Los Angeles  - From costumes of convicted swindler Bernie Madoff to masks of a vampirish Barack Obama, America is preparing its annual ghoulish take on reality for Halloween.

But not everyone is laughing at some of the costumes for the October 31 festival, which for years has seen the US confront - and mock - its own demons.

Immigrants' rights groups are incensed at one outfit that combines an orange prison jumpsuit, a bug-eyed space alien mask and a green card. For those who can't guess what the outfit portrays the answer is printed across the front of the jumpsuit: Illegal Alien. Ironically, carrying a "green card" work permit would make it a legal alien.

Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, demanded that department store chain Target remove the costume, which she called "distasteful, mean- spirited and ignorant of social stigmas and current debate on immigration reform."

Many Target customers gave the costume the lowest product rating possible on the store's website - 1 of 5 stars - and expressed their distaste in the "guest review" section.

"The costume is a sick sign of the times we are living in, in this country where those who are not 'people like us' might as well be from another planet and are considered less than human," one customer wrote on the website.

There are no objections to Bernie Madoff masks, which are proving popular even in Manhattan costume stores near the convicted con man's old haunts. However some think that the financial bogeyman is so reviled, even portraying him is risky.

"I was looking at it, but I feel if I wear it I might be attacked because a lot of people hate him right now," one customer at Ricky's Halloween store in Manhattan told local reporters.

The horrors of the recession are reflected elsewhere as newspapers and websites are filled with tips on how to skimp for Halloween.

Their advice seems to be working. According to the National Retail Federation, the average customer will spend 20.75 dollars per costume - a 14-per-cent drop from last year. Leading thrift store chain Goodwill reports a sales surge of 7 per cent.

One guy who seems popular all over the country is the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, who died in June of a drug overdose. His most famous role in his Thriller video makes him a natural for the annual scare-fest.

Jackson's documentary movie This Is It will be in cinemas, and fans are already snapping up Jackson wigs and jackets.

Past and present political figures are also selling well.

These include former presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton. But neither can come close to the popularity of the current president Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Also popular is Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and Republican candidate for vice president.

Parents of pre-teen girls increasingly feel a distinct sense of unease every time Halloween comes around, as many popular costumes for this age group seem inappropriately revealing. The phenomenon was duly noted in the 2004 Lindsay Lohan movie Mean Girls, when one of the characters says: "Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it."

Theresa Walsh Giarusso, who writes the Momania blog in Atlanta, Georgia, looked through costume ads and was truly horrified.

"The Batgirl costume also appeared to actually be a Hooker Batgirl costume," she complained, disapprovingly noting that the "sailor, devil, milk maid, pirate, Red Riding Hood and even Raggedy Ann all appeared to be working the streets with ridiculous short skirts and some revealing bust lines." (dpa)