As you gear up for this year’s Halloween celebrations, there are probably a number of questions running through your mind: What am I going to wear? What decorations am I going to put up? What kind of candy am I going to buy? And how much am I going to spend?

According to the Nationald Retail Federation 2005 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, consumers are expected to spend $3.29 billion on Halloween supplies this year.

On www.everythinghalloween.com, the top predicted costumes for this Halloween are pirates, Star Wars: Episode III, Superman Returns, Disney Princesses, Batman, Harry Potter, Tom Arma, “Justice League Superheroes,” “Power Rangers Space Patrol Delta” and Renaissance Faire.

According to www.halloweenassociation.com, the Top 10 most popular costumes for 2006 are Supergirl, Frank the Dog, Elvira, Skull Fountain, Captain Jack Sparrow, Ariel the Little Mermaid, Tom Arma Monkey Signature Collection, Ball and Chain couples costume, pineapple sunglasses and Superman Returns.

Halloweenassociation.com is a one-stop site for costume ideas and decoration tips for those with tight budgets, or those who wait until the last minute. Also, you can find links to other Web sites that include recipes, safety tips, Halloween books and even local haunted houses.

What about those of you who just want to sit at home on Halloween night and curl up in front of a good old scary movie? There are dozens to choose from! But which ones are the tried and true classics that have had audiences screaming with fright for years? October always produces a few good horror flicks, and this year is no different. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning debuted at No. 2 this weekend on the box office after opening this past Friday. Saw III will bring the return of Jigsaw and friends on Oct. 27. And the all-time Halloween classic, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is being re-released this year in 3D. It will hit select theatres on Oct. 20.

Of course, you can always rent the usual Halloween favorites. The Boston Globe compiled a list of the top 50 scariest movies of our time, with The Thing coming in at the top spot, and Arachnophobia finishing the list. These are all movies that you’ll probably have trouble finding at the video rental store the closer it gets to Oct. 31.

Another fun way to spend Halloween is to hit up the local haunted houses. You could just hang around campus. Stories of ghosts in the Fine Arts Building, Browning Hall and, more well-known, Clement Hall, abound. And on Halloween night, you just might be able to catch a glimpse of one of these famous residents that call UTM home.

According to www.theshadowlands.com, the old Dyersburg Middle School gym was haunted by the ghosts of two teachers who were having an affair and was shot by the wife of one of the teachers. In Chapel Hill Cemetery in McKenzie, strange lights have been reported as “dancing” above the graves. Hope Hill Cemetery in Medina is perhaps better known as the Dollhouse Cemetery. A little girl who was killed is buried there, with a dollhouse placed over her grave. However, due to past problems, the cemetery closes at dark, and the caretaker lives at the end of the street. At the Dumpling Hill Cemetery in Paris, the ghost of a slave who was hanged is said to chase away visitors. And there are a number of haunted areas in Memphis as well.

So with Halloween quickly approaching, it’s time to get your costume ready, dust off your broomsticks and pointy hats, and stock up on the candy. This year’s celebration promises to be more ‘spook-tacular’ than any other.