Halloween Guide

Freelance reporter Web Behrens as a demon. Juliet White, the makeup artist for the Chicago cast of "The Lion King," created the ghoulish look for Behrens for Halloween 2003.

Conventiongoers dress in costume Oct 10, 2015, to attend the New York Comic Con at the Jacob Javits Center.

Students at a Halloween party in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Oct. 31, 2013.

A wonderful cidery tang permeates this soft, mellow caramel made in house at Amy's Candy Bar. Each sweet has a surprisingly long finish. 85 cents each; $9.50 for 12. 4704 N. Damen Ave., 773-942-6386, www.amyscandybar.com

Colorfully splashed with dabs of red and gold, these sensual milk chocolate turtles from Veruca Chocolates offer a deep caramel-pumpkin flavor and are nicely spiked with roasted, salted pumpkin seeds for a crunch. $11 for 4 turtles; $24 for 9. 2409 N. Western Ave., 773-998-2462; pop-up store open Friday through Sunday at 1009 W. Armitage Ave., 773-998-2462, www.verucachocolates.com

Monstrously fun, these Frankstein pops from West Town Bakery are realistic right down to the scarred flat top and neck bolts. They're made from white chocolate and available in vivid red, gold, purple and green. $2 for two. 1916 W. Chicago Ave., 773-904-1414; 15 E. Ohio St., 312-894-0935, www.westtownbakery.com

People dress in costume for the Halloween Carnaval last year in West Hollywood, Calif.

A man dressed as a zombie in Caracas, Venezuela, on Oct. 29, 2011. About 300 fans of zombies marched that night.

Each dark chocolate skull is a bite-size work of colorful art by Heather Johnston of Veruca Chocolates. Inside is a devilish caramel ganache seasoned with chili pepper and cinnamon. $14 for six skulls. 2409 N. Western Ave., 773-998-2462; pop-up store open Fridays through Sundays, 1009 W. Armitage Ave., www.verucachocolates.com

A woman wearing a Halloween costume in the Sinchon district of Seoul on Oct. 31, 2015.

Makeup teacher Carla McKeever prepares for a zombie event at Australasian College Broadway on Oct. 31, 2014, in Sydney, Australia.

Heather Johnston of Veruca Chocolates christened these out-of-this-world chocolate pops after the nickname used for a secretive U.S. military base in Nevada where aliens were rumored to have been held. Each alien face is made from dark chocolate blended with Rice Krispies; a milk chocolate version will be introduced shortly. $1.50 each. 2409 N. Western Ave., 773-998-2462; pop-up store open Fridays through Sundays, 1009 W. Armitage Ave., www.verucachocolates.com

These pops from Belgian Chocolatier Piron come in an intensely rich milk chocolate or dark chocolate, with a decorative jack-o-lantern visage in front. The ample portion is easily shared — but we won't blame you if you keep it to yourself. $5 each. 509-A Main St., Evanston, 847-864-5504, www.belgchocpiron.com

Another parade participant dressed for Halloween in Hong Kong on Oct. 30, 2010.

Dark rum, pumpkin and spices spike the white chocolate ganache of this truffle from Katherine Anne Confections, which is hand-dipped in milk chocolate and garnished with graham cracker streusel. The rum and spice dominate; keeping sweetness in check. $2.75 each. 2745 W. Armitage Ave., 773-245-1630, www.katherine-anne.com

Belgian Chocolatier Piron also celebrates the season with rich chocolate ganache inside a chocolate shell brushed in autumnal hues. Red and orange are dark chocolate, red and yellow milk chocolate. $1.80 each; $8.50 for 4; $16.55 for 9. 509-A Main St., Evanston, 847-864-5504, www.belgchocpiron.com

A woman dressed for Halloween attends a charity parade in Hong Kong on Oct. 30, 2010. The annual parade raised money for cancer charities in the southern Chinese territory.

This three-bar assortment from Veruca includes dark chocolate (tinted gold) seasoned with sea salt; milk chocolate mixed with Pop Rocks-like candy; and roasted white chocolate with cacao nibs for crunch and lots of sea salt for spark. Each bar is eye-catching, not only for its web shape but for the spider sitting in high-relief as if waiting for prey. $4.50 each; $12 for 3-bar box. 2409 N. Western Ave., 773-998-2462; pop-up store open Fridays through Sundays, 1009 W. Armitage Ave., 773-998-2462, www.verucachocolates.com

At Katherine Anne Confections, celebrating its 10th anniversary this month, chocolate gets a warm flavor from apples (Senshu from Michigan cooked with brown butter and cinnamon) and a slight crunch from chopped cacao nibs. $2.75 each. 2745 W. Armitage Ave., 773-245-1630, www.katherine-anne.com

People wearing costumes and makeup pose on a street in the Sinchon district of Seoul last Halloween.

Students dressed as zombies participate in an annual Halloween party in central Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on October 31, 2013.

Among the caramel apple coating options at Amy's Candy Bar are chopped Heath bar, mini-M&M's or chopped peanuts. The caramel is warmly flavored, a terrific foil to the crisp juiciness of the apple underneath. The nuts and M&M's add nice texture, too. $6 each (plain caramel $5). 4704 N. Damen Ave., 773-942-6386, www.amyscandybar.com

Another conventiongoer at the 2015 New York Comic Con.

Model Heidi Klum arrives at her annual Halloween party in 2005 at the Happy Valley nightclub in New York City.

West Town Bakery is also doing up chocolates in fun shapes and colors, from a purple mummy swathed in bandages to the word "Boo" in red. Nice chocolate, not overly sweet. $5 for a six-piece box. 1916 W Chicago Ave., 773-904-1414; 15 E. Ohio St., 312-894-0935, www.westtownbakery.com

This visual showstopper features white chocolate bones inside a dark chocolate coffin (dyed orange and red, respectively, in this version). Smooth, clean chocolate flavor — and the "bones" are small enough that even the most disciplined diner won't feel guilty snagging one. Both the coffin lid and the bones are discreetly "glued" into place with little dabs of chocolate. $10. West Town Bakery, 1916 W. Chicago Ave., 773-904-1414; 15 E. Ohio St. (inside the Acme Hotel), 312-894-0935, www.westtownbakery.com

A man gets ready for Halloween in Bogota, Colombia, on Oct. 31, 2014. Every year, more and more people in Colombia are taking part in Halloween celebrations.

A man celebrates Halloween in Bogota, Colombia, on Oct. 31, 2014.