes as a youngster. And also that Are You Afraid of the Dark? episode with Zeebo the clown. 🤡 

Greeting you at the entrance to the store is a very tall ringmaster prop. He's standing next to an arch you can walk under. I think this is one of the better entrances I've seen to one of these stores, because it sets the mood for the theme.

He's pretty spooky when you look up into his eyes. This guy says something, but I can't remember what it is! I do remember his mouth moving.

Next you can spin the wheel if you like. I got the eye.

I liked this old-fashioned "fence" with posters of the acts printed on it. I think this is sort of how you might see advertisements a long time ago. 

I got such a kick out of this bear. He was hard to get a clear picture of because he rocks back and forth on that ball. He growls and as you can see, his eyes light up.

This marionette is creepy, more for what he says than anything. A lot of props usually say something along the lines of "I see you!" or "The midnight hour is here!" but someone actually put some thought into what this evil looking thing had to say. It goes to show that said it something different, because I actually remember it! 

I won't spoil what he says, in case you guys haven't been to one of these stores yet. I should probably mention now that there will be some spoilers in this blog post. So I guess if you want to get the full jump scares for yourself, wait until you've visited the store to read this post! 

The Corpse Bride was for some reason out with the rest of the circus critters.

I always thought she was a pretty character. She slightly moves around.

So, in between these figures is a tiny "funhouse" you can walk through. 

It's pretty cool in there. This is one tiny sneak peak of what you'll see:

What carnival wouldn't have clowns? As you might know, I'm pretty neutral on clowns. I've never been particularly amused or frightened by them, but one of the clowns at this store sure got to me! The first time I saw this, I was the only one in the store. I actually wondered if it was a real man at first! So I approached cautiously. Not to make everyone paranoid, but it's completely possible for a real person to dress up and stand in one of these stores.

I mean, seriously! I think this picture says all that needs to be said.

Here's another creepy clown, but more in that old-time rubber mask way. I like his purple eyes.

This one is a creeper. Unfortunately, he was low on juice and didn't move. He had a lot to say, though. Basically, stuff along the lines of "I've been watching you" and "I like the way you walk, that's why I've been following you" This would have all been far scarier if he'd moved. The sign said he was motion activated, so if his head had turned toward me while saying those things, it would have been pretty scary.

This was one of my favorite moving props. This is one of those where you'll laugh at yourself for being jump-scared.

Out of the cotton candy pops...

And he says some sassy stuff about the cotton candy. 

Remember Killer Klowns from Outer Space?

That was a fun movie.

How about this sideshow attraction? This spider moved up and down and moved its legs and mouth. It was actually pretty threatening.

I've seen a lot of outdoor web decorations in yards over the years and I imagine that this guy would make a great addition to one of them!

Along with some discarded fake popcorn containers and tickets, there were some random critters on the "ground" near these displays. I got a kick out of this zombie seagull. There was a hidden rat behind one of the props too.

Actually, this is the prop the rat was behind. It was down behind this reaper if you peeked behind him. This area had what I guess I'll call water guns. The type of things you'd shoot at a carnival to win a prize. There were some ducks moving around you could shoot at. To activate the props, you'd press the water gun buttons toward them. 

There were a few cute scarecrows. I think they were cute as these kind of things go. They didn't do anything too scary. 

You may have seen this one before. He's one of those sitting props that holds a treat bowl. Then when you reach into the bowl, they lunge at you. 

This guy was my favorite large-scale prop. And he was large! 10 ft tall! As you can see, his head nearly reaches the ceiling. He didn't say anything and that was fine. That made him spookier. His eyes lit up and he slowly moved his head around in this way where it felt like he was focusing on me. 

He's called "Giant Death Ray" and is described as an extraterrestrial on Spirit's web site.

This spider is an oldie but a goodie. He is the ultimate jump scare even though I remember him from over the years.

Onto the home decor or gift section:

Lanterns:

This didn't move or fold back and forth. It's more of a sturdy sculpture.

They had some themes that any Halloween loving person would be into, like Disney's Haunted Mansion. Beware of hitchhiking ghosts...

And there's his buddy down there. 

Remember this line from the ride?

The eye flips so you can either see it in the middle of this or Madame Leota in her crystal ball. 

If you've been on the ride, you will remember the beginning when the portraits stretch down so you can see what was really going on with these characters.

They had a pretty sizable Hocus Pocus section. I like the poster made for the Sanderson Sisters performance at the Town Hall:

Is anyone else hearing Sarah Jessica Parker say "Dead Man's Toe! Dead Man's Toe!" when they look at this picture?

Those who love Beetlejuice will want to check out Spirit this year. They probably have some extra products because of the new movie:

Pretty accurate for a plastic mask, hey?

Remember this from the scene at the dinner table?

So this sandworm appears to come in parts that you can put out in the yard. Awesome packaging.

A picture showing what it could look like:

If you were dressing as Wednesday Addams, this would be a must-have. 

It's hard to see the handle here, but this is a mug! Recognize the Poltergeist screen?

They had all kinds of Horror movie themed wall hangings. These two were nostalgic for me.

Sprit has what I'd call the "pretty section" with rhinestone-covered masks and jewelry. Isn't this one beautiful? For the past several years, I've seen masks similar to this one and thought of making one myself.

The middle of this mask reminds me of a peacock. If someone dressed as a peacock (and I realize that would be a whole ordeal) this mask would be a good addition to their costume.

OK, I just noticed that this one says Peacock on it! Maybe that was in my head then. Several of these would be pretty with a bird costume.

I'm not sure if I've ever seen the horns attached to the mask before.

This is the glitzy Greek accessories section. 

The store had a pretty good Steampunk section.

Aren't these goggles beautiful?

Here's a picture I took from behind one of the lenses. You can see the reflection of the words on my camera in the middle. Looking through these would be pretty wild.

They had a ton of fancy sunglasses, but these were my favorites.

How hilarious is this? It's that perfect crossover for those of us who are nostalgic for the Scream movies and also into pink bling.

And this could be worn with the mask! If you wanted to pair it with something pink and spooky. That sort of pairing reminds me of the girls who come trick-or-treating in those assembled costumes. "I'm a zombie princess cheerleader!" 😆

Spirit has a mask section worth checking out. I could have taken a ton more mask photos! Someone did well designing these vintage masks. They remind me of something you'd see on an old postcard or of Halloween noisemakers.  

The Creature:

For anyone around my age, this will hold a special place in your memories. I actually have "The Haunted Mask" taped from TV on VHS and looking at this mask makes me want to watch it again.

I think the jaw actually is hinged in this skeletal bat mask. I'm imagining this as part of a really scary costume. I think it would be scariest as a group costume, if a bunch of people wore different animal skeleton masks. 

This neon green felted skull mask reminds me of all the neon felted items at Jo-Ann's this year.

I had to learn who Kissy Missy was, so I googled her and was somewhat disturbed. It seems her backstory is that she used to be a woman who was turned into a toy. I'm sure anyone who has played the game she's from could tell me more, but yikes. 

I saved the funny stuff until the end. These are just the random costumes that made me stop and laugh.

Bob Ross! You guys might remember my story from a few years back about the kid who came trick-or-treating wearing a homemade Bob Ross costume. He'd made his wig and beard out of cotton balls and painted them. And I remember he talked to me about the "happy trees" he was seeing. 

But this is new! Someone could go trick-or-treating with Bob as one of his paintings!

The "Honorable Ruler" I'm laughing again looking at this. This guy is reminding me of Luke Wilson.

Look in Granny Wolf's basket! I see in the corner of this photo a "Voodoo Dude" label. I wonder what that costume looked like.

Convincing? 

My favorite funny costume: Groovy Man

And the poor dogs get it, don't they? But this is hilarious and pretty painless looking. I'm just now noticing his other set of legs. Um...

So there we have it! I'm sure the shelves will continue to be stocked, but I have to cut it off at some point. There's just so much. Is this more or less what you guys have been seeing at Spirit this year? I'm yet to see a Halloween Express, but hopefully one will be opening around here soon. 

If you guys would like to see some of these animatronics in action, here's a link to Spirit's collection: Halloween Animatronics 

There's an option to watch short videos of them doing their thing on the left side of each character's page. There are some pretty cool figures here that I didn't see in the store. I just got sidetracked because I had to watch all their videos!