Spooky Season Bucket Lists: Your Playbook for Keeping the Halloween Spirit Alive

Spooky Season is alive and well, and we’re here to make sure you wring every last drop of pumpkin-spiced chaos out of it. Every year we stack our calendars with activities, movies, snacks, and haunts that keep the spirit of Halloween strong, and we want to share that playbook with you.

Think of this as your official Spooky Season Bucket List, where you’ll find a mix of traditions, must-dos, and fresh ways to celebrate.

1. Begin with the Pilgrimage: Spirit Halloween

It isn’t Spooky Season until you’ve made your pilgrimage to Spirit Halloween. Whether you’re hunting for the perfect mug, stocking up on decor, or splurging on animatronics (I’m still eyeing that Art the Clown setup), this stop sets the tone for the season. Keep an eye out for exclusive finds like neon horror signs, though. They sell out fast.

2. Treasure Hunt at Unexpected Stores

Spirit might be the mothership, but the gems don’t end there. HomeGoods and HomeSense often surprise with gothic busts, candles, and throw blankets that actually elevate your crypt. Five Below? A goldmine for budget horror delights like doormats and quirky knick-knacks. Target and Walmart will also test your self-control, from NECA Horror Figures to Bloody Disgusting’s horror collection and Tyson Spooky Nuggets.

Yes, spooky nuggets.

They exist.

They’re delicious.

They’re essential.

3. Immerse Yourself in Halloween Horror Nights

This year’s lineup is stacked. From a Terrifier house with wet and dry paths (poncho recommended) to Five Nights at Freddy’s food booths, Universal has gone all out. The merch and themed snacks are half the fun: sloppy joes on chocolate almond buns, blood-red ponchos, cocktails and mocktails galore. If you’re attending, pace yourself. Try splitting the snacks with friends so you can sample everything without emptying your wallet…or your stomach.

4. Support Your Local Haunts

As big as Halloween Horror Nights gets, nothing matches the raw passion of local haunted houses. Whether it’s Miami’s House of Horror Haunted Carnival or smaller productions in your area, these haunts thrive on community spirit. Ghost tours are another underrated gem. They’re half history lesson, half performance art, and always a vibe.

5. Carve the Damn Pumpkin

Carving a jack-o-lantern is non-negotiable. Whether you go classic triangle-eyes or ambitious Michael Myers, pumpkins are the altar pieces of Halloween. Don’t sleep on spooky baking either: Stranger Things gingerbread kits, Halloween sugar cookies, pizza skulls, and the aforementioned nuggets all keep the kitchen on theme. Bonus points if you pair them with Angry Orchard’s Thriller Pack.

6. Curate the Perfect Spooky Playlist

Halloween deserves its own soundtrack. My playlist mixes horror scores, seasonal anthems, and bands like Ice Nine Kills. Add in covers like Lana Del Rey’s “Season of the Witch” and you’ll have the perfect background for decorating, driving, or luring trick-or-treaters.

7. Build Your Seasonal Watchlist

This is where the season lives or dies. Some staples never leave our community’s collective list:

• Rocky Horror Picture Show (bonus points for seeing it with a live shadow cast)
• Practical Magic
• Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown for pure nostalgia
• Animated classics like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
• And, of course, a full sweep of the Halloween franchise (every timeline, every variation, however messy)

Stack your watchlist around community events too. We’re hosting Discord watch parties all September and October long, plus our annual 31 Days of Horror challenge.

8. Join the Community Vibes

Spooky Season is bigger when it’s shared. This year, Hack or Slash is rolling out:

• 31 Days of Horror Calendar with themes and movie prompts
• Discord watch parties (including Rocky Horror and Mystery Meat’s Double Feature Theater)
• Live episode recordings like our highly-requested review of Sinners
• Patreon bonus content with extended episodes in our b-sides, which are free-sides during Spooky Season

The more you dive in with the community, the richer the season feels.

Even More Spooky Season Staples

If you’re looking to pad out your bucket list, here are some bonus activities fans swear by every year:

• Visit a pumpkin patch or corn maze: It doesn’t get more autumnal than wandering through rows of corn taller than you. The real question is whether you’d want to run into Frendo the Clown, or Pearl and her scarecrow.
• Host a costume party: Whether it’s a big bash or a small group of friends, nothing sparks the spirit like dressing up and showing off your creative chaos.
• Decorate your house (inside and out): From fog machines to fake cobwebs, or even just swapping your throw pillows for spooky prints, the vibe matters.
• Plan a horror game night: Break out classics like Betrayal at House on the Hill or Dead by Daylight. Even Werewolf or Mafia will scratch the spooky itch.
• Make a horror-themed cocktail/mocktail menu: Bloody Marys, black vodka tonics, or candy corn martinis…pick your poison.

Spooky Season isn’t just about costumes or candy. It’s about rituals.

From carving pumpkins to streaming slashers, from neighborhood haunts to national events, the season rewards the effort you put into it.

Our bucket list is just one roadmap, but the real spirit of Spooky Season is carving out your own. What’s on your list?