The 19-year-old fashion design student is making an outfit that pushes the boundaries of gore. From the front, it will have a sullen zombie look. But when she turns around, there will be fake protruding bones and organs in the back. It's another sign that, after taking a respite, darker Halloween themes are making a comeback.

"I'm big on surprises. This one is going to have amazing amounts of blood," Lavalliere says, sounding a bit gleeful about the costume she's making at her school, the Art Institute of California-San Francisco.

Her inspiration came from the revival of the slasher movie -- genre classics such as "Friday the 13th" and "Halloween" that her generation is flocking to see, along with newer films, including "Saw" and the remake of "House of Wax."

"It was tough for a while," says Dave Dering, a 39-year-old resident of Lawrenceville, N.J., who's a longtime fan of Halloween. Known as "Uncle Deathy" to family and friends, even he displayed only one yard decoration four years ago. It was a monster carrying an ax -- and a U.S. flag -- to indicate Dering's support for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and their families.

It was one of the most patriotic Halloweens on record, with many children dressing as firefighters and police officers, a nod to the ranks in New York City.

Of course, recent months have had their share of sad news, too -- from ongoing casualties in Iraq to a seemingly constant string of natural disasters. But this time, Dering and others see scary, sometimes kitschy Halloween traditions as a way to escape tough realities, rather than as something potentially offensive.

"It takes some steam off; it's a diversion -- a way to have a little fun," says Dering, who's going all out to decorate his yard and home this year, and who also hosts an annual Halloween bash.

However, Jennings said most of the gorier requests come from local filmmakers and teenage boys. None of the shoppers browsing for Halloween getups on an afternoon last week was looking for a scary costume.

"We were thinking of 'old cowboy' and 'saloon girl,' " says Cat Whitlock. Gore "is not for us. We were watching 'The Crow' last night though, and I was watching it thinking I could get some ideas. We have friends that do a party where everyone dresses up like dead people, but we don't do that."

One trend-watcher sees it this way: "Gore we can manage is very much on fad right now, as we feel the increasing need to become familiar with bad things -- bad things that don't get the best of us," says Marian Salzman, director of strategic content for the advertising agency JWT Worldwide. "I think it's also why we love our crime television. While the solutions are not as black-and-white as the days of 'Dragnet,' there is still a sense that good will beat evil in those shows."

Retailers say they first sensed an increased appetite for darker Halloween themes at trade shows last winter -- and stocked up their inventory as a result.

At the national Halloween Warehouse chain, there's been big interest in the "Gothic Manor" section, where customers can find capes, chokers with studs and costumes that include the "emperor of evil" and "dark vixen," a hooded black velvet dress.

These "slightly edgier themes" are particularly popular with teens and young adults, says Malinda Behrens, vice president of brand development for Party City, which runs the Halloween Warehouse chain.

A big seller at the Spirit Halloween Superstores is a life-sized, razor-fingered Freddy Krueger character, which utters well-known phrases from the still-popular 1984 film "Nightmare on Elm Street."

"Unfortunately, those words became part of everyday language, as opposed to entertainment," he says. His productions have included "Madison Scare Garden" in New York, which he closed after the 9/11 attacks.

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