The PopCult Toybox

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Mammoth Chomping Spider

Halloween is less than two months away, and ShockaCon, Charleston’s unoffical start of Halloween season, happens in just over two weeks, so the time is right to tell you about some very scary, very expensive Halloween costumes you can mortage your house to buy this year.

Gearing up for what analysts expect to be the biggest Halloween since 2009, BuyCostumes.com, a leading online retailer of costumes, accessories, party decor and supplies, has launched The Nightmare Collection, 14 hand-crafted masks and costumes created exclusively for BuyCostumes.com by master sculptor Mario Chiodo.

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Ancient Warrior Princess

Chiodo is a well-respected master sculptor and designerm who, oddly enough, is no relation to the legendary Chiodo Brothers, who were responsible for Killer Klowns From Outer Space. Since establishing his namesake studio, Chiodo Art Development, in 1997, Chiodo has created artwork, wearables, decor and collectibles for Google headquarters, Las Vegas casinos, museums, restaurants, hotels, a children’s theme park and several major film studios.In the 1990s, he was hired by Lucasfilm to refurbish and design new aliens for the Star Wars franchise.

The Nightmare Collection features one-of-a-kind, acutely detailed, movie-quality costumes. Sculpted from natural rubber latex and other high-quality materials, each character is individually painted by hand, resulting in unique pieces of functional, wearable art.

Steampunk Frankenstein

Steampunk Frankenstein

These are not cheap Halloween costumes. The dragon outfits run nearly six-hundred dollars, but they feature top-rate sculpting and are made to last, so you don’t have to put them away after Halloween. You can wear them to church, parent-teacher conferences or just to hit the drive-through at Taco Bell.

Many of the masks are oversized, giving the wearer added height and girth for maximum impact, including the Snarling Werewolf which measures approx. 32″ high and 28″ wide (mask only). They are also crafted with unique features such as, in the case of the werewolf, dreadlocks, glistening teeth and spiraled horns.

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Smolder the Black Dragon

Several of the masks, including each of the three dragons and the Mammoth Chomping Spider, feature moving parts that seen to transform their wearers into the monstrous creatures. The more elaborate costumes are certainly striking. It’s a sure bet that your friends will have hard time guessing who you really are.

“The Nightmare Collection will unleash the wearer’s inner confidence and impress all bystanders at any party or event,” said Bob Humphrey, chief merchant for BuySeasons, Inc., parent company to BuyCostumes.com. “These masks and costumes are a real fright and will ensure thrill seekers rule the night and get the reaction they crave.”

Schnoz Goblin

Schnoz Goblin

For The Nightmare Collection, BuyCostumes.com teamed up with world-famous sculptor Mario Chiodo. After an absence of 10 years from designing Halloween gear, Chiodo’s partnership with BuyCostumes.com marks his much-anticipated return to the Halloween scene with The Nightmare Collection. Forged from Chiodo’s vivid imagination – plus thousands of hours of research, development and design – the creatures, dragons and warriors in this one-of-a-kind collection are one of the crowning achievements of Chiodo’s illustrious mask-making career and a tribute to the master sculptor’s earliest artistic dreams.

Mystical Sorceress

Mystical Sorceress

“When I was a young artist, nothing piqued my interest as much as the fantasy, illusion and horror of Halloween,” said Chiodo. “All of the characters of The Nightmare Collection were designed and hand-crafted with the discerning Halloween enthusiast in mind, and bring the creatures from my imagination to life.”

The collection features 14 creatures, including:

Snarling Werewolf
Steampunk Frankenstein
Amphibious Alien
Demon Knight
Mammoth Chomping Spider
Smolder the Black Dragon
Cinder the White Dragon
Ember the Red Dragon
Primal Beast
Post-Apocalyptic Warrior
Ancient Warrior Princess
Mystical Sorceress
Grim Jester
Schnoz Goblin

All masks can be purchased on BuyCostumes.com with prices varying from $159.99 to $599.99. If you’ve got deep enough pockets, this is a sure way to stand out this Halloween season.