in my area. I live in a condo in a Los Angeles suburb and I can count on one finger the number of trick or treaters we had last year. The years before, going back quite awhile now, weren't much better. At first I thought it was related to living in a complex, rather than a house, but in asking around I've found that we actually get more activity (due to the ease of amassing candy in such a concentrated environment, I guess)!

.

I think the culprit is clearly fear: fear of lunatics putting razor blades in apples or doing something to the kids while they're at the door. That fear isn't exactly misplaced here in Southern California, which has a highly mobile population and plenty of weirdos and perverts. But I'm wondering: how fare you in other, more stable areas? Is Halloween falling off the radar there as well, or is it still alive and kicking?

It's around in this little corner of central Jersey...but usually only before dark.  There arent a tremendous number of kids around this apartment complex.  And there is NO decorating.  lol

Come to Australia. I think im the only one left who still digs it. I have my annual Halloween Horror movie marathon and that's about the extent of it. Is was bigger when I was a kid then suddenly it just died. So we stopped trick or treating and started egging the shit out of houses. Teach those fuckers for not giving me my sugar fix!

Halloween is the many many uses of fishing line

Ok, you totally got me. What does this mean?

Halloween is awesome! I love Halloween! Yes Halloween for the most part is a dying holiday, because of the real monsters that scare the children. Halloween should be fun yet scary for the children and adults. I wish it could be fun again! 

I'm just pissed that they don't allow children to wear scary costumes to school anymore and they can't wear masks.  Girls can be a fairy or princess and boys can be a fireman or a power ranger...no fun in that.  My boys will have to wait till after school to wear their stuff. Halloween is around the corner and I'm more exited than anyone else in my family.

 Same here. None of my friends or relatives will let me decorate any of their houses for Halloween (since I live in the country, besides, they don't decorate), so I have to go trick or treating with the kiddies (not that I'm complaining; free candy!). I'm excited about dressing up too, but everytime I bring that up, people roll their eyes and shake their heads. I remember there being so much more to Halloween when I was younger... This just adds to the list of why I wish I was a kid again.

Ahhhh

this thread is making me sad--but don't give up the ghost folks--seize Halloween and make it your own--be a glowing orange light for people to follow. 

Halloween is the big deal here--besides me and my family and friends, there are at least three neighborhoods in my area that go all out--on Hanover Ave in Richmond proper, the street  is so packed with people, you'd think you were at a theme park and almost every house on the street for a good 6 or 7 blocks is decorated to the hilt.  One year these folks built the bow of a pirate ship coming out of their house and stood up on the deck and dressed as pirates threw candy down to the kids.  Another house had their front door decorated as a huge sarcophagus and had a fog machine running and dressed as mummies they would emerge through the smoke to give out candy.  In one of the neighborhoods, Oregon Hill, they have a big Halloween parade just before dusk with giant puppets and decorated buses and hearses and skeleton and goth marching bands. 

Some of you guys either need to crank up the Halloween volume in your town or move.  There are some towns that I know do Halloween right:  Orlando, Miami, the keys, St. Louis, Salem and Boston, of course, New Orleans, Dallas / Ft. Worth, Austin, Greenwich Village in NY city, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Milwaukee  and that's just ones I know about--I heard that Baltimore does it right too.   From what I've heard and read, Halloween has passed Easter and the 4th of July to become the most profitable holiday outside of Christmas.  There's a booming business in adult costumes and even numerous websites devoted exclusive to selling Halloween props.  There's a large on-line community of folks, "haunters" we're called, who are completely devoted to celebrating Halloween-- I and many others spend countless for months ahead of time building props and gadgets for Halloween.  Often I can honestly answer the question, "What are you doing tonight?" by saying "gouging a doll's eye out with a screwdriver" or "putting skin on a skeleton" or "carving tombstones".

I hope no one minds if I say check out hauntspace to meet tons of Halloween enthusiasts--don't lose your Halloween spirit.

And Pastor--the fishing line:  easiest thing is just hanging a strand down (very light line) in a darkened doorway or walkway--everybody that walks through there thinks they just walked through a spider web when it brushes thier face.

I also use it  to rig up large dolls and toys to look like they are standing on their own.  They're actualyy hanging down from fishing line with their feet just a hair off the ground--it allows the wind to provide a little movement--creeps people out.  I use pvc pipe and rebar in the ground to make the larger props stand.

Besides the big party, we also go out on Halloween night and hit up the neighborhoods I mentioned above--we take bags of candy with us and give ity out to kids as they go by--they love it--because we're all dressed up too-- and then we'll have another mini -party.

As far as the fundamentalists who believe Halloween is the devil's work-- well we know better, don't we?  There's a group of little towns, Petersburg, Hopewell, and Colonial Heights, about 15 miles south of Richmond and every year that Halloween falls on a Sunday, they celebrate it on Saturday night instead and yep--you know it-- we get to go trick or treating both nights-- we load up the cars and head down there on Saturday night and still get to go out in Richmond on Sunday--I love those years.

Sorry for the long windedness--I feel strongly about the subject.

Halloween is digging up the clothes you buried 4 months ago--time to dress the yard zombies.

Halloween should rock this year! It's on a Friday so the kids don't have to worry about school the next day. I'm with Pumpboy on this subject. We decorate more than anybody in the neighborhood on Halloween. I think it's earned me the title of resident devil worshipper. I think Halloween should be a week long holiday when everybody can go out and hit some haunted houses, haunted trails, go to the theatre and watch SAW pt. 99, check out the horror marathon on the Sci-Fi channel... I could go on and on. Christmas is cool but there is nothing in the world like being scared! It  brings everybody together!

I second and third both Space Ace and Pumpboy - don't give up!  Our neighborhood gets a pretty good amount of traffic, but I do a haunted house every year that is drawing kids from surrounding neighborhoods and has brought Halloween back to the area. All year the kids up and down the street come running up to me with "Mr. Don, are you doing the haunted house this year???", when I answer in the affirmative there are literally squeals of delight. The parents all come and hang out in the driveway and drink lots of red wine... it's a total blast.

If Halloween is going to survive and be fun then it's up to us.  Those of us on this very site can be responsible for a resurgance of Halloween this year, the likes of which nobody's ever seen.  Okay, I'm getting crazy, but...

I propose that we all do something cool for Halloween this year, make a video about it and post it on this site like I did from my haunted house a few years back. That will give us all something to brag about here as well as plant some seeds for those in our neighborhood that we will see sprout next year!  Halloween Forever!!!

Halloween is:

fogging up the neighborhood

screams

costume contests

cheap plastic skeletons

halloween party mix cds

yards and yards of cheap black landscape fabric and cans and cans of cheap black spraypaint

giant spiders

Clowns-Clowns-Clowns---scaaaaaary clowns

foam tombstones and wooden crosses

chainsaws

haunted trails and barns

Spooking and being spooked

horror movies under the stars all night long--that's right--all night long

tell me--halloween is:

I hear ya. When I was a kid i used to do the whole dress up/trick or treat thing, but yeah I can't even remember the last time i saw kids out in the street on Halloween night. It doesnt make sense even more coz in Australia October 31 is, like, in the middle of Spring so the weather's fantastic, you'd think that'd lure some people out. Personally all I'm gonna do is murder a few peop...er..and by that I mean, just gather some people at my place for a horror movie marathon

 I want to go to Australia! I love it there anyway!

Halloween is white sheets soaked in rit fabric brightner and liquid starch

I think of halloween as the one holiday that you really can be a kid again.  If you're a parent, you still need to be an adult at Christmas time--when you stop believing in Santa--you become Santa.

On Halloween you get to be someone or some thing else for awhile-- one more trip to Neverland.

Deck the halls with bloody bodies....la lala la la la la la laaaaaaa

I got inspired and invited a few more people and it's turned into a bit of a Hallow's Eve party now. We're gonna dress up and stuff. I have a cloak so I'm gonna wear a demented clown mask and hide it with the hood at first (Pennywise is my personal hero), bloody marys and vodka/cranberry shooters...my friend who is coming as a sexy vampire chick is gonna carve a jack o lantern...should be cool :)

haha--we used to sing a song like that:

"Deck the halls with bags of dog meat Falalalalalalalala

After a month it's ready to eat Falalalalalalalalala

Way to go Attrage-- sounds like fun.  Remember a toast for the sickest monkey you know--the one in your celler doesn't count-- I'm sure he's dead by now.

Will do!

I forgot to mention that im gonna deck out the front of my place a little bit to try to attract trick or treaters (and yes, i spose i can refrain from bludgeoning them all...and i just got a new sap too...sent away for it :)

yeah--it's looked down upon by the neighbors if you beat them to death, but you can sure scare the hell out of them.

Halloween is alive and kicking . . or is that twitching?

Halloween is making a "name that organ" bag.

triple post alert

hey it's Oct eve.  Do something to celebrate Halloween/Horror everyday until the 31st.  Even if it's just watching a movie, reciting the Raven, making a chalk body outline on the sidewalk, or going into the bloodmobile to donate blood in costume.  Ask them if you can trade for some of theirs.  Ask them if they've ever been robbed and look around suspiciously.

I started laying out the large web nests for the giant spider and her victims tonight-- I'm moving her whole habitat to a new place from where it was the last few years.

What did you do to celebrate Halloween today?

Watched the tail end of Evil Dead in HD.  Watched some of The Devil's Rain with Shatner and Borgnine.  That is a weird...freaking...movie.  Though there is something endearing about Ernest Borgnine in red robe and satanic regalia.

That's an awesome idea! I'm gonna get some chalk and do a few outlines around my neighbourhood

You bring an idea to mind...*goes to start new thread*

I started decorating the john and the kitchen and I started rigging up the crank ghost.  I also checked out two lots of pumpkins.  Haven't bought any yet.  Mixed another CD-- I already have more than I can listen to in one night, but every year I try out new combinations of songs, trailers, screams, and other sound effects.

What did you do to celebrate the season?

I live in Virginia it is party time for the college kids. Last year not one kid was outside I got stuck with a shit load of candy so I will not be doing Halloween this year. Not to mention the cops pretty much have our town on lock down due to hell night.

Howdy Virginia-- coming to my Party?

Nope, I'm going to do some Headhunting. WooHaaaaaaaaa

We've got lots of heads.

It's funny (or scary-i guess), but I have more wigs than any woman I know.

I have zombie heads,human heads, skulls,bashed in heads, clown heads,  and generic heads.  and a goat skull.

PS:  If any of ya'll ever want to really make a low-budget movie-- I've got some very cool props, wardrobe, lights, etc. I can make what I don't already have.  I even have a pre-made graveyard.   And a pretty good location--even a dilapitated old barn with huge rusty old farm tools and chains and lots of woods.

So bring your family on down to the party Raven.  Thrills! Chills! and Fried Chicken! 

and Cryp--if you come--you can log onto the site and give a live blog from the site--it's as good as a convention and far cheaper.  Molly said she'd come if she can find VA.  Iknow Freaky is close enough.  There are others here in East Tenn. as well.   I have a camping area or if you're scared of my tents--bring your own.

I'm not sure of WHAT i'm doing on halloween.  Its a wacked-out month.  I know next week a hockey game will occupy my friday, week after theres a musical that i'll probably do a blog post about, week after thats a convention, and week after that I might be hosting my usual quasi-film festival with friends at the college I went to...I may hold off on that, though, I'm not sure.

the party's on the 25th--sat. night

Ah, then I apologize, but I will not be able to make it for I shall not only be at the convention, but I'm taking someone with me, so I REALLY cant miss it.  I'm sure enough drunken frivolity will be had in my absence to make up for me. lol

I remember swarms of children trick or treating when I was young. We had to line up at people's doorways for candy. I don't know why that's changed. My idea is that parent's are too afraid to let their children out XD

I go all out on Halloween, I love creating costumes and dressing up. I'm at the age now where I'm rejected for candy though =[

Halloween is still very much alive where I am from. Only a few kids trick or treat where I live, but its mostly because the houses in the developement and too few and far between. Therefore parents will actually drive their kids to development so that there are more houses and they can go door to door faster = more candy. It's not uncommon for a family to hit up 2-4 developements on Halloween, those greedy bastards.  Other than that us "country folk" know how to do 2 things on halloween 1- throw huge bon fire parties and 2- make millions of dollars off of hayrides and haunted house (well not all of us) ex: Shocktober, Jason's Woods, Field of Screams, The Haunted Mill

so just saying... Halloween- hell ye

People should not reject for candy.  That's not cool.

Well, I'm 18, I look about 19-20 years old. I understand that trick or treating is a child's activity.. but I seriously go all out on Halloween. If I saw someone who put a lot of effort into dressing up verses a kid who went to the dollar store and bought a mask (don't even get me started..) I would give them candy regardless of their age.

That's what I mean.  Exactly.  I mean if you're a person who shows up and says I'm a college student for halloween, then you ain't getting my candy.  But if you care about the work, by all means.

Halloween is my favorite time of year! I don't bother with getting dressed up anymore or going out to parties. For me it is simply an excuse to watch ridiculous amounts of horror movies. For the past few years I have made it a tradition to watch at least one horror/Halloween-esque film every night in the month of October. On the 31st, I watch movies all day if I can get away with it, with as many friends as I can reel in.

Yay, Halloween!

I just recently started a movie blog on the website Reject the Herd where I talk about various movies outside of the mainstream. My first entries are going to be following my film adventures through the month of October; I have one so far and more soon to follow:

http://www.rejecttheherd.net/blog/citizen-irene/month-october-beautiful-time-year

Halloween is circling the house with fake wrought iron fencing and weaving long stem rose stems through them.

Halloween is encasing the wrap around porch in plastic, setting up anamatronics, playing scary music and making kids go through the newly formed ghost house to get any candy... and making sure that the folks who are 18 but look 19-20 are duly rewarded for their efforts with two BIG handfulls of treats.

So I totally love going to haunted houses and hayrides and just to comment on my previous comment:

So I went on a hayride that gets a lot of attention. People will drive 3 hours to see this stuff. The theme of the hayride was about canibal hilbillies=best thing ever

We also went to another one that had a giant tesla coil in a corn field -also the best thing ever

I've heard Jason's Woods is done right. Is that the one you're talking about?

 I'm working my way towards turning pro.  Hopefully I'll pull it off by next year.  In all humility, I'm getting pretty good at it and I've collected tons of equipment and props.  You wouldn't believe how much paint, pvc pipe, extension cords, bones, mirrors, lights, etc, I have. I've still got props I've never even used yet.  Tonight I set up two of the trail scenes, hung all the posters in the movie area, and started another corpse skull.

Yea Jason's Woods went with the whole canibal hillbilly theme this year (no chain saws )

Field of Screams has the giant tesla coil. They've gradually gotten better than Jason's Woods, but both are in a totally different league than anything else

You should try to set somethign like that up. I mean these places are only open one month and they make millions.

Halloween is the Devil's work, and all you Satan-worshippers with idle hands, listen up to the Good Word: the devil will make work for those idle hands, oh yes He will. And you will be smote down when it comes time for the mighty Smiter to smote all evil doers. Think of the children! Won't you please think of the innocent minds you are corrupting with your devil worshipping paganised ways? Carve up your sacrificial lambs and hand out your candy. I for one will be eating a healthy hearty meal of squashed potatoes and steamed vegetables and watching the Sound of Music while I crank up the Hymns to try to drown out the sound of devil-worshipping children running around in their sacriligious costumes quaffing candy apples and screaming (screaming is the Devil's voice). I pray for you all.

you are hilarious

can I be smoted next?  Will you wear leather while you smote me?

I've been very bad.