Located just 2.7 miles and a 9 minute drive away from Irvington High School, Spirit Halloween is an annual must-stop for many Halloween enthusiasts in the Viking community. New arrivals are always eagerly anticipated; for example, costumes for characters from Netflix’s most-watched film, “KPop Demon Hunters,” and the superhero stars of Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” were snatched up by customers as soon as they hit the shelves. Spirit’s new animatronics have also been hyped up online, including in-store experience exclusives Jack the Reaper, released as part of the store’s 2025 “Madison Scare Park” subway theme, and Young-hee, a primary fixture in this year’s Squid Game Display. Spirit, an established Halloween paradise, attracts plenty of shoppers each year — shoppers who must ask themselves the timeless question: is this worth the price? This is the question I aimed to answer during my visit to Spirit Halloween, where I evaluated the originality, execution, quality, and, arguably most importantly for animatronics, scare value, of Spirit’s 2025 line-up.
When I went to the Spirit Halloween at Fremont Hub a few days before Halloween, I was shocked by a truly scary sight: a line, winding outside the door like a serpent (perhaps I would have been less threatened if I had a Serpent Queen costume, sold for $59.99). Thankfully, the line moved quickly, as shoppers looking for last-minute costumes and decor went in and out with purpose. The Madison Scare Park display that greeted me was fun and interactive. Unfortunately, some of the animatronic sensors weren’t working, leaving the scariness factor of the Jumping Spider, Trick or Treat Pete, and Sinister Straw Man a mystery. Overall, the animatronics were definitely young trick-or-treater friendly, though a few managed to deliver a thrill. I was impressed by the movement and sound of the Giant Mutant Sewer Rat. As I approached, the Mutant Sewer Rat let loose with unsettling screeches, and demonstrated its uncanny ability to shake its head back and forth, training its beady eyes all around. Considering the $229.99 price, this level of execution was necessary to bring this animatronic to a solid rating of 7 out of 10. The Night Owl, on the other hand, was less impressive, making a generic sound like scraping train tracks and flapping its wings back and forth — it lacked originality, and, priced at $189.99, proved worthy of only 4 out of 10. The highlight of Madison Scare Park, the extremely hyped Jack the Reaper animatronic, held its main appeal in its spooky speech. Draped in a black cloak, with a single, bloodred eye and an empty socket, a Voldemort-esque nose, visible finger bones, and scythe in hand, Jack delivered his message of “It’s too late to run. It’s too late to hide. You don’t even have time to scream!” with dramatic zeal. He earns points for being a Halloween classic, but considering the price of $329.99 and the fact that the threat was punctuated with the sound of plastic teeth clacking, he gets a 6 out of 10. My personal favorite, Monkey Business, was the one I found to be the scariest of the lot. The combined comedic horror of a creepy clown and his deranged monkey assistant, along with the jumpscare motion of the wind-up clown box, somewhat justifies the $329.99 price, earning the animatronic a 7.5 out of 10.
My next objective was to review the costumes. Spirit Halloween launched several successful lines of costumes based on newly released movies this year. For example, they partnered with Netflix for a line of KPop Demon Hunter (KDH) costumes, with ones for kids at $59.99 each, and adult costumes at $69.99 each, that achieved immense popularity — so much so that they were completely sold out long before I visited. Those hoping to dress up as Rumi, Mira, or Zoey in the future can look to the KDH fandom’s consensus of approval as evidence for execution. What I did see in store included a surplus of Glinda and Elphaba costume styles. In particular, a $59.99 Adult Glinda dress was receiving positive attention; with a sweetheart neckline bodice and a fluffy, high-low skirt, the design definitely paid homage to the signature Glinda dress Ariana Grande debuted in this summer’s Wicked movie. Complete with a crown and a wand, this costume had the style factor. When deciding on a rating, I felt that Spirit’s reputation for declining quality of fabric, and how it might impact dress comfort level, was worth considering, especially since costumes are nearly 100% polyester — a fabric known for lack of breathability and consequences for sensitive skin. After some deliberation, I settled on giving it a 7.5 out of 10. The next costume I looked at, The Thing, was part of the Fantastic Four series. For those unfamiliar with this superhero, his most defining characteristic, besides his bright blue Fantastic Four suit, is his creased, boulder-like head — an effect achieved in costume with a mask. Online reviews of the Fantastic Four suits praise the varied textures and materials incorporated into the costume, and claim that Spirit has created the best costume on the market. My general takeaway from the costume was that the detailed design on the mask and gloves was nice, as well as the button and logo details on the suit, but that it seemed overly simple for a whopping $79.99. I would rate it a 7 out of 10. I was underwhelmed by the costume section in general; in a sea of repetitive occupational and animal costumes, though, I did appreciate the thorough wigs selection, with styles ranging from mullet to Albert Einstein style E=mc2. But even wigs cost around $25 each, and after seeing a Santa beard and hair set priced at $69.99, I definitely began to question the design to price trade-off.
During my visit, in addition to checking out the highlights of this year, I felt it was only fair to the Irvington community to take a look at the Viking costume. It is my pleasure to report that for only $59.99, Irvington students can visually express their Viking pride by donning the tunic, shoulder armor, belt, and furry gauntlets of a Viking warrior — but maybe leave the scythe at home.
