I Miss The Halloween Outlet

I MISS THE HALLOWEEN OUTLET

Derek Laganelli

Many times in the past - both on this site and on the podcast - I’ve mentioned that I hail from Central Massachusetts, specifically a city called Worcester. As a kid it didn’t seem like a particularly special town, but as I grow older, I’m starting to realize that I actually had it pretty good. From multiple malls and (large) music venues, restaurants and record shops, even minor league sports teams - there’s probably more here than in most towns. But the one place that I always knew was special was a little (okay, big) store called the Halloween Outlet.

The Halloween Outlet, to put it simply, was absolutely bonkers. Many of us get excited to visit our closest Spirit Halloween store every year. Well, in its heyday, Halloween Outlet made even the best Spirit location look like a Dollar General in comparison. I won’t lie to you, there won’t be much of a ‘point’ to the rest of this article. I’ll probably share some personal stories, but mostly it’s going to be me gushing about a store I miss. No “complete oral history”, no juicy gossip or speculation as to why it closed, just a boy waxing poetic about a kickass Halloween store. If that’s cool with you, keep on reading!

The thing about the Halloween Outlet was that it wasn’t just a costume store. Their claim to fame were their super high end, gory-as-hell props that were always turned on, ready to scare the bejsus out of you. Seriously, props that you’d find in a professional haunted house, not the dinky animatronics (that I admittedly still love) you find over at Spirit or Home Depot. Walking through this store as a kid was just as scary as going to a haunted house, and honestly, maybe even a bit moreso. The thing with a proper haunt is that everything is dark, and you’re anticipating the scare. Mentally, you’re ready for it. There was something even scarier about walking through the aisles of a well lit store, not knowing if something was waiting at the end of it to scare the crap out of you.

Hell, I remember when I was in third grade they were actually running a full blown haunt IN the back of the store, actors and all!

Catalog scan courtesy of Blood Curdling Blog of Monster Masks

I highly suggest checking out some of the scans of their old catalogs, which are an absolute delight. Compiling old masks & props from your youth that are definitely buried deep in your subconscious.

The fantastic thing about Halloween Outlet was how they integrated themselves and became a part of our community. Not only was it the spot to hang out during our middle school years, but the store itself managed to become the spooky “Where’s Waldo?” of Central Massachusetts. I know that’s a bonkers statement, allow me to elaborate.

You see, the Halloween Outlet actually had a fleet of vehicles that, when not parked in front of the store, would actually be randomly out & about throughout the city. Sometimes they would bring them to public events that they might have been sponsoring. Other times you’d spot them in normal places like the grocery store parking lot or at the bank. The tradition of spooky cars started (probably) in the mid-to-late 90s with their first & most famous vehicle, the Halloween Outlet hearse.

Excellent photo from Odd Things I’ve Seen, click that link, they have more great photos of the store!

As you can see, not only did the hearse have the logo painted on the side of the vehicle, it ALSO had a custom, evil jack-in-the-box mounted to the top. I know you’re probably wondering if they ever had said JITB pop out while driving to scare other motorists, and to my knowledge, that never happened - though I kind of wished it had.

By the early 2000’s they had also added two of the hottest (and ugliest) cars around to their fleet - Halloween themed PT Cruisers. They weren’t as exciting to see as the hearse, but it was still fun when you’d spot them.

Photo credit to the Telegram & Gazette, our local newspaper.

My favorite thing that the store had to offer was, without question, the absolutely gigantic wall of masks. As a kid who was obsessed with Halloween masks, this was basically my holy land. I may be exaggerating a bit, but my kid brain always perceived it as being 50 feet long, 20 feet tall, and completely covered top to bottom with every mask imaginable & available at the time. There were of course masks of all shapes & sizes for both kids & adults alike, but the one that always stood out to me was the infamous Wacko Jacko from Morbid Industries.

Once again, photo courtesy of Blood Curdling Blog

The mask may seem a bit insensitive now, but keep in mind that at the time, Michael Jackson was somewhat of a PR nightmare. Pair that with his somewhat unusual appearance and well…it made for one hell of a Halloween costume. I’ve seen thousands of props over the years, but this is always the one that remains burned in my brain.

Browse like it’s 2006 on The Way Back Machine!

But wait, there’s more! Not only was there a brick & mortar location, in the early 00’s Halloween Outlet expanded to the interwebs by launching the Fright Catalog website! It took me a while to draw a connection between the two, but when I finally did my little middle-school mind was blown. I can’t even begin to tell you how many August days were spent browsing this site at my Grandmother’s house, window shopping with money that I didn’t have. If you want even more insight about Fright Catalog, I suggest checking out our Patreon article where I did a deep dive into their 2006 website. It’s a fun one!

In the Patreon article, I mentioned the Halloween Outlet’s vast selection of animated (and expensive) props. The one that I became obsessed with is the one that I unofficially dubbed “the puking guy”, pictured above. Every time I found myself in the store, I made it a point to hang out by puking guy until he eventually did the deed. It delighted me to no end to see this fake guy barfing his guts out, scream-puking as it were. What started as entertainment quickly turned into a fascination; where was the puke coming from? Where was it going? I had to know, and I had to figure out how to make one for my own home haunt.

With a lot of Googling, an old pool-pump I found in our shed and some help from my dad, I did eventually have a barfer to call my own. Using some extra PVC pipe we had laying around and a Styrofoam head that I painted myself - it wasn’t exactly pretty, but then again…did it need to be? I guess the point that I’m trying to make here, is that without my beloved Halloween Outlet, my love for the spooky may never have developed the way that it has. Something that has brought me so much joy and allowed me to express myself creatively, due in large part to this Halloween superstore that resided practically in my backyard.

It’s been a long five years since the store closed, and I miss it dearly. Some kids hung out in arcades, others in libraries or after-school clubs, but I was lucky enough to have the Halloween Outlet.

Lastly, a huge thank you to the Arvanigian family for taking a risk and opening a store lovingly dedicated to the greatest holiday of them all. You created a place that all the weirdos like me were both happy and proud to call our second home.