Aussie Halloween fans ready for spooky spree

It’s the day ghosts and ghouls hit the streets – and it’s back with a vengeance* this year.

More Australians than ever are expected to get into the scary swing of Halloween this October 31, dressing up in their spookiest costumes and decking out* their homes and streets in spine chilling decorations and extravagant* light shows.

Indeed, local Halloween haunts* are coming back to life after two years of Covid-19 restrictions, according to Andrea Beattie, the co-founder of Hallozween, a website for fans of Halloween.

“A lot of Halloween lovers are going all out to make up for previous years, planning elaborate* walk-throughs* and haunts that are bigger and better than ever before,” Ms Beattie said.

“At Hallozween, we’ve seen loads of local community trick-or-treating groups promoting their events on our Facebook page, as well as an increase in registrations for local trick-or-treating maps around the country.”

Australians are tipped to spend $430 million on Halloween celebrations this year, stocking up on food and sweets for trick-or-treaters and buying costumes and decorations, according to research by the Australian Retailers Association and Roy Morgan.

“Halloween is a great time to celebrate some spooky silliness and with five million Australians expected to do so this year, the event will help build sales momentum* for retailers* in the run up to Christmas,” said the association’s chief executive, Paul Zahra.

Melbourne woman Natalie Mitchell and her family – along with a skeleton named Anna – look forward to hosting their annual Halloween party, while raising much needed funds for local charities.

Last year’s event raised more than $8000 for the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.

“If the weather is nice, we could see well over 1000 people come through,” Ms Mitchell said.

“Our theme this year is Jurassic Park. People will be able to get photos, dance along with some tunes from our DJ and score a yummy lolly bag. They can also buy raffle tickets, make a donation and purchase cookies on the night.”

Ms Mitchell’s home is one of 17 in her area that will go all out for Halloween, and they have produced a map to make it easier for trick-or-treaters to find them on Monday night.

Roberto Pugliese is another who embraces* Halloween, turning the backyard and garage of his Craigieburn home in Melbourne’s north into a haunted house.

Mr Pugliese said he spent between $2000 and $4000 on his home’s Halloween fit-out, which will have a Stranger Things theme this year.

“This is our seventh year and each year it gets bigger,” he said.

“It’s fun to see people enter with confidence and exit crawling on the floor in fear.

“We record the event and share the footage. We love it, and so do our guests.”

GLOSSARY

• with a vengeance: happening with great force or to a much greater extent than expected
• decking out: dressing or decorating in a fancy way
• extravagant: over the top, expensive
• haunts: places often visited
• elaborate: made with great care and featuring much detail or many parts
• walk-throughs: activities in which someone walks through an area
• momentum: progress or development, forward movement
• retailers: people or businesses that sell something
• embraces: accepts willingly and enthusiastically

EXTRA READING

Tips for a Covid-safe Halloween

Halloween’s hidden history

QUICK QUIZ

1. How much money are Australians tipped to spend on Halloween this year?
2. How many Australians are expected to take part in Halloween?
3. What is the name of Natalie Mitchell’s skeleton?
4. How much money did Natalie and her family raise for the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal last year?
5. What is the theme of Natalie’s Halloween decorations this year?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Halloween lover or hater?
Some people love Halloween but others hate it. Which side of the fence are you on? Can you convince somebody who thinks differently to you to change their opinion? Write down the convincing reasons you would give to sway them to your side.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

2. Extension
Draw a floor plan for a spooky Halloween haunted house. Label your house to explain the scary surprises that visitors will encounter in each room.

Time: allow 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Design and Technologies; Mathematics

VCOP ACTIVITY
Imaginative dialogue
Imagine you are going trick-or-treating and when you knock on the door of a house in your neighbourhood a person dressed in a very strange costume answers your knock.

Create a conversation between you and this strange character. Don’t forget what day it is, why you are knocking on the door and why this person is dressed the way they are.

Go through your writing and highlight any punctuation you have used in green. Make sure you carefully check the punctuation used for the dialogue and ensure you have opened and closed the speaking in the correct places.