Imagine walking into a house and immediately seeing the door covered in caution tape. This signifies that spooky season, a time of year around Halloween where spooky vibes are abundant, is here.
For Lee-Anne Madsen, a senior in the College of Health Sciences, the caution tape will go up shortly after Friday the 13th.
Madsen said she thinks any time after Labor Day weekend is acceptable to start the spooky season. With Friday the 13th coming up this Friday, Madsen said she has her spooky season traditions ready.
“Friday the 13th of September is a great time to start putting up decorations and getting in that spooky season spirit with those fall drinks and buying your pumpkins early before they sell out in October,” Madsen said.
Along with Madsen, roommates Laura Nootbaar, a senior in the College of Communication, and Amelia Ruffolo, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said they are in support of the early-bird beginning of the season.
“(When) you get into the month that ends in -ber, it’s time,” Nootbaar said. “I saw things for Halloween in August, so I’m late to the party.”
Nootbaar said once spooky season commences, she has specific ways to immerse herself in the spirit of the season.
Nootbaar said she watches “Hocus Pocus,” and progressively watches scarier movies through October. She also said she enjoys the fall weather and said it gives her the excuse, “to watch an egregious number of scary movies.”
Ruffolo said she had similar feelings toward the season and how she spends her time prepping for and experiencing it.
“I feel like it’s a situational thing,” Ruffolo said. “It’s kind of different every year. … You have to feel the vibe of what’s going on in the media and in everyday life.”
Ruffolo said she began to feel the spookiness when she first heard Lana Del Rey’s song for the new movie, “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.” For Ruffolo, a lot of spooky season is about her childhood movies such as “Scary Godmother,” a Cartoon Network show from her middle school years.
While immersion into spookiness can be about watching different spooky shows, for some like Madsen, it’s all about the decorating.
“To get into the spirit for spooky season, I decorate my entire apartment,” Madsen said. “The apartment will be completely decked out … (with) string lights around archways.”
Along with string lights in Madsen’s house, she said there will be various spider webs around the inside of the house. She said Halloween candy also sits on the counter in a green bowl with a bunch of witches on it.
“Am I obsessive for decorating like that every holiday? Yes,” Madsen said. “Do I have a full bin with just decorations? Yes, of course I do.”
Madsen said that she has different fall- and Halloween-themed pillows and blankets. She also has purple lights specifically for spooky season.
Ruffolo said the fall weather is one of her favorite aspects of the season.
“I really like the weather during spooky season,” Ruffolo said. “It’s a nice cool-down. … I enjoy fall clothing, weather, activities like pumpkin picking and apple picking and bonfires.”
“The season is short, so might as well start as early as you can,” Madsen said.
Ruffolo added that she thinks people should let others do what they want to celebrate spooky season as long as they aren’t being too aggressive about it. To Ruffalo, there are more important things to worry about than whether it’s too soon for the holiday. She said you have to just feel the vibe.
