Candy corns, jack-o'-lanterns and apple-bobbing contests may be sure signs that Fright Night is upon us. But nothings says Halloween like an awesome costume.

We asked Advertiser readers to share photos of their favorite Halloween getups — the cuter, creepier or more creative, the better — and the submissions poured in: kiddies and adults donning costumes of Medusa, a gun-slinging cowboy, an Egyptian queen and the Phantom of the Opera, to name a few.

From dozens of submissions, we chose four of our favorites and four honorable mentions. We hope these photos get you into the Halloween spirit. No tricks, our treat:

MOST CREATIVE (WE HAVE A TIE!)

We couldn't decide on which costume was better, so we chose both photos. You probably can see why ...

It's amazing what can be made out of some cardstock paper, toothpicks, paint and a little imagination.

This costumed Japanese warrior is Jordan Moore, then 10 years old, from Halloween three years ago. He and his siblings studied Japan during home schooling that year "and he was very interested in the samurai," said Jordan's mother, Robin Moore, of Wai'alae Iki.

"We looked at an archive print of a real samurai costume," Moore said.

After studying the image, Moore and her son spent about a week putting together the ensemble. They used a baseball cap for the base of the headgear and gold cardstock — leftovers from a teachers supply store — to re-create the traditional helmet.

For the armor, they used more gold cardstock and adorned it with dozens of toothpicks they attached with hot glue, and some red and black paint. All the pieces were connected with cable ties and sashes.

"It was very tedious," Moore said.

They finished off the look with a sword — also made out of gold cardstock — a silk shirt and black pants.

Jordan's costume this Halloween will likely require less-meticulous work: he's going as a 1930s mobster.

The poor scuba diver you see being devoured by a shark is 6-year-old Hunter Yee. But don't worry — despite Hunter's dramatic expression of anguish, he was just fine, his mother Jodie Yee said.

The photo was taken last Halloween, when the Yee family lived on Guam. Hunter's sister, Jessica, completed the Yees' underwater theme, dressed up as a pink jellyfish.

"They always wanted to be sea creatures," said Jodie Yee of Hawai'i Kai.

Yee, who took a sewing class in college, has been sewing her children's Halloween costumes since they were babies.

She sewed together Hunter's shark outfit using gray fabric, and she stuffed it to give the beast its shape. Yee finished the costume by coloring the shark's teeth bloody red and giving Hunter some scuba gear.

"Everyone who saw it couldn't stop laughing," Yee said.

This Halloween, Hunter, now 7, will likely stay away from costumes of vicious creatures. He's considering harmless characters, like a gingerbread man or Yoda.

BEST ADULT

Dozens of Kailua kiddies probably remember all too well this costumed creature who jumped out from the shadows of a "haunted front yard" to frighten unsuspecting trick-or-treaters last Halloween.

Under all that ghoulishness is Kailua artist Henrik Van Ryzin, 32. He donned his interpretation of Jacob Marley, one of the ghosts from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

"I love Halloween, and I really like to make my costumes every year," Van Ryzin said.

He spent about a month creating his elaborate costume, starting with a bicycle helmet as a base to build the ghost's massive head out of papier-mache and epoxy clay. His creepy hands are black gloves with copper piping, bent to create gnarly extended fingers, covered with more epoxy clay.

A black robe, pants and 100 feet of glow-in-the-dark chains "from a goat farm on the Mainland" completed the look, he said.

"I love it so much that I'm going to use it again this year," Van Ryzin said.

CUTEST KEIKI

It's probably safe to say this is the most deliciously adorable pineapple ever to be packed in a Dole cardboard crate.

Trinity Barretto, 15 months old, flashed a darling smile as she tried on her Halloween costume a couple weeks ago in front of her home at Helemano Military Reservation.

And the look is complete with her own pineapple patch behind her.

Trinity's mom, Marlene Barretto, spent about four hours sewing the ensemble. It's fashioned out of a bright gold sequin-type material wrapped around foam, which gives the shape of the fruit, and green felt attached to a headband to create the leafy crown.

"The inspiration came from a song by Na Leo Pilimehana, 'Pineapple Princess,' and because we live in an area surrounded by Dole Plantation," Barretto said.

Mom said little Trinity is eager to make her fruity debut tonight.

"She loves to model it," Barretto said.

HONORABLE MENTIONS