See the ‘Saturday Night Live’ take on N.J.’s Spirit Halloween

Reanimated corpses are always a part of Halloween when a certain New Jersey-based seasonal retail chain comes a-haunting.

Because as we all know, Spirit Halloween sets up shop every year in the husks of big-box stores and other dearly departed businesses.

And, as a bit that aired in the season 50 premiere of “Saturday Night Live” notes, given the state of brick-and-mortar shopping, there are plenty of empty stores to inhabit across the country.

“When others leave, we show up,” Spirit Halloween community liaison Lauren Ashman, played by Heidi Gardner, says in the “SNL” bit (see video below). “We don’t see a dead-end town.”

“We don’t see an abandoned Kmart,” says another employee played by Michael Longfellow in the “SNL” sketch.

“We see a Spirit,” says Chloe Fineman, another Spirit staffer. “A Spirit Halloween.”

“Thanks to us, what used to be a condemned Auto Zone where a murder happened is once again a thriving business … where a murder happened,” Longfellow says.

Spirit Halloween has its flagship location in Egg Harbor Township, home to its corporate headquarters.

The chain, owned by Spencer Gifts, aka Spencer’s, since 1999, opened its first store in Castro Valley, California in 1983.

MORE: See ‘SNL’ premiere with Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris, Andy Samberg as N.J.’s Doug Emhoff

Fineman goes on to expound upon the Halloween retailer’s offerings: “Wigs that give you a rash,” “single-use fog machines” and “costumes of famous characters tweaked just enough to avoid a lawsuit.” (Provided examples are “fat yellow worker” for the Minions, “candy slave” for Oompa Loompas and “blonde singing woman” for Taylor Swift.)

Ashman explains that Spirit Halloween also provides a crucial service by “creating six-week jobs for some of America’s hardest-hit perverts.”

Mikey Day plays a Spirit cashier who has to check the age of the person he’s ringing up (who wants to buy a “sexy nurse” costume).

Finding she’s under 18, he tells her he’s not legally allowed to help her.

Thank you for reading. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup.