Forgo the candy and horror films and celebrate a non-traditional Halloween

After gorging on candy intended for trick-or-treaters and watching various slasher movies, a boredom slump may set in. Don’t be alarmed. This is normal after exhausting all the traditional methods of celebrating Halloween.

Luckily, there are a few courses of action that can be taken to ensure that this slump doesn’t damper Halloween entirely. There are plenty of ways to celebrate Halloween in a more non-traditional kind of way. They range from the silly to the spooky and are sure to create a memorable Halloween.

1. Read Edgar Allen Poe by candlelight
   

Mr. Poe is perhaps one of the greatest writers to master the scary short story. Experience his talent in a way that is sure to send chills down the spine. Gather a group of friends together and meet in a room with no lights. An attic would be ideal, but any room void of light will work. Light a few candles, but not enough to make everything in the room visible; just enough so that shadows can trick the eye. Get a collection of Poe’s works and take turn reading his stories. Some of his greatest stories include “The Black Cat,” “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Masque of Red Death,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Premature Death” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Poe’s famous poem “The Raven” can also be added to list.

2. Watch classic scary movies

Pass over the gory slashers of our day and have a movie marathon of classic scary movies. The works of Alfred Hitchcock are perfect for this, including “Psycho,” “The Birds” and “Rear Window.” If something sillier is desirable, check out “Arsenic and Old Lace” or “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.”

3. Explore the haunted history of the valley

Believe it or not, there are haunted places all over the valley. All it takes is a little research to find the scariest places in the valley. For example, somewhere in the Highland City Cemetery is a rock chair. It is said that if you sit in the
chair at night, you can hear the souls of the dead talking to you through the trees. In Provo at the Old Mill Apartment Complex, there have been multiple sightings of the ghost of a previous tenant who died under mysterious circumstances. The ghost, who died when he was 27, has a football player’s build and lurks around the women’s apartments.

These are just some of the options available to cure the Halloween boredom slump. Non-traditional ways of celebrating can be just the ticket for an average holiday. Don’t let tradition get in the way of having a great Halloween.