Haunted houses with chainsaws and clowns, scary movies with Michael Myers, parties filled with terrifying costumes; Halloween is upon us with many ways to inflict fear.

 

While we all have our own ideas of what scares us year round, this spooky time of year enlightens a different sense of fear. We might face heights, public speaking, and spiders on a day-to-day basis, but a life-size Chucky doll costume has a certain uniqueness about it. Add that into the mix of a haunted house filled with scary creatures and it could just be the icing on the cake for a person’s scare tolerance.

 

James Knoerdel, junior Education major, is not a fan of such haunted houses. “Haunted houses can be very scary at times,” he states. His biggest problem with them is that they leave people in a state of the unknown, anxiously awaiting the next scare. He confesses, “Clowns with chainsaws who chase you are probably what scares me the most.”

 

Likewise, Daniella Diaz, junior Communication major, has a few Halloween fears of her own. In particular, dolls seem creepy to her because of their blank stare that never goes away. Costume wise, she states, “I dislike when you can’t see people’s faces in a costume, like anyone can be hiding in there and you would never know if it’s a serial killer or something.”

 

Not everyone is afraid of the haunt, however. Some people love Halloween just for the thrill. Personally, I absolutely love the craze of Halloween and look forward to all of the haunted events every year. A recent story based out of a Philadelphia ABC station features Dr. Sarah Allen, who confesses that these scares are actually helpful in showing us how to handle fear. “We're really looking for good fear - something that makes us feel something, but a situation we feel in control of at the same time,” she explains. This helps us to regulate the difference between real dangers and non-threatening situations. This is why it’s important to reassure kids that, when they feel afraid this time of year that they are in fact safe.

 

Another article by the Huffington Post delves into the adrenaline rush associated with expecting the unexpected. We fall into so many routine activities in our everyday lives that the idea of the unknown excites many people. This rush keeps us coming back to haunted houses and such from year to year.

 

Whether we are scared or filled with excitement, Halloween makes us feel something, if even for just one day. Happy Halloween and let yourself enjoy whatever it is that you may feel about this day.