Ah, October; my favorite time of year! The cool weather, changing leaves, apples and pumpkin spice–how can one not enjoy this special time of year? But what really makes October great is Halloween! The other holidays are OK, but there’s really nothing all that special about them. Thanksgiving is just a major meal, Valentine’s Day is a commercial conspiracy and the 4th of July is great, but so hot and humid. Halloween brings out our fears and gives us a chance to confront them and let loose with costumes and disguises. Ever wanted to be a firefighter as a kid or murderous psychopath? Well, Halloween lets you explore those feelings! To really get in the Halloween feel this year here are some ideas to get your Halloween freak on!

      First up: the traditional haunted house. Every year thousands of haunted houses pop up around the country to give people that scare they have been craving. There’s even a haunted house on campus, Haunted Husky Hollow! It’s on upper campus on Thursday, Oct. 19 and Friday, Oct. 20 from 7 pm-10 pm. Locally there is the Elysburg Haunted House, that is celebrating its 41st year of operation. This weekend is their opening weekend and they are open Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm on Oct. 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28. If you can travel there are plenty of haunted houses in eastern PA. One of the highest rated haunted houses in the country is at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. It’s called Terror Behind the Walls and they turn what was once the one of the most formidable prisons in the country into a massive haunted house full of horror. To really ramp up the fright Eastern State is widely rumored to actually be haunted! Another option is near Lancaster. It’s the Field of Screams; they have a variety of haunted attractions all in one area. There’s also Reaper’s Revenge up near Scranton. They’re unique in that they’re set in the woods and have haunted hayrides, not just a walk through experience. Check out their websites for dates and more info!

     Another option if you want more than haunted houses is to go to a Halloween event at an amusement park. Hersheypark, Dorney Park, and Knoebels Amusement Park all have special events for Halloween. Hersheypark is known as Hersheypark in the Dark during Halloween, their experience is a bit tame and geared towards young kids, but you can ride all their roller coasters in the dark. Dorney Park ramps up the fear factor during their Halloween Haunts. You not only have access to all their rides, but they open up mazes and special scare zones as well. Knoebels has Hallo-Fun where the park is all decked out for Halloween with a mix of thrills for young and old.

     Now maybe thrills aren’t your thing, so what can you do to celebrate Halloween? How about attend a costume party? The Hardware Bar here in town is holding a Halloween costume party on Oct. 29.  If bars aren’t your thing, go to the store, load up on Halloween candy and popcorn and binge horror movies on Netflix. Some of my favorite horror movies are “The Grudge,” “The Blair Witch Project” and “The Exorcist.” Or you can watch some TV. Freeform does 13 Nights of Halloween and there are a variety of ghost hunting shows to choose from for some more tame scares.

      Now if you’re really serious about Halloween and adventurous, you can create your own fun. Go to a haunted location and do some ghost hunting! The great thing about living in Pennsylvania is its long and bloody history. There are plenty of creepy places around to explore. First and foremost is Gettysburg: as the site of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, every inch of Gettysburg is crawling with ghosts and there a number of tour operators who offer ghost hunting tours of the battlefields. If you lack the means to get to Gettysburg, visit a local cemetery, just be respectful to the residents both living and dead. You could, also hold a séance at your home. All it requires is a Ouija Board, some candles and some bravery to deal with potential spirits!