By Sarah Wojnicki October 22, 2009

Scary ghouls and ghosts costumes seem to be things of the past this Halloween.

It’s all about the entertainment factor, whether it’s stars that have recently passed away or lovebirds like Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. You’ll even probably see a few Kate Gosselins this year.

Celebrities such as Patrick Swayze, Farrah Fawcett, and even Ed McMahon are on the top of the charts this year as fans pay tribute to their idols through their Halloween costumes.

According to Spirit Halloween, the nation’s largest Halloween retailer, some of the top-selling costumes for Halloween 2009 will be G.I. Joe, Bernie Madoff, Star Trek characters, and Michael Jackson.

Elmhurst College sophomore Megan Nutley agreed that celebrities will be the driving factor of costumes this year.

“I’ve heard a lot of people going as Michael Jackson,” she said.

Expect many “Beat It” outfits Halloween night as well as “Billie Jean” gloves and “Thriller” wigs.

Elmhurst College freshman Dan Burton thinks that “because of Twilight,” vampires and werewolves will be especially popular.

Don’t think fangs and high collared jackets, though, because glitter and messy hairstyle is the new vampire look.

Reused costumes seem to be the trend this year, perhaps because of the economy.

Most EC students, like sophomore Natalia Sieczka, won’t decide on their costumes until the day before Halloween. “I don’t know yet … I’ll just whip out like an old witch costume and call it a day,” said Sieczka.

Some costumes are still popular and acceptable to reuse from last year, like Sarah Palin.  Junior Andrea Cladis said, “I think that political figures may have popularity because so many people have strong feeling about that.”

Both Cladis and junior Devin Wrangler agree that standards such as witches, cheerleaders and decade costumes will still be popular this year.

“There are always a good amount of decade costumes, usually ‘60s … like hippies,” Wrangler said. 1960s hippie costumes are also flying off the shelves because of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock.

While Halloween, at least for adults, has moved away from the scare effect and more towards comedy angle, the Huffington Post provides us with some costumes they look forward to seeing, such as Octomom, the Swine Flu, Susan Boyle, and Kayne West.

So this year make sure you grab your Michael Jackson gloves, your Kate Gosselin hair, and your vampire fangs before heading out on Halloween night.