Here's a way to frighten the neighbors on Halloween: wear a mask looking like convicted multi-billion-dollar swindler Bernard Madoff, a vampire-president "Barakula," or the late Michael Jackson。

　　Rubber masks of the trio are among the most popular purchases by Americans eager to shake off the economic doldrums and go trick-or-treating on October 31, costume sellers say。

　　While this ancient Celtic pagan rite, originally held to celebrate the dead and the end of the harvest season, is primarily a children's event, it also gives adults an excuse to dress up like their favorite ghoul and behave like kids。

　　Halloween is "a recession antidote," said Jim Moore, marketing director of Costumesupercenter.com, a website specializing in costume sales。

　　"It's a day of escapism -- you can still dress up, be someone else and have fun for 50 dollars or less," said Diane Lake, co-owner of the Economy Party Supplies and Costumes in the suburbs of the US capital。

　　Topical politically inspired masks are often hot items, as are the latest pop-culture inspired procession of zombies and vampires。

　　This year items related to the "King of Pop," Jackson, who died in June, are top sellers. Jackson loved Halloween, and revolutionized music videos with his 1983 clip "Thriller," in which corpses rise from their graves and dance to a catchy tune。

　　Copies of the red leather jacket Jackson wore in the "Thriller" video sell well, and compete with replicas of the studded black outfit Jackson wore on the cover of his 1987 album "Bad."

　　Brad Butler, CEO of Halloween Express, said his company received a late hot seller: "Barakula," a ghoulish version of President Barack Obama's face with bugged-out eyes, Vulcan-style ears and knife-sharp fangs。

　　"It's a mask that came late, but is going to over-sell all the others," Butler predicted. He said buyers snapped up his stock of 3,000 masks, and he has put in a rush order for another 6,000.

　　"It's the first time I see a presidential mask that takes it to the next level," Butler said, adding that they are more popular than the Bill Clinton masks from the 1990s。

　　Other political rubber masks include Obama's wife Michelle, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former Hollywood action star and California Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger。

　　想在万圣节那天吓吓邻居？给你支上一招——戴上面具扮成数百亿美元巨骗伯纳德•麦道夫、“吸血鬼总统”奥巴马或者已故“流行天王”迈克尔•杰克逊。

　　据万圣节服饰销售商介绍，上述三人的橡胶面具最受美国民众欢迎。随着10月31日万圣节的到来，深受经济危机困扰的人们迫不及待地想要放松一下，在万圣夜耍耍“不给糖果就捣乱”的小把戏。

　　尽管这一古老的凯尔特异教徒的习俗起初是孩子们嬉闹的节日，但现在它让成年人们也多了个玩乐的理由，在这一天扮成自己喜爱的鬼怪形象，像孩子一样闹一闹。万圣节最初是一个祭奠逝者和庆祝丰收季结束的节日。

　　万圣节服饰销售网站Costumesupercenter.com的市场总监吉姆•摩尔称，万圣节是“摆脱经济危机的良药”。

　　位于美国首都郊区的经济派对用品及服饰公司的所有者之一黛安•莱克说：“这一天人们可以逃避现实，可以乔装打扮，扮成别人，花上50美元甚至更少找点乐子。”

　　政坛热门人物的面具总是十分畅销，最近流行文化中出现的“僵尸”和吸血鬼的系列面具销路也不错。

　　今年，与“流行天王”迈克尔·杰克逊有关的面具最为畅销。杰克逊于今年六月份去世，他生前最喜爱万圣节。在他1983年的作品《颤栗》的MV中，僵尸们从坟堆中爬出来，并随着动感的音乐起舞。杰克逊的这一作品是对音乐电视的一次革命。

　　杰克逊在《颤栗》MV中所穿的红色皮夹克仿品销量很好，堪比杰克逊在1987年的专辑《真棒》封面上所穿的那套布满饰钉的黑色礼服。

　　“万圣速递”公司的首席执行官布拉德•巴特勒称，他们公司最近上了个“迟到的”热销品：“鬼怪奥巴马”面具。面具上的奥巴马双眼暴突，长着火神耳，尖牙像刀一样锋利。

　　巴特勒预测称：“这个面具上市较晚，但其销量将超过其他产品。”据他介绍，库存的三千个面具已被抢购一空，他赶紧又加订了六千个。

　　巴特勒说：“这还是我第一次看到总统面具要加订单。”他称，奥巴马的面具比上世纪90年代比尔•克林顿总统的面具还要畅销。

　　其它政坛人物面具包括奥巴马夫人米歇尔、国务卿希拉里•克林顿、前好莱坞动作影星及现任加州州长阿诺德• 施瓦辛格。

　　Vocabulary:

　　swindler：a person who swindles you by means of deception or fraud(骗子)

　　vampire：a preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night(吸血鬼)

　　trio：any group of three persons or things(三人，三重奏)

　　pagan：pertaining to the worship or worshipers of any religion that is neither Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim(异教的)

　　ghoul：an evil demon, originally of Oriental legend, supposed to feed on human beings, and especially to rob graves, prey on corpses, etc(盗尸者，食尸鬼)

　　escapism：the avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind in entertainment or in an imaginative situation, activity, etc(逃避现实，逃避主义，解脱)

　　topical：pertaining to or dealing with matters of current or local interest(热门话题的，有关时事的)

　　catchy：pleasing and easily remembered(悦耳易记的)

　　Vulcan：罗马神话中的火神伏尔坎

　　snap up：to buy up something(抢购)