What's up with candy corn?

"Daily Show" commentator Lewis Black once observed, "Candy corn is the only candy in the history of America that's never been advertised. And there's a reason. All of the candy corn that was ever made was made in 1911."

Ma Bates' homestead from "Psycho."

Occasionally, you bite into one of those things and you think he's right. But while there was indeed candy corn being made in 1911 (and for all we know, some of it still exists), it's still being made today in candy corn factories across America.

According to the National Confectioners Association, it was invented in the 1880s by George Renninger of the Wunderlee Candy Co. of Philadelphia. The Goelitz Candy Co. (now Jelly Belly Candy Co.) started producing it in 1900 and still churns it out today. Now, though, they have machines to handle the once-painstaking tri-colored production process.

So, what is it? Mostly sugar, corn syrup, water and a touch of marshmallow for that one-of-a-kind chewy sensation.

How popular is it? The NCA says more than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That's "nearly 9 billion pieces" ... or about one piece and one tip for everyone on the planet.

-- Scott Mervis, Weekend Mag editor

Hot costumes: Pimps and goth chicks

If only the hardest decision about going to a Halloween party were whether to go or not.

But that's just the beginning. Once you decide to go, you have to have a costume.

What are you going to be? Something that reflects your personality -- or perhaps just the opposite? Something that people will know in an instant, or something more obscure that others will have to figure out?

Do you want a complicated costume covering you from head to toe or just a mask? Are you concerned about being able to dance, drink or breathe in it? (Breathing is always nice.)

Do you want to rent a costume or purchase one? Or maybe make it yourself?

There are several stores operating year-round in this area where you can wrestle with these costume demons. There also are the Halloween party stores that pop up at this time of year to help you.

Annabelle Mazzie, a manager at Costume World in the Strip District, carries thousands of elaborate costumes to fit every size and desire. The most popular, she says, are "pimps" for the men, with platform heels and oversized coats and hats, and "ladies of the evening," with risque outfits and plenty of makeup.

Another popular choice is "gangster and flapper." The man wears a zoot suit, with watch fob and chain, and the woman is all decked out in headband, beads and boa.

Then there's the ancient Roman look -- with togas, sandals and armor -- made popular by the recent HBO series. Or the Renaissance look, with powdered wigs and corsets.

In order to accommodate you, costume store workers need to know what kind of look you're going for. Are you going as a couple and do you want your costumes to be part of a theme? Humorous, scary or sexy?

Malinda Behrens, a vice president with Party City, based out of Rockaway, N.J., with two stores in the Pittsburgh area, says a lot of people, especially women, like to mix their look -- a little bit nice, a little bit naughty.

Max Schreck as "Nosferatu"

"The Gothic look is very popular because it blends a darker look with elements of beauty," she says. "The transformation of princess to witch. Spiderwebs and roses."

The costumes at Party City, however, are all for sale. Costume World has elaborate outfits you can rent, but the masks and wigs must be purchased because they're nonreturnable.

The costs are wide-ranging, depending upon how serious you and your party are. And all the stores sell accessories and makeup to help you complete your homemade costumes.

The most common men's costume is still Darth Vader, the villain of "Star Wars." Women still like to be witches, but the most popular outfits are a little bit sexier. According to Jillian Harkrader of Shopping.com, the top sellers are: 1. Women's sexy tuxedo; 2. Tinkerbell; 3. Jessica Rabbit; 4. naughty nurse; 5. Little Bo-Peep; 6. sexy cowgirl; 7. Cleopatra; 8. French maid; 9. sexy school girl; and 10. cave woman.

And then there are nuns. Nuns are always fun.

Especially the pregnant nun," says Mazzie. "It is a very popular, comfortable costume."

By Dan Majors, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Monster Mash games

We've got enough vampires to deplete a garlic farm. We've got ghosts and goblins galore. We've got witches, warlocks and a pint-sized Grim Reaper wannabe.

Whatever you may fancy, we've got games to get your skin crawling and your heart pounding in delicious anticipation of Halloween. A couple of these seasonal offerings also sandwich giggles between the ghosts and ghouls to keep nerves from drawing too taut for comfort.

Reviews are out of four stars.

'Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow'

"Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow" (Konami; $34.99; Rated Teen) updates the popular supernatural saga, opening about a year after the events of its predecessor, "Aria of Sorrow" for Game Boy Advance. Hero Soma Cruz is about to take another crack at defeating Dracula and the murky cult that is trying to restore the power that Soma wrested from him a while back.

'Castlevaniea: Dawn of Sorrow' video game

It wouldn't be a "Castlevania" game if there weren't lots of other-worldly creatures for Soma to confront and fight as he struggles through the sprawling, sometimes confusing labyrinth of Dracula's castle. Guided by the helpful map screen, he gathers weapons, gear and various skills or powers from the souls of the monsters he slays.

"Dawn of Sorrow" also allows players to use the DS system's wireless connection to trade captured souls or compete in a "versus" mode, and it offers plenty of extras to unlock once you've beaten it. Like "Aria of Sorrow," it doesn't suffer from playing out on a smaller handheld screen. Graphics are rich and detailed, and the well-developed instrumental and vocal music score enhances the action, unlike so many other tinny, repetitive game soundtracks.

Longtime fans will know the familiar drill of "Castlevania" combat. But, for the first time, they must also collect magic seals to employ later against enemies by sketching them on the touch-sensitive DS screen.

In theory, this DS-only addition is a clever idea for making use of the system's unique feature. In execution, though, it feels a bit clunky at first. Take our advice -- your index fingernail may work just as well.

'Death Jr.'

For a guy with a considerably heavy pedigree, Death Jr. is quite a funny little dude.

His dad is the Grim Reaper, and he's the heir apparent. So when DJ accidentally opens Pandora's box on a field and releases into the Museum of Supernatural History a demon horde that's really bad news, you'd think he'd be worried about a bit more than ... getting grounded?

"Death Jr." (Konami; PSP; $39.99; Rated Teen) is a whimsical platformer/shooter that, despite its dark theme, is often more funny than fearsome. Death and his posse of peculiar friends -- his pal named Dead Guppy is just that -- bring to mind the odd but endearing characters found in Tim Burton's animated films, even though they possess some admittedly creepy quirks.

"Death Jr." isn't particularly profound in the plot department. There are quite a few moves to learn, though, to ensure DJ comes out ahead in hacking, slashing and shooting boss fights.

But, generally, DJ is a hoot to accompany as he stomps about with his oversized scythe, trying to restore the life sapped from his buddies and force those evil spirits back into their prison. And lest you think his scythe is a formidable weapon, just wait until you encounter those explosive-equipped hamsters.

'MediEvil Resurrection'

Adapted from the former PlayStation franchise, "MediEvil Resurrection" (Sony Computer Entertainment America; PSP; $39.99; Rated Teen) also packs in humor and sarcasm with the scary stuff. But with its more ominous look and tone, it's less suitable for younger teens.

"MediEvil Resurrection" revives the tale of Sir Daniel Fortesque, a less than valiant knight who met an ignoble end, thanks to an arrow in the eye during a clash with the wicked wizard Zarok. History has been kind to Sir Dan, however, thanks to a king who tweaked and polished the knight's legend to suit his own purposes.

Decades later, Zarok has returned to again threaten the lovely land of Gallowmere. But the spell cast by the sorcerer to raise his army of the dead also rejuvenated Sir Dan, and he decided that this time around he'd better live up to his own hype.

Sir Dan meanders through Gallowmere, enduring wisecracks from the genie trapped within his skeleton and wise-aleck remarks in instructional tomes he finds during his travels. Early on, the description of Sir Dan's crypt as "the best place, after all, to find a dead Dan," had us laughing aloud, and there were more chuckles to follow in the game's 19 levels.

Combat with various foes was taxing but not frustrating, although we hated the balky camera that didn't always keep pace with the action. But we appreciated the ability to use Wi-Fi to share and play the game with other nearby PSP owners, even if they didn't have their own copy of the game.

'Geist'

So by now you've had enough of taking on all of those eerie foes? Then switch sides, abandon your earthly body and become a ghost in "Geist" (Nintendo; GameCube; $49.95; Rated Mature), which tweaks the basic first-person shooter formula and comes up with an engaging adventure.

Playing "Geist" can bring snippets of other game series to mind -- "Doom," "Half-Life," "Resident Evil" and Nintendo's own "Metroid Prime" among them -- but at least it borrows from the best. By tossing in elements of horror, strategy and even spirit-packed role-playing games, "Geist" avoids becoming just another tired shoot-'em-up.

In a premise that reminded us more than a little of "Doom 3," you play as Raimi, a government agent dispatched to investigate trouble at the secret Volks Corporation lab. It doesn't take long before Raimi himself becomes the subject of an experiment that severs his spirit from his captive body.

Now he's got the novel power to inhabit the bodies of other people, animals, even inanimate objects, and to use them to accomplish tasks. Many of those involve scaring the heck out of folks in his way while he seeks to figure out what's been going on at Volks and to regain his body.

There's a lot of shooting in "Geist," and we had to tinker a bit with the controls before we found a configuration that felt comfortable and responded promptly to our touch. But once you've got them set to your liking, we suspect that you, too, will find it a hoot to do the scaring for a change.

Professor Emcee Square's Top Frightful Flicks

10. "The Exorcist": I watch this when I think my kids are brats, and then I feel little better.

9. "Hellraiser": Freaky piercings galore ... and that Rubik's Cube is so hard to figure out. I'm still working on one I got in 1978.

Doug Bradley in "Hellraiser."

8. "Nosferatu" (1922, silent): Creepiest vampire of all time. I wish they gave him more lines.

7. "Amityville Horror" (original): Falling in black sewage is a fear of mine. That, and making a bad real estate deal.

6. "Psycho": This film really hurt the small, seedy motel industry. But it gave taxidermy a real boost!

5. "House of 1000 Corpses": Scary, funny, and the music ROCKS! My kind of stuff.

4. "Dawn of the Dead": Filmed in Monroeville Mall, where I like to shop for casual menswear and bubble bath supplies.

3. "Evil Dead II": Silly + Scary = Cool.

2. "Frankenstein": Mixing up brains, putting the bad one in the monster -- we've all done this.

1. "Night of the Living Dead": I have a huge fear of getting locked in a house with a hostile bald guy.

Professor Emcee Square is the host of "It's Alive," a "Chiller Theater"-style show airing Saturdays at 11 p.m. on WBGN. This Saturday features three episodes: "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" (7 p.m.), "The Killer Shrews" (9 p.m.) and "Spider Baby" (11 p.m.).

Chiller Horror Theater

The best thing about Halloween, besides the candy, are all the scary movies on TV. And because you've probably seen them all by now, you can flip around the channels, skipping the boring parts and going right to the horror. Here's a sampling of what's on during prime time:

FRIDAY

"Day of the Dead," 5 p.m., Sci Fi
"Carrie," 5:30 p.m., AMC
"Exorcist II: The Heretic," 7:30 p.m., AMC
"The Fly," 8 p.m., Bravo
"The Sixth Sense," 8 p.m. ABC Family
"Hocus Pocus," 8 p.m. Disney
"Secret Life of Vampires," 8 p.m., A&E
"Resident Evil," 9 p.m., Sci Fi
"Wes Craven's New Nightmare," 10 p.m., Bravo
"Masters of Horror," 10 p.m., Showtime
"Exorcist III," 10:30 p.m., AMC

SATURDAY

"Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter," 6:15 p.m., AMC
"100 Scariest Movie Moments," 7 p.m. Bravo
"The Brain That Wouldn't Die," 7 p.m., WBGN
"Ghostbusters II," 7:30 p.m., Comedy Central
"The Blair Witch Project," 8 p.m., FX
"Friday the 13th, Part V," 8 p.m., AMC
"The Shining," 8 p.m., A&E
"The Sixth Sense," 8 p.m., ABC Family
"Scary Movie," 8 p.m., WPXI
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre," 8 p.m., Encore
"Twitches," 8 p.m., Disney
"The Silence of the Lambs," 8 and 10 p.m., Oxygen
"The Killer Shrews," 9 p.m., WBGN
"Friday the 13th, Part VI," 10 p.m., AMC
"Exorcist: The Beginning," 10 p.m., Cinemax
"The Prophecy," 10 p.m., Encore Mystery
"Vampires," 10 p.m., FX
"Spider Baby," 11 p.m., WBGN

SUNDAY

"Scream 3," 5:30 p.m., TBS
"American Werewolf in London," 6 p.m., AMC
"The Silence of the Lambs," 7:30 p.m., Oxygen
"The Sixth Sense," 8 p.m., ABC Family
"Dreamcatcher," 8 p.m., TBS
"Psycho" (1998), 8 p.m., Encore
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre," 8 p.m., Encore/Mystery
"Tremors," 8 p.m. AMC
"Scary Movie 2," 8 p.m., Comedy Central
"Don't Look Under the Bed," 8 p.m., Disney
"Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers," 8:30 p.m., Showtime
"Vampire Bats," 9 p.m., KDKA
"Species II," 10 p.m., AMC
"The Birds," 10:30 p.m., TCM

Fright Nights puts a chill in Station Scare

On a dark and dreary night, outside the Chevrolet Amphitheatre in the month of October, some say you can hear the moaning of spirits through the chilled autumn air. The truth is, those aren't spirits at all. They're patrons of George A. Romero's Fright Nights nauseated by excessive strobe lights and smoke machines.

The creators of Fright Nights would receive few complaints if they decided to tone down the smoke-and-mirrors routine in the three haunted walk-throughs -- "Night of the Living Dead" Farm House and Cemetery, Metamorphosis of Horror and Psycho Maze.

The scares certainly wouldn't suffer.

The "Dead" feature duplicates the setting of Romero's late '60s classic, complete with strikingly similar room layout and flesh-eating zombies. Witnessing terror outside the house through loosely boarded windows, while falling prey to a horde of zombies inside, makes you feel like you're caught in Romero's film.

Covering other popular horror movies, from "Frankenstein" to "House of 1000 Corpses," the Metamorphosis of Horror is well crafted and realistic. The only thing missing from the "Halloween" exhibit is Jamie Lee Curtis. Actors convincingly imitate horror legends such as the chainsaw-wielding Texan, Leatherface, and take pride in terrifying all who cross their paths.

They actually follow you through deathly exhibits and narrow corridors in the Psycho Maze, seeking to mislead you. It's kind of hard to get lost, but it's a nice change of pace.

In addition to live "monsters," the walk-throughs serve up a variety of hydraulic creatures that pop up when least expected. However, haunted house patrons quickly discover the sensors and footpads that activate these contraptions and abuse them to no end. As a result, groups get held up inside the attractions, and the creatures lose most of their shock value.

The $13.99 ticket permits unlimited walk-throughs, free thrill rides, scary movies and side shows in addition to palm readers, carnival games and Spooky Food Court (the spookiest thing there is the prices).

Fright Nights may be too horror-rific for young tykes. For seasoned haunted house fans, there won't be any shortage of "you-go-first-no-you-go-firsts." Those who simply enjoy strobe lights and smoke won't be disappointed, either.

-- Troy Piekarski for the Post-Gazette

Last chance for hauntings

A lot of these haunted attractions opened back in September, so they've got the scary thing down by now. This weekend, they step it up a notch:

GEORGE A. ROMERO'S FRIGHT NIGHTS With music by Mr. Nice Guy (Alice Cooper Tribute Band) at 8 and 9:30 p.m. Friday. Chevrolet Amphitheatre at Station Square. Thurs. and Sun.-Mon. 7-11 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 7 p.m.-midnight. $13.99. 412-232-6200; www.chevroletamphitheatre.com.

TOM SAVINI'S TERRORMANIA The go-to spot for "bleeding, convulsive corpses." Century III Mall (second level next to J.C. Penney), West Mifflin. Tues.-Thurs. 7-10 p.m., Fri. 7 p.m.-midnight, Sat. 4 p.m.-midnight, Sun. 4-8 p.m. Through Nov. 5. $13.50. 724-684-3684, ext. 4; www.terrormania.net.

PHANTOM FRIGHT NIGHTS New this year: Villa of the Vampires.

Haunted midway and thrill rides. Not recommended for children under 13. Kennywood Park. Fri.-Sat. 7 p.m.-1 a.m. $18.50. 412-461-0500; www. phantomfrightnights.com.

NIGHTMARE IN NORTH VERSAILLES Haunted houses built in former Loews Theater. Off Route 30, North Versailles. Thurs. 7-11 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 7 p.m.-midnight, Sun. 7-10 p.m. $13. 412-824-0960; www.nightmarenv.com.

HUNDRED ACRES MANOR HAUNTED HOUSE Attraction benefits Animal Friends and the Homeless Children's Education Fund. Hundred Acres Drive, off Corrigan Drive, South Park. Thurs. and Sun. 7:15-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 7:15-11:30 p.m. $10. 412-308-7940; www.hundredacresmanor.org.

DEMON HOUSE Monongahela. 7:30 p.m.-midnight Thurs.-Mon. and Nov. 4-5. $15. demonhouse.com.

SCREAM ASYLUM Haunted houses, carnival rides, games, concessions and live music. Presented by L5 Productions. Trader Jack's, Thoms Run Road, Bridgeville. Thurs. and Sun. 6-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 6 p.m.-midnight. $13. www.screamasylum.com.

WEST DEER NIGHTMARE HAUNTED ATTRACTION Haunted Manor, hayride and carnival rides, plus Boo Town children's area. Bairdford Park, West Deer. Fri.-Sat. 7-11 p.m., Sun. 7-10 p.m. $10. 412-298-2892; www.wdnightmare.com.

FRIGHT FARM The Sound and the Fury -- Haunted Plantation. Rich Farms, Route 857, Smithfield. Fri.-Sat. and Mon. dusk to midnight; Thurs. and Sun. dusk to 10 p.m. $15. Also Maize Maze, a corn maze with two miles of pathways. Thurs.-Sun 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.). Adults $9; children $6. 724-564-7644 or 1-877-564-7644; www.frightfarm.com.

HUSTON'S HAUNTED HOLLOW Haunted Farm House, Hayride of Horror and Maze of Madness. Little Spooks Matinee with hayrides and pumpkin hunt. Route 281, 6 miles south of Somerset. Fri.-Sat. dusk-11 p.m. $10, $8 ages 10 and under. 1-814-926-3133; www.hauntedhollow.net.

CASTLE BLOOD 2860 Main St. (Route 40), Beallsville, Washington County. Doors open at 7 p.m. Fri.-Mon. $10. Non-scary matinee Sun. 1-4 p.m. $5. 724-632-3242; www.castleblood.com.

HAUNTED HILLS HAYRIDE Climb aboard a tractor-pulled hay wagon, enter the castle gates and take the wooded trail of "Fright Sights." Thurs. and Sun. 7-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 7-11 p.m. Route 48, North Versailles, ¹/₂ mile north of Route 30 Kmart. Benefits Autism Society of Pittsburgh and Spectrum Charter School. $10. 412-824-1214. www.hauntedhillshayride.com.

CHEESEMAN'S FRIGHT FARM Haunted house and hayride. Cheeseman Road, off Route 19, Portersville, Butler County. Dusk to 10 p.m. Thurs. and Sun., $10; Fri.-Sat., $12. 724-368-3233; www.cheesemanfarm.com.

FESTIVAL OF FEAR Haunted houses. Family Bowlaway, 540 Fairground Hill Road, Butler. Fri.-Sat. 7:30-11 p.m.; Sun. 7:30-10 p.m. $10. 724-283-8630; www.familybowlaway.com.

McKEESPORT AFTER DARK HAUNTED HOUSE 500 block of Fifth Avenue, McKeesport. Fri.-Sat. 7-11 p.m., Sun. 7-10 p.m. $5. 412-675-5068; mckrecboard.freeservers.com.

OTHER HAPPENINGS

KDKA ZOOBOO FOR KIDS' SAKE Improved this year with new layout and more entertainment: Safe trick-or-treating on the Ghost Trail, craft-making in Kids Kingdom, Monster Splash in the PPG Aquarium, haunted house and not-too spooky train ride. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Highland Park. Fri.-Sun. 6-9:30 p.m.; gates close at 8:30 p.m. $6 nonmembers, $3 zoo members. Train and carousel rides $1 extra. 412-665-3640.

RED HOT WEEKEND Annual Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force Red Hot Hallo- ween fund-raiser expands to two nights: over-21 costume party and contest at Pegasus, Liberty Avenue, Downtown. Fri. 8 p.m., $13; Kiki and Herb cabaret act, Byham Theater, with after-show party, Sat. 8 p.m. $75. 412-242-2500, ext. 128.

HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS Evening of family activities. Ages 2-12 can come in costume and collect treats. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Schenley Park. Free with conservatory admission. Sat. 4-8 p.m. 412-622-6914.

GATEWAY CLIPPER FLEET HALLO-WEEN CRUISES

New Rock Halloween Cruise with Institute, featuring Gavin Rossdale of Bush. Fri. 9 p.m. sail; 8 p.m. board. $19.

Institute, composed of Cache Tolman, Gavin Rossdale, Charlie Walker and Chris Traynor, will perform on the Gateway Clipper Fleet Halloween Cruises.

3WS "BOO" Cruise with Donnie Iris. Over-21 cruise and party. Sat. 7 p.m. $19.

Halloween Monster Party Fun Cruises: Kids' party with friendly monsters and treats. Sat.-Sun. 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. $12 adults, $7 children. Reservations, information: 412-355-7980. Added taxes and service charges.

NIGHT OF THE SINGING DEAD This year's theme "Tonight of the Living Dead" features Larry Richert as Johnny Carson and Steve Hansen as Dead McMahon hosting a cast of "dead" pop stars. Rex Theatre, South Side. Sun. 7 p.m. $13.

HALLOWBOO Family Halloween celebration, with trick or treating in Storybook Forest, mask-making, hay bale maze and more. Idlewild Park, Ligonier. Sat.-Sun. noon-6 p.m. $15.95 for ages 3 and over. 724-238-3666.

OWL-O-WEEN FALL FESTIVAL Owls, macaws, vultures and crows take the Aviary spotlight, along with fall treats. National Aviary, North Side. Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. $6 adults, $5 seniors, $4.50 ages 2-12. 412-323-7235; www.aviary.org.

PUMPKIN PATCH TROLLEY Scenic fall trolley rides. Kids can pick out pumpkins in the Pumpkin Patch and decorate them. Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, near Washington County Fairgrounds. Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Adults $6, seniors $5, ages 3-15 $4, under 2 free. 724-228-9256.

NORTHERN NIGHTMARES Family-friendly Halloween events include The Nightmare Tour, a bus tour of creepy places between Zelienople and Harmony, with tales of haunted Butler County. Sat.-Sun. $8. Ghost stories at The Kaufman House, Zelienople, Sat. 1 p.m. Free. Zelienople. 724-742-0400; www.northernnightmares.com.

CREATURES OF THE NIGHT Non-scary Halloween event for families. Night hikes along nature trails, Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, 614 Dor-seyville Road, Fox Chapel. Fri.-Sat. 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Members: $4 adults, $3 children. Nonmembers: $5 adults, $4 children. Space limited; advance registration is required. 412-963-6100.

HOBGOBLIN HIKES Guided walk through haunted woods for ages 8 and older in Mammoth Park, Westmoreland County. Fri. 7-9 p.m. Free. 724-830-3959.

HAUNTED HABITAT: Halloween entertainment and talk about the potentially negative side effects of pesticides. Rachel Carson Homestead, Springdale. Sat. 1-4 p.m. 724-274-5459.

HAUNTED STORIES Halloween haunting storytelling event for all ages. Fri.-Sat. 6-9 p.m., Sun. 5-8 p.m. $2 for guests 12 and older and 50 cents for children under 12. Compass Inn, Route 30, Laughlintown. 724-238-6818 or www.compassinn.com.

NORTHWAY MALL Safe Trick-or-Treating for kids 12 and under at mall in Ross. Thurs. 6-8 p.m. 412-364-1171.