Spooky skeletons, haunted houses, and bags filled with candy. 

Halloween has been celebrated for many years, but recently Halloween has gotten a lot more popular with teenagers and adults across the United States.

In 2005, a little more than half of adults celebrated Halloween. In 2018, that number grew to more than 70 percent. Halloween has become a very popular holiday, and high school students celebrate it more because of their creativity and social life.

“I like the idea of people dressing up and seeing the different variations of the same monsters,” senior Shya Chhuth said.“Everybody has their own creative touch.”

Not only do people love Halloween for the creative outlet it provides, but they also love the energy of Halloween. Halloween has a certain appeal to teenagers and young adults. According to a poll from CBS News in 2021, half of Americans said they enjoy watching scary movies. But of those who like horror films, 71% are under the age of 35. 

“The spooky vibes really make me a fan of Halloween,” senior Mya Galloway said. 

Galloway has been a fan of Halloween for a long time. She loves all of the traditions that come with it. Galloway stated that she enjoys dressing up and that she has a lot of factors that contribute to her making her costume. 

The senior does a lot of planning and saving for her costumes since she takes costuming very seriously. She thinks about what she has been interested in that year, or what “represents and symbolizes her.” 

In addition, Galloway has always enjoyed watching other people dress up for Halloween. She has been going trick or treating every year she’s been able to and has always enjoyed seeing the unique twists of people’s costumes on Halloween.

“I feel so happy seeing other teenagers dress up,” Galloway said. “It’s nice to see people carry the tradition, even as teenagers.”

As you get older, the way you celebrate Halloween changes. People go from trick-or-treating and pumpkin carving to partying and hanging out with friends.

“I think that Halloween is enjoyable in different ways with different ages,” Galloway said. “I think that the way you celebrate evolves as you get older.”

Adults also like to celebrate Halloween with their children now. A lot of them do something small like pass out candy or watch a horror movie, but some of them still dress up or go out with friends. It’s not as popular as it is with kids, but Halloween still resonates with a lot of adults, and many of them go out for a spooky holiday.  Even some of our teachers at East Meck have started to celebrate Halloween more.

“I think it’s just fun,” media center specialist Robin Williams said. “Halloween is something that lifts people’s spirits.” 

Williams has been a fan of Halloween for a very long time. Williams celebrated Halloween with her family as a kid, but didn’t celebrate it as much as she does now.

“I lived in Alaska when I was a kid, so Halloween wasn’t as celebrated as it is now,” Williams said. “People would dress up and go trick or treating, but you didn’t decorate your house.” 

Williams celebrates Halloween by dressing up with her children and watching festive movies. Halloween has grown to become an important part of Williams’ life because of the way she celebrates it with her children.

With more people celebrating Halloween, teens and young adults are now celebrating in fun and unique ways, which pleases Galloway. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever not enjoyed Halloween,” Galloway said. “It’s always been an exciting and fun time, and I’m glad it’s finally getting popular.”