Yesterday marked another day of tricking and treating with the annual celebration of Halloween. The rain held off long enough for local children to go door-to-door in search of candy. Many houses surrounding the campus area were decorated with inflatable pumpkins, skeleton statues, and cobwebs in the holiday spirit. While trick-or-treating is one of the more well-known traditions, other activities are becoming more popular.
Trick-or-Treating:
As a kid, there is nothing more exciting than dressing up like your favorite character and wandering around the neighborhood hoping to collect as much candy as humanly possible. For the parents, this means getting dragged from house to house and ensuring that the children aren’t kidnapped or poisoned by cranky Halloween haters. The best houses have a good range in decorations without them being too much—or too tacky. There is nothing wrong with creating a graveyard in your front yard, as long as there are fake limbs sticking out underneath mounds of dirt. The use of spooky spiderwebs is also approved, granted they don’t consume the entire porch and eat unsuspecting children. I was personally always drawn to the elaborate front steps, which were only complete if the homeowner was dressed up as part of the display; this is an excellent way to scare kids and make them pee their pants (or costumes, as the case may be).
Also, it is important to remember the rule of thumb: If the porch light is on, there is candy inside and I want it. So please do not leave the light on if you only intend to crush a child’s hopes and dreams. To repay these Halloween ruiners, it is a good idea to bring an extra costume or two and keep going back looking for candy—they might give in and start handing out household items. And speaking of costumes, parents please don’t embarrass the kids with homemade outfits, unless you are a master clothing maker. No child wants to be a dinosaur made out of the old drapes. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s necessary to spend hundreds of dollars on an elaborate get-up that will be worn once.The best places are Halloween speciality stores, or even Wal-Mart. For the older kids, meaning us RPI students, clever costumes are more humorous, but there are also a lot of adult outfits for the pirate or seductress inside us all.
Carving Pumpkins:
Who doesn’t love mutilating a pumpkin with a carving knife? I think there is some satisfaction in turning a squash fruit into a smiling, glowing fool. Of course, some people choose to put real designs in theirs, such as bat wings and the black cat seen above. There are actually contests for the best Jack-o’-Lantern, which always go to the guy who spends a day making Starry Night, complete with a matching Van Gogh face. Though it is not necessary to invest hours into this project, the process has to start somewhere: picking out the best pumpkin for the design you want. I am a fan of the rotund gourds, which are easiest to carve big toothy grins in. The taller, more oval pumpkins tend to have flatter sides, which are sometimes easier to carve without having to keep a straight line over a curve. They are also better for more complex designs, since there is more surface area to work on.
After the pumpkin has been chosen, the lid must be cut in a manner that it will still fit back on. If you angle the knife inward, instead of cutting straight down, the top should fit snuggly back in place. Now it’s time to scoop out the seeds and pumpkin goo, which likes to dry and stick to your hands. Some people separate the seeds from the guts to bake them. I used to wash the seeds, sprinkle on some garlic salt, and bake them until they were crispy and golden brown. Metal spoons are ideal for cleaning, since they won’t bend with pressure, and they make the inside smoother. Your project will not be a failure if a few strings of pumpkin meat are still dangling; in fact, these add to the spooky factor once the candle is lit.
Now is the time to decide just who or what this pumpkin will become. This is actually a tough decision to make if you are creating your own design. It took me an hour just to figure out the nose. Using stencils or pumpkin-carving kits helps the process move faster, but there is just something about giving the pumpkin a personality that you created. Do not try to cut out big or intricate parts in one piece, and try to avoid curves unless you have the proper tools. Once the face or picture is completed, put a candle in the bottom and light it. Tea lights work really well, and you could even put a couple in the bottom to play with shadows. The clean-up process is last, which can be relatively easy if the project was set up properly to begin with. You can either use trash bags or newspapers to cover the surface, and these can be rolled up with the pumpkin guts and thrown away.
Haunted Houses:
Just as the name implies, these are houses that are haunted by some supernatural beings. For Halloween, private homeowners and public groups decorate buildings inside and out for the ultimate creepy experience. These can get really large and elaborate, so spaces like basements are ideal. It is also best to draw up a plan of what decorations will be where in order to bring together the finished product more smoothly. Make sure the entrance and exit work well not only within the space itself but also to ensure safety and convenience for all those who attend. Once the space is ready to be decorated, start with the bigger and harder stuff first, such as coffins.
To achieve a truly spooky affect, cover the windows and other external light sources with black trash bags or blankets. The lighting within should be dim, or perhaps a section could have a strobe light, but the guests would need to be given a disclaimer. It is also key to start them off with the sensation of water mist or have them walk through cobwebs, which leaves their skin crawling. I personally hate spiders and everything associated with them, so having to walk through cobwebs puts me in the mood to be scared. Spooky noises like ghosts howling are a staple to all haunted houses, but it is also good to include some unexpected noises along the way.
For the props and decorations themselves, almost any common item can be turned into something disgusting. I read somewhere that peeled grapes feel the same as eyeballs, which are always good to strategically place where people will touch in the dark. Monsters can be created from styrofoam heads, but using people as props is more effective. When something you think is fake starts moving or making noise, it is a pretty scary surprise. For bigger props, caskets with corpses popping out are always a big success, as well as bubbling cauldrons filled with dry ice to create the dangerous mist. These are all the things I look forward to when I visit a haunted house.
Though some of these pastimes may seem exclusive to children or families, small alterations may be made to create enjoyment for all ages. As college students, it is our duty to prey on holidays and turn them into a great excuse for a themed party. Around campus, the School of Architecture sponsors Creepy Crawl, which takes participants from one apartment to the next, each with a themed drink—costumes are a must. Even if you aren’t going trick-or-treating or to a themed party, there is no shame in dressing up in a ridiculous costume just because that’s the spirit of the holiday. Also, make sure to harass your family for a big care package, filled with all the candy you could imagine. You might be able to convince them it is to help break your midterm slump. In general, though, Halloween is simply a time of the year to be silly and get away with it. Try to test your fears by visiting a haunted house in the area, or even visit Uncle Sam in the Oakwood Cemetery—I am sure he’ll be wearing a sheet to look like a ghost.
