# How has halloween gone from scary to horror? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 20, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433 "2023-09-20T19:47:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/1 "2023-09-20T19:47:07Z")
I am looking at Halloween decorations and costumes on Amazon. Halloween used to be about scary. Jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, bats, spiders, witches, etc Then it went to being more adult and sexy. But at least not for decorations. Now it has turned to horror- bloody knives, oversized wall posters of bloody handprints and blood. Maybe I am getting into “get off my lawn!” mode, but we like decorating for Halloween. We love handing out the best treats (last year it was full sized candy bars, this year it is gonna be glow lights), ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/2 "2023-09-20T19:56:23Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I am looking at Halloween decorations and costumes on Amazon. Halloween used to be about scary. Jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, bats, spiders, witches, etc > > […] > > Now it has turned to horror- bloody knives, oversized wall posters of bloody handprints and blood. What search terms are you using? I typed ‘Halloween decorations’ into Amazon just now and all I’m seeing is Jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, bats, spiders, witches, etc. No bloody knives, bloody handprints, or any blood whatsoever (except for a sign saying “NO TRESPASSING / WE’RE TIRED OF HIDING THE BODIES” with what looks like a few splatters of fake blood). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/3 "2023-09-20T19:59:52Z")
> [@solost](#): > > What search terms are you using? None. I am a vine reviewer and get a list of things they’d like me to review. [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBZQQD11](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBZQQD11) [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CC2X7XDV](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CC2X7XDV) True there are still 'scary" items, but I am not liking this trend. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/4 "2023-09-20T20:11:29Z")
I think the thing is that stuff like your examples may exist, but there are still plenty of kid-friendly Halloween decorations out there. I do agree that those examples are pretty extreme to be used for public Halloween decorations, but I don’t think that’s the norm. When we’d take the kids out trick-or-treating (it’s been a few years but not all that long ago) houses were all decked out with kid-friendly stuff, not like a party at Rob Zombie’s place. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/5 "2023-09-20T20:18:51Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I think the thing is that stuff like your examples may exist, but there are still plenty of kid-friendly Halloween decorations out there. Sure. > [@solost](#): > > I do agree that those examples are pretty extreme to be used for public Halloween decorations, but I don’t think that’s the norm. Maybe not the norm, but it’s a bad trend. > [@solost](#): > > When we’d take the kids out trick-or-treating (it’s been a few years but not all that long ago) houses were all decked out with kid-friendly stuff, not like a party at Rob Zombie’s place. It’s a trend I noticed in the last couple of years. So, “a few years ago” may have missed it. Mind you, it’s not everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/6 "2023-09-20T20:56:26Z")
The only thing new here is the availabilty of seasonal garage banners, a term I learned just a moment ago. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2023, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/7 "2023-09-20T21:52:34Z")
I blame John Carpenter. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/8 "2023-09-21T13:35:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Maybe not the norm, but it’s a bad trend. I like it. We don’t decorate (private road, nobody would see it) but if we did, I’d be more into Texas Chainsaw Massacre than ghosts and pumpkins. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/9 "2023-09-21T13:47:24Z")
I’m not seeing a fascination with blood as part of Halloween decorations. Large motion-activated spooky figures, yes. Hyper-Christians are revving up fear and loathing of the holiday on social media. Don’t let your kiddies be swept up in a tide of pagan Evil! “…it should make Christians very sad that so many people want to celebrate a day which was meant to give glory to God’s enemy and hellish things.” > **[What's Wrong with Halloween? • KidExplorers - ChristianAnswers.Net](https://christiananswers.net/kids/halloween-kids.html)** > > Illustrated answer for children. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/10 "2023-09-21T17:34:21Z")
Off-the-cuff conjecture: I think the mainstream positioning of horror films in pop culture in the last few decades along with millennial adults taking a more active interest in celebrating Halloween for themselves than Gen-x does/did (and certainly more than boomers did) leads to a proliferation of Halloween accoutrements like the OP notices. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/11 "2023-09-21T17:55:16Z")
Yeah, I was gonna say, I know at least three grown-ass adults my age who are obsessed with Halloween. It stands to reason as they take up a larger share of the market, things are gonna skew more adult. ---
**Author:** ![knavette57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knavette57/32/3871_2.png) [@knavette57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knavette57)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/12 "2023-09-21T18:04:50Z")
I was a child who trick or treated from about 1963 onwards. Halloween was a child’s event. When I hit about 12 or 13, it was still considered just for kids. You might take out younger sibs on that night (as I did), but you didn’t costume up. The scariest thing I recall seeing was maybe a skeleton hanging outside on the front porch. Jack O Lanterns were also a thing. I only ever wore a mask bc they were cheap and my parents did not spend money on stuff like that. Many kids did likewise. Ours was a working class neighborhood, so people were thrifty, but maybe in more affluent places, it was different. I think once adults began to enjoy Halloween (about 1990??), that is when the more horror themes emerged. Elvira might have spearheaded this movement, she was often on TV in the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/13 "2023-09-21T18:12:26Z")
I would say it’s at least as far back as the late 1990’s. I remember taking my kids to Frightfest at Six Flags and thinking that they had toned it down after 9/11. Which means the guy chasing us with the chainsaw had to be in 2000 at the latest. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/14 "2023-09-21T22:59:46Z")
The Home Depot displays over the last few years have definitely skewed horror. There’s lawn inflatables that are on the cute side, but the most prominent stuff, especially the motion-activated figures, are hideous creatures shrieking the terrible things they’ll do to passers-by. And yet…that doesn’t seem to be the trend in the actual neighborhood decorations. My theory is that the adult Halloween fanatics like the edgy, gory stuff, which costs the most $$$, so the retailers cater to them. The plastic Jack-o-lanterns are in the back row, so you can still buy stuff that won’t give the kids nightmares. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2023, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/15 "2023-09-21T23:04:13Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > My theory is that the adult Halloween fanatics like the edgy, gory stuff, which costs the most $$$, so the retailers cater to them. Could it be that the 'burbs are using the same stuff year after year? I know we do, adding a piece or two- not we have so much we cant put it all out. But I think you are likely correct. ---
**Author:** ![knavette57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knavette57/32/3871_2.png) [@knavette57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knavette57)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2023, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/16 "2023-09-22T20:37:34Z")
Very young kids are terrified of this, and sometimes they are scared of even more milder decorations (my grandson found Jack O Lanterns upsetting when he was 2). Of course, toddlers and preschoolers need more toned down stuff, with their parents in attendance. A nice little party is good for them, with big cuddly ghosts and smiley faced witches. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/17 "2023-09-23T01:50:48Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I am looking at Halloween decorations and costumes on Amazon. Halloween used to be about scary. Jack-o-lanterns, ghosts, bats, spiders, witches, etc > > Then it went to being more adult and sexy. But at least not for decorations. [![](https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,q_60,w_645/pfqgiunk8u3lsqs0mgnr.jpg) ](https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/c_fit,f_auto,g_center,q_60,w_645/pfqgiunk8u3lsqs0mgnr.jpg) Yes. An excuse to wear almost nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/18 "2023-09-23T05:08:08Z")
Maybe _I’m_ being whooshed, but that’s from The Onion. “Sexy prostitute.” Chef’s kiss. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/19 "2023-09-23T07:05:25Z")
> [@Xocomil](#): > > Maybe _I’m_ being whooshed, but that’s from The Onion. But I have seen both Sexy Witch and Sexy Maid, so… ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433/20 "2023-09-23T09:42:14Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I have seen both Sexy Witch and Sexy Maid If you lusted just say a few Hail sexy Marys. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-halloween-gone-from-scary-to-horror/990433.md?page=2)