(Page 2 of 3)

"What's especially cool right now is retro," Tsouvalas says. "I think you'll see even Care Bears making a Halloween comeback."

Here's a look at some of this year's most interesting costumes:

• Halloween Costumes
• Related: Wolf Files Archive

1. Gas Pump Terror — Meeting Frankenstein and Dracula in a dark alley is nothing compared to the sheer terror of paying $3-a-gallon to fill up your car. Nearly every costumer is offering a menacing Gas Pump costume this year. Interestingly, they're all made out of plastic — a petroleum product — so they probably cost twice as much as they did last year and half as much as they will in six months.

2. Pirate Wench — Dressing like a swashbuckler has been Halloween hip, even before Johnny Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean." But these days, it's gotten a whole lot sexier. The Pirate Wench outfit from Halloween Express really puts the "Ho" into "Ho-Ho-Ho."

When you see this off-the-shoulder lace-up bodice, skull-and-crossbones hip scarf, with heavy-gauge fishnet stocking, your eyes will pop right of your socket. Arghh! That may explain why so many pirates need eye patches!

3. Sexy Candy Corn — Adult Halloween costumes, especially for ladies, have put a sexy spin on nearly every character, from Wonder Woman to Tinkerbell. This year, we even have Miss Dorothy (presumably from the raunchier part of Oz, where everyone goes way beyond the yellow brick road).

Now, even Halloween candy is being sexualized. The Candi Korn costume — an extra short dress in orange, yellow and white, worn with a flaming candy-corn wig and white thigh-high boots — makes you look like the last of the punk rockers, or the holiday treat that always get left at the bottom of the pumpkin basket.

4. Trophy Wife — For women who want to make a provocative statement without wearing a costume that's virtually lingerie, Rasta Imposta offers the Brick House — a sturdy disco-era reminder of how the ideal lady should be built.

The Brick House frock comes with a door and window in strategically placed areas, and with the real estate market skyrocketing, it only makes you more attractive.

Another costume for image-conscious ladies, the Trophy Wife from Halloween Express, allows you to color your face metallic gold, while your collar doubles as a mantle, bearing a brass plate that reads, "First Place." You might not find this look flattering, but it's sure to make your husband look good. And isn't that the only reason for existing?