Halloween is only a week away. Our social media feeds are already filled with friends in costumes at early celebrations, and campus is decorated with pumpkins and hay. To quote the character of Marnie from Halloweentown, which one editor claimed as their favorite fall film, “Halloween is cool.” At The Outlook, we honored the spooky season by discussing all the best that Halloween has to offer.
Dressing up in Halloween costumes is fun, but it can also be difficult to think of an outfit that is unique. Looking back on his favorite costume selection, one editor said, “My favorite costume was Heisenberg from Breaking Bad. I shaved my beard and had a goatee, wore a bald cap, and found a hazmat suit. I had a blast with that one.”
Some of the best costume moments happen when we are young. “My all-time favorite costume was when I was Lizzie McGuire. I was in the second grade and had the whole cartoon Lizzie get-up down to the face mask,” another editor said.
Movies are also a crucial part of the Halloween experience. A couple creepy flicks can help put you in the holiday spirit. One editor said, “I love horror films. Recent strides in the genre include Don’t Breathe, The Conjuring 2, and this year’s Unsane. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, check out Suspiria. It’s perfect for Halloween and the remake is coming out this month.”
Horror movies are not a favorite for everyone. If you’re looking for a movie that will not put you on the edge of your seat, one editor recommended, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a classic.”
Halloween’s fun is also rooted in the tradition of trick-or-treating. According to an Oct. 10 report from USA Today, some cities are outlawing trick-or-treating for children who are thirteen years of age or older. In some places, teens could be fined or even jailed.
As long as teens are not causing any trouble, many editors agreed that there should not be any laws prohibiting people from getting their Halloween candy. “It seems trick-or-treating is a forgotten tradition. With less and less costumed kids out each year, I applaud those who uphold the tradition of going door-to-door on the hunt for delicious treats,” one editor said.
Another editor noted, “I think it’s a little silly, there are a ton of other issues that need to be focused on, and policing something like trick-or-treating seems like a waste of time. There are a lot more destructive things teenagers could be doing at night instead of trick-or-treating and it seems like the towns would then be incentivizing more negative ways of spending time.”
In college, it may be harder to find Halloween activities, since we are far past the average trick-or-treating age. However, there are still plenty of scary sights to enjoy. “My favorite Halloween activity is a haunted house. In Passaic, about forty minutes north, there’s Brighton Asylum and it is terrifying,” one editor said.
There are many other activities close by. In fact, you do not even need to leave campus to have fun. “Some ideas are Fright Fest, hayrides, and the Student Activities Board (SAB) haunted house on-campus,” another editor recommended.
There are also options that celebrate the entire fall season. One editor said, “I love to go to the Delicious Orchards farm-store in Colts Neck or the Welmroch Farms store in Freehold for apple cider and pumpkin treats.”
Even if Halloween is not the same as it was in elementary school, it can still be fun in college. There is plenty to do to celebrate the holiday, and you are never too old to come up with a creative costume. Embrace the season whatever way suits your best, whether that’s through a night of horror films or a day of pumpkin picking. Stay spooky, Monmouth.