How strongly do you feel about Halloween?
Isabel Galea ’28: I like it a lot but I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite holiday.
Aubrey King ’27: SO strongly. Halloween is the best because it’s the epitome of fall.
Noelle Blake ’26: I love it! As a kid, I was afraid of everything, so it was terrifying for a long time. But now I love dressing up and watching movies with friends.
Gretchen Bauman ’25: Not super strongly but I love when people put up fun Halloween decorations.
Ella Scarola ’27: 10/10 when I was a child, 5/10 at the moment.
Yaniya Gilford ’27: I used to love Halloween, especially back at home. My family would sit around and watch ABC Family’s “13 Nights of Halloween.” We’d go to the pumpkin patch every year then trick or treat in the suburbs or the historical street filled with mansions on the South Side of Chicago. In college, I’ve kind of lost the Halloween spirit. It just doesn’t have the same appeal as it used to when I was young.
Marius DeMartino ’25: Nothing crazy, I’m just here for the vibes.
Vivian Wang ’27: Not very strongly but I think it’s a fun holiday, and I enjoy dressing up.
Stella Beckmann, exchange student from the University of Auckland: 6/10
Aditi Gupta ’27: I’m neutral for most of the year, but as soon as it’s October I’m obsessed and immediately brainstorming costumes.
Tess Bowler ’25: It’s been my favorite holiday since I was a kid! Growing up, I wanted to be a special FX artist, and I worked at haunted houses doing makeup for the actors.
Favorite Halloween Film/Book (Horror, Thriller, Anything!)?
IG: “Coraline”
AK: The best Halloween movie is “Hocus Pocus.” No contest.
NB: “Coraline”
GB: I’m a huge fan of the “Clue” movie.
ES: “Hocus Pocus”
YG: “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” by Grady Hendrix.
MD: “American Horror Story: Coven.” It’s not specifically Halloween but it’s a must-watch every October.
SB: “The Babysitter”
AG: “Scream”
TB: For movies, “Evil Dead” or “The Thing.” I also like the book “Red Dragon” by Thomas Harris.
What's your favorite Halloween costume you wore as a kid?
IG: Frog
AK: I rocked the fairy princess look.
NB: I was a pumpkin as a baby!
GB: My little brother and I both dressed up as lions!
ES: Elphaba (I painted my whole face green).
YG: Raggedy Anne
MD: I dressed up as a pumpkin when I was a baby, and I’ll never beat that.
VW: I was Fear from “Inside Out” in high school (group costume).
SB: Batman!!!
AG: I was a goldfish in first grade, and I’ll never do better.
TB: Andy Warhol
Favorite Halloween Snack/Treat?
IG: Anything chocolate
AK: Not super Halloween-themed, but I love the leaf-shaped tortilla chips from Trader Joe’s.
NB: 100 Grand bars (I feel like I can only find them on Halloween).
GB: Mini pumpkins
ES: Apples with caramel!
YG: Affy Tapples!
MD: Twix bars
VW: Kit Kat
SB: Reese’s
AG: Any sour candy
TB: Reese’s!
Tag yourself as one of the characters from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Explain if necessary:
IG: I feel as though I am the jack-o’-lantern.
NB: I’m Dr. Finkelstein.
ES: Sally
YG: I’m definitely Jack Skellington. We’re both hardworking, loving and ambitious people who sometimes can take things a little too far.
MD: Gotta be Oogie Boogie at the moment. That’s how I feel after midterms.
VW: The mayor
SB: The moon. I don’t think we watch this in New Zealand.
TB: Zero. Just look at him — he’s the cutest dog ever.
What will you be for Halloween this year?
NB: Veronica Sawyer (I think) and one of the Thumb-Thumbs from “Spy Kids.”
GB: Whatever costume I manage to find in my flair bin five minutes before I have to leave.
YG: A whimsigoth witch (think Sarah Jessica Parker, in “Hocus Pocus” and “Practical Magic”), Ariel from “The Little Mermaid.”
MD: Doja Cat, Felix from “Saltburn” and a lifeguard.
SB: Cher from “Clueless”
IG: “Top Gun” Pilot.
AK: Felix from Saltburn, Tinkerbell, Caroline Forbes from “Vampire Diaries.”
AG: Oliver from Saltburn, Silvermist, Katherine Pierce from “Vampire Diaries.”
ES: Black cat
VW: Undecided — either my friend or Christmas (the holiday)
What’s on your Halloween bucket list?
IG: Group “Mamma Mia” costume.
AK: Carve a pumpkin! (Never going to happen)
NB: Go to Knotts Berry Farm!
GB: Going to a corn maze.
ES: Trick-or-treat-ing in downtown Hanover.
YG: To visit New Orleans during Halloween and take a haunted tour there!
MD: Survive the night with wings intact.
Trick or treat? Why?
IG: Treat, otherwise what’s the reward of being courageous enough to go up to strangers’ houses?
AK: Trick!!
NB: Trick!
GB: Treat because it's more fun.
ES: Treat, treat, treat (I do not like surprises)!
YG: Treat. Let’s be honest, we all come for the candy.
MD: If someone pranked me instead of giving me a sweet treat, things would get nasty.
VW: Treat — there is too much uncertainty in the world already, no more tricks.
AG: Treat! Please don’t trick me.
Any Halloween hot-takes?
IG: All chocolate is better than non-chocolate candy.
NB: Everyone should be creative and dress up! No “This is my costume” shirts.
MD: I love a costume that is such a niche cultural microtrend nobody even gets it.
AG: “Basic” Halloween costumes are fun because they’re easy to do and make super cute!
IG: I feel as though I am the jack-o’-lantern.
AK: Idk who any of these people are, but definitely the guy with the really long top hat.
NB: I’m Dr. Finkelstein.
GB: Feeling like the mysterious ghoul in the stocking cap on the left because his outfit looks super comfy.
ES: Sally
YG: I’m definitely Jack Skellington. We’re both hardworking, loving and ambitious people who sometimes can take things a little too far.
MD: Gotta be Oogie Boogie at the moment. That’s how I feel after midterms.
VW: The mayor
SB: The moon. I don’t think we watch this in New Zealand.
AG: Unfortunately, I haven’t seen it but I’m for sure the girl in the middle (Sally).
TB: Zero. Just look at him — he’s the cutest dog ever.
What will you be for Halloween this year?
NB: Veronica Sawyer (I think) and one of the Thumb-Thumbs from “Spy Kids.”
GB: Whatever costume I manage to find in my flair bin five minutes before I have to leave.
YG: A whimsigoth witch (think Sarah Jessica Parker, in “Hocus Pocus” and “Practical Magic”), Ariel from “The Little Mermaid.”
MD: Doja Cat, Felix from “Saltburn” and a lifeguard.
SB: Cher from “Clueless”
IG: “Top Gun” Pilot.
AK: Felix from Saltburn, Tinkerbell, Caroline Forbes from “Vampire Diaries.”
AG: Oliver from Saltburn, Silvermist, Katherine Pierce from “Vampire Diaries.”
ES: Black cat
VW: Undecided — either my friend or Christmas (the holiday)
What’s on your Halloween bucket list?
IG: Group “Mamma Mia” costume.
AK: Carve a pumpkin! (Never going to happen)
NB: Go to Knotts Berry Farm!
GB: Going to a corn maze.
ES: Trick-or-treat-ing in downtown Hanover.
YG: To visit New Orleans during Halloween and take a haunted tour there!
MD: Survive the night with wings intact.
Trick or treat? Why?
IG: Treat, otherwise what’s the reward of being courageous enough to go up to strangers’ houses?
AK: Trick!! NB: Trick!
GB: Treat because it's more fun.
ES: Treat, treat, treat (I do not like surprises)!
YG: Treat. Let’s be honest, we all come for the candy.
MD: If someone pranked me instead of giving me a sweet treat, things would get nasty.
VW: Treat — there is too much uncertainty in the world already, no more tricks.
AG: Treat! Please don’t trick me.
Any Halloween hot-takes?
IG: All chocolate is better than non-chocolate candy.
NB: Everyone should be creative and dress up! No “This is my costume” shirts.
MD: I love a costume that is such a niche cultural microtrend nobody even gets it.
AG: “Basic” Halloween costumes are fun because they’re easy to do and make super cute!
