Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic peoples. The Celts celebrated the festival of Samhain, mostly in an area that contains modern day Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Northern France. The Celts celebrated their New Years on November first. This day marked the end of summer and the beginning of a long, dark, cold winter. However, the night before, October 31st, it was believed by the Celts that the ghost of the dead came back to roam the earth. As of now, we celebrate that day with tricks and treats, and with many fun, yet scary activities.
Halloween is mainly for younger children to dress up as their favorite cartoon characters and walk around and get candy. Once you reach that age where you’re technically too old to celebrate, the holiday loses the same excitement it once had. Although, some people never let the thrill die and celebrate by watching scary movies, attending Halloween parties, or the most popular option, going to haunted attractions. There are many different haunted attractions, ranging from, haunted houses, trails, corn mazes, hay rides, etc. There are also kid friendly haunts, adult haunts, and for the adrenaline junkies, the extreme haunts. Haunted houses are the perfect fall activity, the thrill and suspense of the unknown making them a fun, but unique experience. Haunts have a psychological effect to them, they are designed to play on the fear of the unknown, and other common fears and phobias. The goal is ultimately to create an immersive experience that feels genuinely frightening.
Although most people prefer to keep the scares on one side of the TV screen, experiencing a live, in-action haunt is so much better. Haunt themes range from TV shows, movies, and random characters thrown together to create the best screams and laughter. The themes of haunts are where the fun comes into play. For instance, a haunted house being based on a movie or a TV show allows you to get into the shoes of the character and feel the emotions and the effects of the environment that they felt during the suspenseful scares. Haunted houses create an adrenaline rush which allows you to really test out your fears. It’s also a good activity to do with a group of friends to make the haunts less scary or more enjoyable. Did you attend a haunt this Hallows’ Eve?
