This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Brandeis chapter.

1. Watch a horror or Halloween-based movie nightly leading up to Halloween

This first step is trouble-free and attainable from your dorm room. START TONIGHT! It’s no way too late to get in the ghostly spirit. TV networks screen horror movies constantly through the month. Certain movies are aired every year, and are MUSTS:

Halloweentown
Hocus Pocus
Psycho
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Nightmare on Elm Street
Halloween

Also, there are some quality horror flicks free for streaming on Netflix:

Children of The Corn
Rosmary’s Baby
The Cabin In The Woods
The Silence of The Lambs (this is more of a crime drama/thriller, but don’t tell me that you aren’t spooked by Hannibal Lecter, because unlike Chucky dolls, serial killers exist) (I’m scared now)(That’s the point)

2. Get to a haunted hay ride/ “screampark”

Witch’s Woods in Westford offers four haunted houses and a 20-minute haunted hayride. There are also professionally carved jack-o’-lanterns and booths selling amazing fried dough. Entry is not overpriced and group rates are decent if you’re bringing a crowd.
If you don’t have a car, take the train into the city and check out the Ghosts and Gravestones Tours in South Boston!

3. Prepare your costume!

Whether you craft your own or buy one, having a killer costume is the LIFEBLOOD of Halloween. Be inventive! Anything you can think of! (Except for Lady Macbeth, because that’s my getup for this year).

4. Bedeck your room (whether you transform it or add one thing)

If you have the time and skill, make some decorations yourself! Otherwise, take a BranVan to Walgreens or CVS. Both places have affordable decorations to help you trick out your room:

Pumpkins
Candles
Cobwebs
Festive stickers
Various motion-detected items that scare the trick out of you/anyone who walks into your room
CDs including only spooky instrumentals
Holiday lights (best w/orange or black bulbs)
Giant spiders (this list gets manic right about here)
Graveyard setups
Just grab a stray black cat off the street if you can find one (kidding!)

5. Ouija Board

SOMEONE you know has an Ouija Board. Pull it out on All Hallows’ Eve and try conjuring up some spirits. This will sure get you in the Halloween mood!

6. Create a plan for the night

This may not seem like a festive measure, but it is, and it’s essential for your best possible Halloween celebration. Have your plans organized! The holiday is near. (Be ready for the party early… that way, you can knock on a couple of doors before, because we’re all still kids at heart).

7. Pumpkin carving

Get tools, a pumpkin, a fun design, and make some fruit art. Jack-o’-lanterns have a bewitching quality. Simply looking at one could impel you to cackle like a witch/wizard, cook potions, and other standard stuff like that.

8. Candlelight and horror stories

Find a spot to create an eerie atmosphere and circle up with your friends for some scary story telling. You can craft your own, or you can read some classics. Here are some recommendations, all by Edgar Allan Poe:

The Tell Tale Heart
Raven
The Fall of The House of Usher

9. Scare others

Nothing can get you in the holiday spirit more than being the spirit, or, more fittingly, the ghost. Pull some harmless tricks on your friends by dressing up as a ghost or a zombie and surprising them the next time they visit your room! All in good fun and love for the holiday, of course.

10. Cook

Bake autumnal treats like pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, or pumpkin muffins. It feels a lot like Halloween with the mouthwatering aroma of warm pumpkin bread, fresh from the oven. If you’re a veteran baker, Pinterest has some tasty-looking treats to test your skills with!

Photo Sources:

http://cdn.lsr7.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/halloween1.jpg

http://www.onezumiverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Haunted-Hayride.j…

http://cdn.decoist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Bedrooms-that-seem-des…