Holiday can be more than candy, costumes
October 27, 2006
Halloween has always been a holiday for children to trick-or-treat and older folks to have costume parties. The holiday may have lost its glamour for those of us who can drive to the grocery store and buy a 10-pound bag of M&M’s for ourselves, but it certainly doesn’t have to. FYI is here with five easy ways to spice up the holiday by getting away from trick-or-treaters and mundane Halloween parties.
1. Have a horror movie
marathon.
Stuck at home for the night? That shouldn’t stop you from getting scared on Halloween. Nothing raises goosebumps better than seeing Linda Blair’s head spin around and spew pea soup or watching the murderous doll Chucky try to slay one of his playmates. If you’re weak-stomached or a straight-up wuss, you can refer to our sidebar for horror (not-so) classics.
2. Make your own horror movie.
Do you have a hard time getting scared by horror movies? Make your own. Grab some fake blood, a camera and a few friends who are willing to die on camera. Create your own “The Blair Witch Project” and then you too will be saying “I am so sorry. (sob) Because it was my fault.”
Haunted Forest
When: 7 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday
Admission: $10
Location: One block east of Jack Trice Stadium
One of the biggest attractions in Ames this time of year, the Haunted Forest is back and scarier than ever with the legend of the Phantom of Bijou, a disfigured projectionist who resides in the forest. The half-hour of thrills is fun but even better with friends you can laugh at when they are scared out of their minds.
Dand-D Farms Spooked Corn Maze
When: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday; 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday
Admission: $8
Location: A fourth mile east of Interstate 35 on Highway 30.
Like the movie “Signs” with 100 percent fewer aliens – or so we think – this maize maze will have you lost in Iowa’s number one crop and enjoying every minute of it. A rousing game of Marco Polo may just be in the cards, too.
Jaycees haunted house
When: 7 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; 7 to 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday
Admission: $10
Location: North Grand Mall
For those who can’t stand Ames’ October weather, experience the thrills of the Jaycees’ haunted house as you try to find your way out of the treacherous maze. Don’t get too lost, though – you may never make it out alive.
Goreville Manor
When: Friday and Saturday
Price: $5 prior (purchased from Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity or Chi Omega Sorority members) or $6 at the door
Location: Lambda Chi Alpha
With all proceeds going to ChildServe Convalescence Home of Johnston, these greek members are scaring for a good cause. With the Lambda Chi Alpha front lawn transformed into a haunted castle with drawbridge and moat, the night is topped off with an hourly rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” dance. Hee hee!
3. Have a seance. Tired of
dressing up as a ghost?
Communicate with one instead. Seances are somewhat complicated and may not work every time – patience is required. Place a plate of food in the center of a table. Get two other friends to be part of this event; seances are more powerful in groups of three. Place candles on the table. Make up a chant encouraging the spirit to accept your gifts of life and to communicate with you. From there, ask the spirit whatever questions you want.
Rules of a seance are simple: Don’t include skeptics, because they bring down the mood of the seance. Be respectful to the spirits; offending them by laughing at them might make them not want to communicate. Most importantly, when finishing a seance, tell the spirit to go in peace, otherwise, they might stick around. And ghosts aren’t any fun the day after Halloween, right?
4. Visit a graveyard at night.
A nightly graveyard visit is perfect for giving you a serious case of chills. Bring some flashlights and a few friends, then take turns telling your favorite ghost stories and urban legends. It’s scary enough to bring you back to the days of Snick and not being able to sleep at night after watching an episode of “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”
5. Hide behind things and scare the !?%@ out of people.
Up until middle school, children older than you got their kicks by scaring the crap out of you. Redemption is not only fulfilling, it’s a whole lot of fun. Dress in the strangest outfits you can find, jump out from behind buildings on campus and make people scream – followed by eye rolls and glares, of course. You could be inside being productive, but where’s the fun in that?
