Orange is the new black—and not just because I started it on Netflix this week. The pumpkins are coming out, and so are the ghosts, black cats, and insane candy aisles at the local grocery store. Arguably the most anticipated holiday of the year (right on the list with Christmas and your birthday), Halloween is the perfect time to embrace the unknown and entertain the monsters underneath your bed.
It takes an entire year to prepare for the spooky holiday, but if you still aren't excited for Halloween, there is a way to get in the October spirit in just two weeks!
1. Netflix and chill(s going down your spine).
I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest horror movie junkie, but there are a few classics everyone’s heard about—and a few movies that my movie fanatic friends insisted I include in this post.
If you’re looking to go the theaters, "Crimson Peak" is a must-watch. Has Guillermo del Toro ever done wrong? It’s gorgeous, it’s bloody, and it’s darker than our nightmares. If you’d rather watch it on your couch with popcorn and save yourself about $10, there are plenty of other options: "The Exorcist," "Paranormal Activity"… any scary movie to get you properly terrified.
For those of you who are more like me and get frightened easily, "Halloweentown" and "Hocus Pocus" are the classic Halloween movies of our childhoods without the horror.
2. Read creepy stories.
You might have a disturbing novel already in your bookshelf, but between you and me, a physical copy isn’t necessary. There are plenty of creepy short stories online, if you know where to look. Thought Catalog has a great selection of creepy stories (look up Rona Vaselaar, whose stories never fail to distract me from class), and so does Reddit’s NoSleep subreddit. The Internet is a great hub of original short stories, and it only takes a quick search to find them.
3. Decorate until you drop.
One of the best parts of Halloween is all the haunted houses in your neighborhood! Of course, living in a college dorm might make things a little difficult, but the more creative you are, the more people will compliment you and your roommate for getting festive! Finding cheap and spooky ideas is easy when you have the help of Pinterest, so really, there’s no excuse. Trust me: It only seems hard until you start Googling.
4. Get a little basic.
The beginning of fall is synonymous with the beginning of pumpkin patch photos on Instagram, Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks, and basically pumpkin everything. There’s a good reason for it, though, and the reason is that pumpkins are great! They smell amazing, they taste amazing, and they look amazing when you’re sitting on top of one with a big smile. What’s not to love?
5. Scare the crap out of your friends.
It’s sort of fun to terrify your friends and make them scream all year round, but it’s especially entertaining during October because of Halloween! Whether it’s as timeless as jumping out in front of them or as elaborate as a full-out prank, you can’t go wrong with a nice scare to make them scream.
It’s fun, it’s easy, and it brings friends closer—just in time to celebrate Halloween together.
