Let’s face it. Dressing up for Halloween, whilst fun and allowing an opportunity to engage in a little cosplay, can be costly, time-consuming, and overrated.
Spend one hundred dollars on a costume after you’ve spent three weeks trying to figure out what that costume would be, and by the time the Halloween parties roll around, you’re not even sure if it’s all worth it.
We’re here to say: it is. But if you haven’t been able to invest the time or money into dressing up for Halloween, or if you simply haven’t heard of a party that would be worth it, we’ve got five alternative ways you can spend your Halloween.
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Throw a pumpkin-carving party. Begin with the most obvious. Order a truckload of small pumpkins, purchase all the basic tools you’ll need to carve a pumpkin from a dollar store, and invest in some Halloween decorations to set the mood and host a pumpkin-carving party, costumes optional. Trust us, it’ll provide an outlet and something to do for more people than you can imagine who are costume-less but still wanting to throw down for Halloween. Feeling extra spunky? Add a bobbing-for-apples component, allowing winners to both embarass themselves and feel like they're five.
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Host a scary movie screening. Send out a scary movie scorecard to your friends with all of the most popular (and unpopular) scary movies, and screen the ones with the most votes. Go one step further and design a theme around the experience, showing only 90s flicks, vampire genre films or the entire Halloween franchise. Prep spooky-themed snacks and drinks to keep guests satisfied.
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Go see The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Don’t feel like hosting a movie screening but still think the best part of Halloween are the spooky films associated with it? There’s a 99% chance that your local movie theater is showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show, so make your way there for the cult classic. You’ll be hard-pressed to not find a theater-full of similar souls who would prefer to celebrate Halloween without really getting involved but indulging in one of the most esteemed seasonal films.
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Welcome trick-or-treaters. Living in dorms, or just off-campus, means the likelihood of receiving trick-or-treaters at night is slim. Still feeling like dishing out candy and welcoming those who go door to door for candy? Head back to mom and dad's if they're close enough. Too far from home? Do something philanthropic. Contact local organizations and nonprofits that hosts trick-or-treaters and need volunteers to pass out candy or manage Halloween activities to get in on the fun.
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Visit a haunted house. The last time you visited a haunted house was in high school, or more likely, elementary school. That doesn't mean it's only for the youth. Spend the Halloween weekend waiting in line to visit the nearby haunted houses available for viewing. You may have written this off now as a young adult, but zombies coming out of the woodwork when you least expect it or Jason’s with axes tapping you on the shoulder are guaranteed to still freak you out and deliver a heart-pounding thrill.
