Zombies of China, consider yourselves warned.
The holiday isn't incredibly popular there, but as the tradition is garnering interest, transport police in the southern city of Guangzhou are asking people dressed for the holiday to stay off of public transit for fear other passengers may panic.
The BBC reports:
"Passengers' strange behaviour may make some feel uneasy, cause onlookers to panic and could easily lead to security risks," the force says in a statement posted on its Sina Weibo microblog account. "Therefore the subway does not encourage such acts."
Police are requesting citizens to report people they see in costume on the trains.
For some people in China, Halloween traditions are baffling, and it is considered a strange decision to dress up for the holiday.
However, others fear the added security measures far more than they fear costumed revelers, noting anxiety about ramped up efforts to guard against those wearing ghoulish costumes.
Some Chinese retailers are reporting a rise in costume orders as Halloween increases in popularity in the world's most populous country, China Daily reports.
"[T]oday, Halloween is celebrated by people of all ages, and is generally seen as a good excuse for a fancy-dress party, having fun scaring friends and neighbors, even visiting haunted attractions —and it has become increasingly big business in China," the newspaper reported.
Last year in Bejing, officials announced that people riding in costume could face arrest as the holiday coincided with a major summit in the city, BBC reports.
In other parts of the world, officials are also encouraging people to exercise discretion in selecting Halloween costumes. In France, a tweet posted by the Police Nationale 06 suggested costumes that looked threatening were not ideal options for Halloween.
