- Becky Ebenkamp

Interstate Bakeries' Hostess brand is supporting the Oct. 21 DVD and Blu-ray release of Universal Studios' The Incredible Hulk with a million-dollar Halloween sweepstakes for households that hand out Twinkies and other cake snacks to trick-or-treaters.

Who would want to give away premium treats like Twinkies or cupcakes on Halloween during a recession? According to David Leavitt, vp of snack marketing at Interstate Bakeries, a lot of people. "I gave 'em out last year, and kids would just scream! After they got all those miniature candy bars, I became the cool house," Leavitt said.

Hoping that consumers really do want to try something different, Interstate Bakeries will kick off the Hostess Hulk Out Halloween Chance for a Million Dollars Sweepstakes on Sept. 29, running through Oct 26. The sweepstakes must be entered online.

On the eve of Halloween, Hostess Hulk reps will knock on the doors of 10 potential prize winners randomly selected from the online entries. The lucky few will have 90 seconds to answer the rep's rap or ring and they must respond with Hostess Twinkies, Cupcakes, limited-edition Hulk cakes or an index card stating “Hulk Out Halloween With Hostess.” The player must then win a card matching game to collect the $1 million (grand prize) or a prize pack that includes an Xbox 360 and a Sharp Aquos Blu-ray player.

In addition to Halloween sweepstakes, Interstate will promote the sweeps on 4 million packages of snacks and product displays in mass and grocery stores.