Capture rare beasties during the ‘Pokémon Go’ Halloween event

Whether you’re still an active Pokémon Go hunter or you’ve scaled back in recent months, you might want to check in for Halloween.

The popular alternate reality mobile game from Ingress developer Niantic Labs will host a Halloween event starting Oct. 26. During the week-long activity — it ends on Nov. 1 — players can expect to earn bonus candy and find a greater number of certain Pokémon.

Trainers can expect to find spookier Pokémon in greater numbers during the event. Drowzee, Gastly, Gengar, Golbat, Haunter, Hypno and Zubat are all pegged for “increased global encounters.”

Yes, we all have roughly one million Zubats each, but the rest are pretty exciting, right?

Any Pokémon caught during the event — spooky or not — will also earn the capturing Trainer six candies, double the normal amount. Pokémon Go candy is necessary for either leveling up or evolving any creature you’ve captured.

The candy bonus extends to the payout players receive from their professor when they donate excess Pokémon to science. You’ll receive two candies (instead of one) for every Pokémon you give to a professor.

Buddy Pokémon rewards will also get a boost. Instead of receiving one, measly piece of candy when you walk your assigned Buddy for a kilometer, you’ll receive four.

Pokémon Go was a big deal when it launched in July, but interest has waned in recent months. The game got off to a strong start for giving Pokémon fans a way to live the dream of being a trainer, but the relatively simple and straightforward AR experience didn’t evolve (no pun intended) fast enough.

This Halloween event could reignite interest, if only for the candy bonuses. Pokémon Go is the biggest barrier to progression in the game, so increasing the amount that players receive could encourage them to get back into regular play.