Ghouls, Ghosts, and Fun at Home

Spooky Stay-at-Home Halloween

It’s the end of autumn, leaves are changing and there’s a bite in the air. Halloween is here, and with it comes candy corn, jack-o’-lanterns, and spine-tingling tales.

Ghoulish costumes, fun-sized candies, and thrilling activities make this one holiday you’re sure to circle on the calendar. Plus, darker nights are your excuse to watch nightmare-inducing, monster-filled flicks.

Even if you choose to skip trick-or-treating this year, you can still have a spooktacular Halloween at home. And a chillingly memorable evening doesn’t have to be all Freddie Krueger or Michael Myers scares.

Here are some shockingly simple stay-at-home Halloween tips for a safe and memorable holiday.

Boo Are You?

Each Halloween we get to transform into someone—or something—else. From superhero to supernatural or pirate to princess, a favorite costume is the quickest way to find your holiday spirit. When we were kids, it was a trip to the superstore for the best plastic suit/mask combination—Casper the Friendly Ghost or Frankenstein.

Costumes have come a long way over the years—latex masks are as scary or realistic as you can imagine. A few good rules of thumb when picking your costume: choose a character people can easily recognize, and wear something you can still eat and drink in. It’s also a great idea, especially for the kiddos, for a costume to allow easy bathroom access.

Popular Halloween costumes for 2020:

• Black Panther
• Ruth Bader Ginsberg
• Mailman
• Ghostbuster
• Harley Quinn

Zombie Zoom Party

Chances are you won’t invite people over for a Halloween bash, but don’t let that frighten away all the fun. Shock them with your costume with a Zoom party. And up the scare with a haunted background. Visit Pexels for eerie, royalty-free images sure to creep out your friends.

Carve a Jack-o’-Lantern

Halloween isn’t complete without pumpkin carving. This fall custom has roots in Irish tradition—originally a part of Celtic harvest festivals, an illuminated gourd wards off evil spirits.

When searching for the perfect jack-o’-lantern, look for a firm, solid pumpkin without soft spots, cuts, or damaged areas. A good trick to make sure it’s ripe is to scratch it with your fingernail. If it cuts, you’ve got yourself a good one. And you’ll score extra points for a crazy-looking stem.

Shake things up this Halloween with your unfettered creativity—there’s more than one way to carve a pumpkin after all. Throw a face mask on your gourd, or turn it into your own haunted house (everyone knows we’ve spent plenty of time indoors this year!).

Here’s some dreadfully fun ideas for a hauntingly good time carving jack-o’-lanterns.

Scary Movies to Haunt Your Home

Horror movies and Halloween are a match only your mummy could dream up. From gore to psychological thrillers, there’s a scary movie for everyone. Some horror movies can be too much for some viewers, so we’ve devised two lists: one that’s family-friendly, the other for more bloodthirsty fans.

Family Scary Movies

• Frankenweenie
• Coraline
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Monster House
• Goosebumps

Grown Up Movies

• The Shining
• The Exorcist
• Get Out
• An American Werewolf in London
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Friday the 13^th
• Silence of the Lambs
• Pet Cemetery (or anything fraught from Stephen King’s mind)

Tricks and Treats in 2020

One of the thrills of Halloween is crawling the neighborhood to demand treats, unleash tricks, and load up on a year’s worth of candy.

Going door to door may not be the beast best idea this year. Instead of trick-or-treating, why not host a scavenger hunt? It’s a fun way for kids to social distance while still flashing their costumes and collecting goodies.

If you’re doling out candy, wear gloves and a mask or use tongs. And don’t let kids grab from the bowl. If you brave trick-or-treating your neighborhood, douse your candy Halloween haul with sanitizer before tearing in.

Build a Haunted Room

A lot of us enjoy the spine-chilling jumps and jolts of an adrenaline-fueled haunted house adventure. But if you have youngsters, the terror might be too much.

Instead, surprise your little monsters with a spooky room decorated just for them. Line the walls with fake cobwebs, skeletons, black lights, and other types of creepy crawlies. It might even be fun to have a “safe” horror movie playing in the background—Hocus Pocus, anyone?

A Safe and Scary Halloween

No matter how you celebrate All Hollow’s Eve this year, be safe and follow your community guidelines. If you’re out and about, wear reflective clothing and your mask.

What are your hair-raising tips for a horrifyingly great stay-at-home Halloween? Share in the comment section.