Costumes, candy and classics

Salem, Massachusetts — the site of the 1692 Witch Trials — no longer hunts, punishes, tortures and kills suspected witches, it celebrates them. Today, 331 years later, "witches" are everywhere — goth girls and boys in their black finery, folks switching out their beanies for pointy hats and little girls in witch costumes. Shops offering oracle readings, magical baubles, books and spooky souvenirs line Essex St. and beyond.

The Witch City Mall cinema features classics of the season, but then again, it seems everyday is Halloween in Salem. And as we approach the weekend before Halloween, when villages and establishments in Manila set up their trick or treating and costume parties, there's always an option for movie night to wind things down at home.