Halloween is not Halloween until you dress up. Deciding what to dress up as for Halloween is probably the hardest part. There are various stores in and around the University where students can find costumes that go beyond the usual angel and devil outfits. So where do they shop for Halloween?

“Dallas is my favorite Halloween shopping store,” said Pavithra Raju, sophomore in Business.

Dallas and Co. is one of the biggest costume stores in Champaign where students can buy costumes ranging from pirates to sailors, superheroes, geishas and scary monsters. While many of the costumes are priced at higher levels, the store manager said that they have generic outfits of the same theme that could be much lower than the other outfit.

“If we have the Egyptian outfit for $40 and if that’s too expensive, we will also have something generic for (less),” said Wes Shield, store manager at Dallas and Co.

Students also get costume inspirations from their favorite movies and characters.

“Since the Batman movie was the most popular this past summer, we have costumes of the Batman and the Joker here this year,” Shield said.

The Spirit Halloween Store next to Old Navy in Champaign also has a wide range of costumes to choose from but their Joker and Batman outfits are the most popular among students, said store manager Rebecca Nolan.

“Me and my boyfriend liked the “You complete me” quote from the Batman movie and decided to dress up as the Batman and the Joker for Halloween because we both loved the movie,” said Aashna Khemka, sophomore in LAS.

While these are the most popular costumes this year, there are other students who are still going with their all-time favorite characters from the past.

“My roommate and I decided to do something together so we both are dressing up something along the South Park theme,” said Aaron Medster, sophomore in Engineering.

For those who find Dallas and Co too expensive, they look for cheaper alternatives.

Steven Ustaszewski, junior in LAS, said he would buy his costume of Slash of “Guns and Roses” fame from the Salvation Army “because it’s cheap.”

Other stores around the area where students can buy their Halloween costumes are Hot Topic and Spencers in the Market Place Mall. Both these stores have a collection of outfits. The costumes are priced between $50-$60. They have the typical scandalous school girl, nurse and maid outfits. They also have a collection of tights,Halloween make-up and accessory kits. For guys who want to find cheap alternatives to the Batman and Superman outfits, Hot Topic has Batman and Superman masks and shirts.

For students who wish to spend as little as possible, Walgreens and other drug stores are some of the cheapest options. They have simple costumes and masks for less than $20. Also, the Spirit Halloween Store has alternatives for students who did not want to spend too much money.

“We have accessories, hair sprays and make-up which knocks off the price a lot so students can just buy that and get their own costume,” Nolan said.