Halloween is supposed to be the one night of the year that makes your heart race, not from a sugar rush, but from pure terror. However, in recent years, it has become more of a costume convention, with candy on the side. The scariest thing most people face nowadays is running out of candy before the next trick-or-treater arrives. Where are the ghostly goosebumps? Where is the sinister silence that keeps you looking back? At some point, the eeriness that made Halloween so unique began to fade, replaced by inflatable pumpkins and costumes that belong at a party rather than a chilling night.
Halloween wasn’t always so bland. The holiday traces back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people believed spirits could cross into the human world. To protect themselves, they dressed in disguises to conceal their identities and confuse the wandering ghosts that came their way. When Christianity spread, these traditions merged into All Hallows’ Eve, which later evolved into Halloween. Still, it was rooted in the traditions of spirits and the supernatural. People would carve scary faces into turnips or other vegetables to ward off evil spirits, which were the original jack-o-lanterns. It was mysterious, dark and thrilling, nothing like it is today with our glitter and unicorn costumes. Back then, Halloween wasn’t just a night to get free candy; it was a night when you felt the line between the living and the dead blur.
I still remember when I was young, and out of all the basic suburban homes in my neighborhood, there was one house that went all out, turning their home into a waking nightmare. There was a misty fog creeping across the front lawn, while horrifying animatronics screeched as soon as you stepped in their direction. The porch light flickered, enveloping the space in darkness ever so often. I remember hesitating on the sidewalk, debating whether a piece of candy to add to my already overflowing bag was worth the risk of being jumpscared by the monster blocking the door.
When I finally entered after my friends, my heart was pounding so hard I could feel it echoing throughout my body. But once we began laughing from fear, or maybe relief, that porch became the best place to go every year. I won’t lie, that house terrified me, but it is one of my favorite Halloween memories. That rush of fear mixed with laughter with my friends is what made the night memorable, and that is exactly what’s missing now. Halloween didn’t need a handwritten letter in a pink envelope to be unforgettable; the fear wrote itself into our memories.
Fear is actually fun, and this is coming from someone who hated horror movies their whole life until they finally watched one on an October night. It makes us feel more alive by releasing adrenaline, creating excitement and bringing people together. We crave that feeling, as shown through the popularity of thriller rides and horror movies. Data from Statista analyzing the box office revenues of each movie genre reveals that horror and thriller have the fifth-highest popularity, accounting for more than 10% of total box office revenue. Halloween allows us to experience that thrill without actually being in grave danger or traumatized, as it gives us the illusion of risk while keeping us from sinking into peril. That’s why haunted houses, escape rooms and horror movies are so popular: we all scream and bond through the fear. When everything becomes too boring or safe, we lose the only thing that makes the holiday stand out from every other day of the year.
Of course, not everyone wants to be scared, and that’s OK. Younger kids might prefer visiting adorable little pumpkin patches over a haunted house filled with deadly vampires, and parents want to keep everything safe for their children.
But Halloween doesn’t have to be terrifying to everyone; it can be both fun and frightening. Little kids can stay in their superhero costumes, enjoying candy, while older teens and adults bring back the spooky atmosphere through clever scares and eerie decorations. Halloween should have some light and easy layers, others dark and thrilling. We shouldn’t erase the scary part entirely just because not everyone can experience it.
If we want Halloween to be memorable again, we must revive the scare factor. Bring back the fog machines and ghost stories. Creative but petrifying costumes. Bloody demons or eerie dolls with glassy eyes. Bring back everything that made Halloween feel like Halloween. Try watching a horror movie marathon with friends, and decorate your house with more than just plastic pumpkins. Experience the thrill of wondering what is lurking around the next corner. This October, don’t just hand out candy or simply pose for photos, contribute to creating a night that people will actually remember. Without the fear, Halloween is just another basic holiday, designed to treat but never trick, which might be the scariest thing of them all.
