Halloween

The parents whose children got the crap scared out of them by Mississippi day care workers pushed hard for those adults to get hit with serious crimes, and it ultimately worked ... according to law enforcement.

Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook, who is spearheading the criminal investigation, tells TMZ ... 3 sets of parents ran to the County Courthouse to demand felony child abuse charges. They made it clear they thought the behavior was too egregious for misdemeanor charges.

As we reported ... 4 women are each facing 3 counts of felony child abuse over the video showing at least one worker terrifying kids from behind a scary mask.

Crook says child abuse was the only felony charge under state law that seemed to fit the allegations.

A fifth day care worker is facing 2 misdemeanor charges -- failure to report abuse and simple assault -- and the day care owner has reportedly fired all of the employees involved.

Crook says folks in the community alerted cops to the videos by forwarding links, and after viewing the footage ... he assigned an investigator to begin a criminal probe.

Celebrities often go all out when it comes to their Halloween costumes ... and a lot of them look smokin' hot in their garb, so we've gotta ask -- Who'd you rather?!

Cowgirls have always been a popular costume choice during the spooky season ... and Draya Michele & Kim Kardashian have been down this road before ... so which one's hogtied your heart?

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are 2 of the hottest rappers in the game ... not only for their bars, but for their Halloween outfits, too! So who caught your eye?

Before this Miami native made her way out west to Los Angeles to be a model and movie star, she was putting on her most beautiful blue dress and posing for pictures in Silver Lake, CA.

It wasn't "2 Fast 2 Furious" for this gorgeous gal to make her way back to Miami where she was in Will Smith's "Miami" music video. This cute kid had some hard training days to accomplish everything she has, and that includes playing alongside Denzel Washington in two big movies.

A few thriller movies she's starred in include "Ghost Rider," "Lost River" and "Urban Legends: Final Cut."

As Halloween approaches, normies are looking for thrills -- and so are celebs ... which is exactly why a good amount of 'em are hitting Universal Studios for the best scares in town.

As you might know, Halloween Horror Nights is underway at the L.A. theme park -- and with some of the freakiest haunted mazes within reach in Hollywood ... it's no surprise that some A-listers are pouring in for their fair share.

Among some of stars who've shown up so far ... Billie Eilish, Jordyn Woods and her BF, Karl-Anthony Towns. While you'd think they'd be screaming, they're actually all cheesin'!

Bebe Rexha also popped in for HHH, but her visit seems to have been a little more fright-filled ... 'cause it looks like she's losing her head here. That, or just hamming it up for the camera -- could go either way.

Actress Kiernan Shipka also splashed down at one point this season. She looked a little more even-keeled than Bebe did alongside a bunch of monsters -- but that might have to do with her work on the 'Sabrina' witch show on Netflix ... which is scary as hell.

There's also Shawn Mendes, who swung by to pose with the performers and flash his pearly whites. The guy didn't look to be too afraid or anything.

The attraction's got a rep for being as in-your-face as possible in terms of trying to scare you ... but these folks aren't allowed to make actual contact, close as they might get.

That directive is likely applied even more so when it comes to the rich and famous who might swing by during Halloween-time ... in other words, these fine folks are at no real risk of being too scared or accosted.

As for the rest of us ... well, a little more so.

American actor Joey Zimmerman was just 12 years old when he was first cast as Dylan Piper -- the sarcastic Piper child who hates Halloween despite his ability to perform witchcraft -- in the Halloween fantasy film "Halloweentown" back in 1998.

Joey shared the screen with Kimberly J. Brown as the witch in training who leaves the mortal world with her siblings, Marnie Piper and Emily Roeske as the youngest Piper sibling and mischief-maker, Sophie Piper.

Zimmerman was also in the sequels including "Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge," "Halloweentown High," and "Return To Halloweentown."

Considering being Jeffrey Dahmer for Halloween? Simone Biles says you better think twice about the costume ... telling people it's NOT okay to wear the 'fit.

"im just gon go head and say it," the Olympic gold medalist announced on Twitter on Tuesday, "put the jeffrey dahmer costumes back in the closet. we ain't having it!!!!!!"

The killer-themed getup has been a popular one this month ... in wake of the new Netflix show which shined a light on the murderer's life.

Wire-rimmed glasses, vintage shirts and blonde wigs are being sold all over ... but Biles is making it clear, she's fully against it all.

Dahmer murdered 17 young men -- and was accused of targeting marginalized communities to find his victims. Biles says all of that should spell out a no-go on the October costume idea.

The gymnast isn't the only one feeling that way ... Shirley Hughes, the mother of one of Dahmer's victims, told TMZ earlier this month the costumes are hurtful. She's advocated for online ads for Dahmer props to be taken down.

Halloween is right around the corner, and some die-hard fans are getting the chance to get their hands on some actual props from their favorite horror flicks.

Prop Store online auction house has a ton of gear -- from Freddy to Jason and more -- about to go up on the block, but the prices might scare the you-know-what outta you.

There's plenty of Jason Voorhees memorabilia to go around ... like the entire get-up worn in the 2003 "Freddy vs. Jason" flick. It features a coat, jumper, long-sleeved T-shirt, pair of trousers and a belt ... and even comes with an autographed undersuit. The 'fit is estimated to sell for $20 to $30K.

There's also Jason's infamous hockey mask worn in the 1989 flick "Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan." It's expected to fetch between $40K and $60K.

"The Omen" fans can relive the making of the 1976 film with this production-used clapperboard ... it's estimated to bring in between $6k and $8K.

Jeffrey Dahmer is all the rage this spooky season, and while full-blown costumes -- mimicking the serial killer and his crimes -- have been yanked offline, the homemade crowd still has an outlet.

Etsy, as it turns out, is hawking a ton of Dahmer-themed gear right now -- stuff from graphic tees to cutting boards and everything in between, it seems. The shirts, in particular, are distasteful ... especially because of the jokey messages blared across the fronts.

There are a few iterations of "Jeff Boyardee" tees that are cheap buys ... $8 to $20, more or less. Another leans in on the sadomasochism and invokes another serial murderer -- reading, "Choke me like Bundy and Eat me like Dahmer." Both of their faces are featured.

Dahmer shoes are also being sold, with a cartoon version of his face and a bunch of chopped meat all over the outside. The cutting board has Dahmer's name etched into the wood and a note that says, "If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em. - Jeffrey Dahmer."

The point here is ... Dahmer-fever's now reaching well beyond places like eBay ... which has removed a lot of similar items.

As we reported ... eBay says a lot of the JD-inspired costumes that were/are on their platform violate their terms and conditions, especially as it pertains to promoting violent content -- which obviously applies to Dahmer, who killed upwards of 17 boys and men.

You're definitely not gonna see Dahmer costumes in stores or anything, which might be why people are turning to places like eBay or Etsy -- but the fact is, a Dahmer outfit is not difficult to recreate whatsoever.

If people wanna dress up as Dahmer, they're probably gonna do it whether they can get it on the Internet or elsewhere -- this despite the outcry from the families of the slain.

Johnny Depp's post-trial high is rolling right into Halloween, and that means you should get ready for even more Captain Jack Sparrow costumes than usual while you're out partying.

There's a notable trend going on at the world's largest costume retailer -- honchos at Halloweencostumes.com tell us they're seeing a 90 percent sales spike in purchases related to Johnny's famous Disney character.

The retailer has a couple Jack Sparrow costumes -- a basic one for $85 to $95, and a higher quality one for $245 to $299 -- and we're told folks have already cleared out over 85% of the inventory.

The run on Jack Sparrow costumes is further evidence of Johnny's big comeback since his legal win over Amber Heard in court.

Since the defamation trial, Johnny's been swarmed by fans around the world during his music tour, appeared as MTV's Moonman and signed a lucrative deal to return as the face of Dior's Sauvage men's scent.

It's spooky season, which means it's time for some folks to check out the creepiest haunted houses around town. In honor of the holiday, we take a look at some infamous houses to ever hit the big screen.

The Dakota apartment building in NYC is best known as 'The Bramford' in the 1968 horror film "Rosemary's Baby," and it's got some pretty fascinating history. It was once home to celebs like Leonard Bernstein, Lauren Bacall -- and John Lennon, who was shot and killed at the front entrance.

California is notorious for some of these haunted houses ... like the iconic home of Michael Myers from the 1978 OG horror flick "Halloween," which is currently in South Pasadena, CA ...  and many others around L.A.

There's also a ton of creepy houses around the globe ... like The Oakley Court Hotel featured in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" horror flick.

American actor Matthew Lillard was 26 years old when he was cast as Stu Macher -- the outgoing and slightly strange student attending Woodsboro High School who loves a great party -- in the horror film "Scream" back in 1996.

Matt shared the big screen with Neve Campbell as the smart and sensible gal who successfully flees from the killer, Sidney Prescott, Courteney Cox as the lens hog newscaster determined to cover and solve the town's unknown killer, Gale Weathers and Drew Barrymore as the innocent girlfriend who is murdered while making some popcorn, Casey Becker.

Michael Myers was killin' it at the gym this week.

Sorry, had to.

Former pro pitcher Logan Chitwood gave meatheads a scare at the gym this week -- by dressing up as the "Halloween" villain and getting in a workout!!

The hilarious prank was caught on video ... showing the YouTube star working on his biceps and triceps while decked out in the slasher's navy jumpsuit, mask, wig, and boots.

Chitwood stayed in character the whole time -- you can even see him holding a fake knife while pullin' this off ... but he did struggle a bit when he tried to do a one-armed pull-up.

The prank got a mixed reaction from the folks at the gym ... with some laughing and recording while the serious gym rats stayed focused.

You know who thought it was hilarious, though?!? LeBron James ... saying on his IG, "That some 💩 I would do!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣"

In fact, the NBA superstar -- who seems to be a huge Michael Myers fan -- has a fake replica of the slasher at his mansion for Halloween decor and recently watched the new "Halloween Ends" movie.

"Halloween Ends was so GOOD!!!!" the 37-year-old said on Twitter, "@jamieleecurtis you're such a LEGEND & BADASS #MichaelMyers"

Online shoppers hoping to score some Jeffrey Dahmer-inspired gear for Halloween are now officially out of luck ... because eBay has pulled the plug on costume pieces paying homage to the serial killer.

A spokesperson for eBay tells TMZ ... the company has policies that prohibit listings glorifying hate, violence and criminal activities -- and the Dahmer sales clearly fit the bill.

The official policy, listed on their site, says there's no space for "items closely associated with or that benefit violent felons, their acts, or crime scenes within the past 100 years."

We're told eBay is constantly sweeping the site ... looking for similar listings that also violate policies.

As we reported, tons of costumes inspired by Dahmer were up for sale on the website as the Nexflix series gained popularity -- everything from his distinct glasses, a blonde wig and a shirt similar to one worn by Evan Peters on the show.

Halloween is right around the corner and these lit-up stars are looking amazeing at the pumpkin patch! While some celebs are hitting the hay with their family's, others are opting for a solo night out on the patch.

Stars like Snooki and Matthew Morrison headed to the pumpkin patch with their festive fams (talk about squash squad goals) ... while James Charles and Tamera Mowry put on a solo act with their plus-one-pumpkins.

Trick-or-treat yourself to our gallery of celebs who are lookin' fine snatching their pumpkins straight off the vine!

Jeffrey Dahmer costumes seem to be all the rage for this year's Halloween season, but people are up in arms over the tone-deaf outfit choice ... so we're taking a look at some of the most controversial costumes worn by celebs.

Chris Brown took the terrorist route for an outfit on Halloween ... complete with a beard and a turban.

Shaun White caught some flack when he once dressed up as Simple Jack from the film, "Tropic Thunder" ... a character mentally disabled in the flick.

Several celebs thought showin' up in blackface would be alright ... like Colton Haynes as Kanye or Canadian PM Justin Trudeau -- but none might've taken the controversial cake quite like Julianne Hough, who got a ton of backlash for portraying Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren from "OITNB."

Jeffrey Dahmer costumes might not be on the shelves at major stores this Halloween ... but that isn't stopping folks from hawking the killer costume online.

Tons of costume items inspired by the serial killer are up for sale on eBay, despite outrage from folks who say the costume, given Dahmer's history, is just downright disrespectful.

Folks on the site are selling everything from Jeffrey Dahmer-style glasses to a shirt similar to the one worn by actor Evan Peters in the new Netflix series. Some of the props for sale are made for children's costumes ... like a JD-inspired wig.

One kid already had social media up in arms after his rendition of the killer went viral, with folks suggesting anyone in Dahmer gear should be beaten up.

Halloween costume retailers Spirit, Halloween.com, and Party City all are not selling any official Jeffrey Dahmer costumes.

Dahmer killed 17 people and was convicted of 16 murders and sentenced to life in prison in 1992. He was beaten to death behind bars.