If you’re like me, then you’ve decided that you’ve gone out collecting candy with the neighborhood kids for the last time, and you’re ready to move on to better things to do on Halloween. Don’t get me wrong I absolutely loved doing it for the last ten+ years and decided to dress up this year (Heisenberg from Breaking Bad) but the whole door-to-door, getting candy thing just seems childish when you get old enough. So if you’ve decided to officially hang up the fake vampire teeth and put the pillowcase back on the pillow, but you don’t want to be the boring kid who just passes out candy on Halloween, then I’ve got some ideas that will make your Halloween seem as scary as the Reds playing in an elimination game.

1. Go to a haunted house– If you haven’t gone up to the notorious “Dent Schoolhouse” yet this Halloween, this is a must-do before Halloween ends this year. #11 on HauntWorld.com’s Top 13 Haunts of 2013, Dent Schoolhouse isn’t for the faint of heart, but Halloween is all about getting scared and having fun. If you’re willing for a bit of a drive, the Land Of Illusion up in Middletown, once known as the Middletown Haunted Trail, has four haunted houses to go along with it, each one of them guaranteed to send you to the bathroom before the house is over. With its new Zombie Sniper Patrol where you climb into a truck and shoot down attacking zombies with a paintball gun, this a must-see attraction that will be sure to bring you back next year. But for the faint of heart who can’t handle the scares of a haunted house, trick-or-treating is down the street.

2. Go to the movies– The big horror blockbuster for this Halloween is Carrie, based on the classic novel by Stephen King. It opened up last week and is must see for anyone who is a fan of the original 1976 version. There is also Insidious: Chapter 2, the sequel to the 2011 box office hit that is as scary as it is chilling. Personally, I give the movie an 8/10 only for the reason that the first one was slightly better, and I would definitely recommend you see it before it goes out of theatres soon. Also, The Conjuring was just released last week on DVD and Blu-ray, and I definitely recommend going out and picking up a copy. But if you’re on a budget and can’t afford to go out, just turn on the TV and turn to AMC Fearfest for the best horror movie countdown on TV, that’s where I’ll be if all else fails.

3. Have a party– This is an option that you will have to plan ahead for, but it doesn’t require much and it could be the best option on this list. Plan what kind of food you’ll have, if the party will have a theme, pick out the scariest movie to have at the party, and let your parents take care of the rest. If your parents are awesome like mine are you can have a party almost any time you want to and they will provide whatever kind of food I ask them to, and I just have to invite the people and decide what the party will be like. Unfortunately this might not be so easy if your parents have concerns, so I would ask them way ahead of time to make sure it’s cool. For food I’d go with anything as long as there’s buffalo chicken dip (aka the best food on earth) there. I guess you don’t really have to have a theme it would just make the party cooler. I wouldn’t take movie consideration lightly. I would go through Netflix or Redbox before the party starts to make sure you’re not stuck with some stupid movie that would totally kill any buzz you have started. If you wanted my opinion I would go with anything from of the original Friday the 13th series because they’re all classics, and I was always rooting for Jason growing up. If you can get your parents’ permission and have a little green to spread out then I would opt for an awesome party this Halloween.

4. Go trick-or-treating anyway– If all else fails you can just swallow your pride, dig up your mask and cape, and perfect your Batman voice one more time. But if this does happen don’t feel like you’re alone. I talked to fellow Panther Gage Brock, who decided that he would tear up the neighborhood one more time. He told me that he was going as a door, and if that wasn’t odd enough, he said was GIVING people candy instead receiving it,

“I am a door and people will open my door after they open theirs and I will give them candy,”  he said. When I asked him why he would go door-to-door but not get candy he explained, “I give back to the people, just like Robin Hood.” Thanks for the interview Gage and good luck this year! You know, since I’m dressing up anyway, I might as well get some free candy while I’m at it. Maybe instead of Heisenberg I will go as Brett Favre because I’m making a comeback!

Whatever you decide to do for Halloween 2013 just don’t forget that, like Mr. Ruffing says, you represent Elder wherever you go, and anything and everything you do will reflect the Elder name. But even more importantly, also in the words of Mr. Ruffing, the next day will be a … Purple Friday! So don’t forget to break out that purple and show your school spirit! Happy Halloween 2013!

Sources: Hauntworld.com, Landofillusion.com