Your Guide to Halloween at Harvard

When pumpkin spice lattes make their return to Starbucks and jack-o’-lanterns appear in the window displays of your favorite stores, we all know that Halloween is fast approaching. Since people of all ages love Halloween, here are some fun ways to celebrate the holiday:

Movies

“Hocus Pocus”
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy, “Hocus Pocus” is a classic children’s Halloween movie that may leave adults legitimately horrified. After 300 years, three sister witches come back to life in Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween, and it is up to two teenagers, a young girl, and an immortal cat to save Salem from the witches. It’s the perfect movie to watch if you’re looking for festive nostalgia.

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”
A musical/horror/sci-fi/comedy, “Rocky Horror” is about a newly engaged couple whose car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and must pay a visit to Dr. Frank N. Furter’s eerie residence. It’s a cult classic and even made its way into a “Glee” Halloween special episode in 2010.

Music

“Thriller” by Michael Jackson
Almost instantaneously recognizable by its electronic beats and occasional howls, “Thriller” is the go-to Halloween song. Along with its ridiculously catchy hooks and Jackson’s amazing vocals, the lyrics make the song apt for the spooky season: “‘Cause this is a thriller, thriller night / And no one’s gonna save you from the beast about to strike.”

“Jeepers Creepers”
A jazz standard from the 1930s, this song was actually written for the film “Going Places” about an unruly horse, but thanks to the 2001 horror film “Jeepers Creepers,” the song is now perceived as menacing. Against the harmonically pleasing saxophone melody, the singer eerily croons: “Jeepers Creepers, where’d ya get those peepers? / Jeepers Creepers, where’d ya get those eyes?” Spooky? Yes, indeed.

On Campus

HCSUCS’s “HA!loween Spooktacular”
The Harvard College Stand-Up Comics Society presents this annual show that features most of the comedians performing character-driven sets. The show is free and will take place Friday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. in Science Center A. Highlights from last year’s show can be found here.

“The Pirates of Penzance; or, the Slave of Duty”
Presented by the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players, “The Pirates of Penzance” is a comic operetta about a pirate apprentice, Frederic, struggling with his sense of duty. On Halloween, the show opens with a “Creative Black Tie” event (costumes encouraged), and the admission fee is only $5 with a valid student ID. The show will run until Nov. 10 in Agassiz Theater.

Off Campus

Salem, Massachusetts
If you do ever make it out of Harvard Square, Salem offers a variety of activities to do on Halloween. You can go for a Ghost Tour at Salem’s 13 Ghosts, Mahi Mahi Creepy Cocktail Cruise, the Witch Trial Trail, or just simply roam around town on the Salem Trolley. Be aware though: some of these activities may be intended for children, and may not necessarily be worth the trip.

Trick-or-Treating
Whoever said dressing up and getting free candy was a “kid’s activity” was wrong. Traipsing through Cambridge with your friends in costume and collecting sweets might be the highlight of your Harvard Halloween experience.