Trick-or-treat: Indoreans gear up for Halloween celebrations

If you spot zombies and vampires walking the streets of the city this Saturday, don’t fear.
It’s neither a Zombie Apocalypse nor have Count Dracula’s relatives descended in Indore but the city youngsters are making sure to up the fear factor this Halloween by dressing up in the spookiest possible way. Inspired by the western celebration, Indoreans are planning to follow their wild instincts as they attend and host Halloween theme parties and put themselves in full-spook mode ahead of the fest.
Swearing by the cliched witches and zombies
Halloween is identified with all scary things, so it’s no surprise that party-goers are opting for the clichéd skeleton, zombie, witch or desi bhoot getups."Girls mostly go in for the witch look because it’s quite easy to sport. You just need a long, pointed hat, a broom and scary make-up," said Aarti Verma, a local vendor of party accessories. Veenel Negi, a self-proclaimed party animal, hosted a Halloween party last year and plans to do so this year too. He informed, "I am planning to host a desi bhoot themed Halloween party where guests will be asked to come decked in a bhoot attire taking inspiration from white-sari ghosts and rakshasas. Carrying a candle will be a must for my party." Costume vendors from the city agree that rentals at the time of Halloween revolve mostly around spooky costumes. "People opt for a skeleton suit, the Dracula robe and other ghost costumes. The lantern is also quite a popular prop during this time of the year," said Vinay Singh, owner of a costume rental shop in South Tukoganj area.
Filmy inspirations
Right from villains to other scary characters, Halloween has brought out the Indoreans’ love for Bollywood and Hollywood. "I am a total Bollywood fan and hence, instead of blindly following the trend in west I choose to go dressed in Bollywood villain characters to Halloween parties," Sumit Suri, who has decided to dress up as Gabbar this Halloween. Johnny Depp’s turn as Captain Jack Sparrow is one of the most common looks that is opted for, across the world and it’s nothing different in Indore. Some youngsters have even planned to dress up like Edward Cullen from Twilight as it is an easy look to don. "Pirate hats have a lot of takers at my store. I called for them last year on an experimental basis and they were quite a hit. This year too, the pointed, pumpkin and witch hats are selling like hot cakes," said Aarti Verma, a store owner. Amreen Hussain, a graphic designer, added, "Twilight, Vampire Diaries and the white sari with candle looks are some of the most spotted ones at my party. A powdery white face and devil fangs suffice for the vampire look which is not much of an investment and is suitable for students who are not willing to spend a lot on the Halloween theme."