Forums » Smalltalk » what is Halloween?

I have never participated in this holiday. I grew up in a strict family and i was always told i couldnt do it. But truth be told ive always wanted to. Now that im an adult i have a chance to participate at college.....but i dont know what is the right things to do! What movies should i watch? Do i have to buy candy for kids? can i dress up?! Are there rules for adults? Is it a kid only holiday and ive missed out?

For movies: Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown and it’s sequels, IT either version,

Dress up if you want to, I’m 20 and still dress up, only buy candy if you want to because kids don’t go door to door anymore, they go to community trick or treat events where everyone sets up a booth and hands out candy

Well, Halloween isn't a children's only holiday. I myself have never celebrated it, since my family isn't fond of it (I'm not really fond of it either, even though I do like the spooky vibes and decorations). But yeah, adults like it aswell.
Typical stuff that people give to children is candy, so I think it's good to have that in stock in case if any children arrive at your doorstep.

And if you want to dress up or decorate your house with spooky stuff, go for it! There's nothing wrong with wearing costumes at such occasion, right?

As for movies, I've never watched a horror movie, so I can't really recommend one.

There are basically two mainstream Halloweens: Kid halloween and Adult halloween. There's also a third subset, teenager halloween, but it's not as common as people would have you believe.

In both versions, you dress up, as much or as little as you want. Some people like to get really elaborate with costumes.

Kids go door to door ringing doorbells and saying "trick or treat," at which point whoever is home will give them some candy. For very young children, parents often make this a learning experience about getting over shyness, remembering to say thank you, and learning to moderate impulses by not eating so much candy on the first night they get sick. Some areas do not get many or any trick or treaters - ask your neighbors about how much candy you will need on hand.

If you are in a high trick or treat area and you will not be home, make sure to turn your porch light off so kids do not try to knock and then wait forever.

If you don't feel good about giving young children huge amounts of candy, there are alternatives. Some years I give out containers or play-doh or fistfulls of googly eyes, and kids seem to like those a lot.

For adults: Adults also dress up, but they tend to go to parties or go dancing for Halloween. For many adults, it's just a big party night.

Doing things to scare yourself such as watching scary movies or going to haunted houses is optional, and there are various levels of "spooky" that are acceptable depending on your tolerance/enjoyment of scary thrills.

Teenagers sometimes go and misbehave on Halloween, such as by egging or toilet papering houses. This is depicted as a constant in movies, but in my experience is relatively rare (also illegal).

What movies should I watch?
LittleMouse's suggestions were some of the top Halloween movies out there, I totally endorse Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown especially. I'd also recommend
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Beetlejuice
House of 1000 Corpses
Little Evil
ANY Addams Family movie
The Craft
other classics like:
The Shining
The Exorcist
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The Lost Boys, and anything by Steven King (especially Pet Cemetery or like the first post suggested, It!)

Do I have to buy candy for kids?
Not at all! But if you don't, I'd suggest trying to keep your house as dim as possible. If any lights are on, you're more likely to get knockers. If they're all off people typically know to stay away. I enjoy giving out candy IF I'm home, but I'm usually out for the whole night on Halloween.

Can I dress up?
Absolutely. I usually use all of October as an excuse to wear random costume bits, like fake teeth and wild contacts. People are generally very accepting of costume items worn at ANY time during this entire month. Halloween is the ultimate free-for-all if dressing up is fun for you!

Are there rules for adults?
Not really, but I'd caution against trying to trick-or-treat unless you're short and/or wearing a mask. I personally don't care who comes to my door, but some folks might make comments about "Aren't you a little old for free candy?" because they aren't considerate of those who may have missed out on it 🙃

Is it a kid only holiday and I've missed out?
Not at all. You can buy yourself some themed treats, have a movie night, go walk around the more densely populated neighborhoods to check out the decorations, go to a haunted house, dress up, have fun. The past couple of years, I've bought themed cupcakes and invited a few friends over, we chow before we take my girl trick-or-treating, and once she's in bed we sink our teeth into the more gruesome movies. This year I'm going to an All Hallows Faire. Keep an eye out for posters or ads around your town to see if there's anything going on near you!

I'm always sad to hear about folks who missed out on it growing up, but I'm also thrilled that you're giving it a chance now! Halloween is timeless, it has a little something for everyone.

Just buy whatever candy bags they have available, put a few jack-o-lanterns out around your porch. And every time some one knocks you give them each 2 piecea of candy.

If you want to buy and hand out candy, but aren't in an area likely to get trick-or-treaters, something I've done before is to take a bowl out to where there are people and walk around offering. Just don't stress if some folks think you seem a little shady doing that, what with all the (almost always false) claims of people sneaking things like drugs or razor blades into candy. XP

Or, you could look into Halloween events happening around you to either attend/participate in, or if you want, offer to help out with. In my experience, most adult-orient events are little more than booze nights and bar hangouts in pervy costumes, so if that's not your thing, it can be difficult to really enjoy Halloween if you're a childless adult.

Wow!! It all sounds AMAZING!!!

Thank you all for replying!!

Now im really excited!!