October starts tomorrow and that means Halloween is right around the corner. It is time for scary movies and spooky decorations. 

Tarleton has a strong history of student involvement in school activities and this extends to the Halloween festivities. Many of the students on campus are excited for the opportunity to get to decorate their dorms for Halloween.

Whether you are super festive or more on the lowkey side of decorating, there is fun to be had for everyone. Honors student Aquarea White explained his and his roommates’ plans to decorate their dorm.

“Probably like a movie theme. Like a scary movie theme. Like Jason or Freddy Krueger or something like that,” White said.

Scary movies are a good source of inspiration in your Halloween decorating endeavors. There are a lot of themes and iconic props or characters that you can incorporate into decorations. These can consist of Jason’s hockey mask from “Friday the 13th” or a zombie theme from “Night of the Living Dead.” 

This can also extend to Halloween movies that aren’t necessarily scary, like “Hocus Pocus” or “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” 

Find a movie or theme that interests you so that you feel comfortable and excited in your space once it is decorated.. Have fun with decorating and be proud of whatever decorations you choose to put up. Halloween is about having fun and maybe being a bit goofy too. So don’t be afraid of what people might think, just do what you and your roommate want to do and have fun with the decorating.

“Choose a topic or theme that you actually are involved with. Don’t pick a movie or topic that you’ve never seen before,” Aquarea White said. 

Another good way to decorate your dorm is to do some more simplistic decorations. Such as the pumpkin cut-outs,the mini skeletons, and little jumping spiders. Pinterest is a good way to get ideas for decorations and inspiration for how you want your dorm to look. 

Many people have simple designs or decorations that you can use for your decorations. Don’t be afraid to look and ask other people for ideas on how you can decorate your dorm. Many people are happy to help and can assist you in any questions you may have. 

With a month before Halloween, don’t stress about finding out what themes or decorations you want to put on your  door or inside your living space. 

“I would probably do like the spider-web kind’ve cloud stuff. And I know they have mini skeletons you can hang on the spider-webs and put spiders on it,” Kaycee Clark said.

When it comes to decorating your living space, many students may need some helpful tips on what to do and what not to do. Decorating can come as a challenge to some people so here is some advice from fellow classmates“Don’t do too much on your dorm door, because you don’t want to risk it falling off,” Kaycee Clark said.

“Don’t be embarrassed, just get in the spirit and do it,” Isabella Errisuriz said.

“I would say to just try to have fun with it, Because it’s more fun, like just in general, not just Halloween, to just participate and get into things. It’s a lot more fun,” Caleb Martin said.

Don’t sweat it when it comes to decorating your dorm, have fun and be yourself. Do whatever creative themes or ideas come to mind. There’s no right or wrong way to decorate for Halloween. 

What matters is having fun and enjoying partaking in the festivities. Some good stores to go to to find Halloween decorations are: Walmart, Dollartree, Dollar General, Family Dollar, HEB, Kroger, Spirit Halloween, and Party City. Dollar Tree and the other cheaper store locations are really good as you can get a lot of decorations, lights, and props for a pretty cheap price. 

You save a lot of money when it comes to getting all the materials you need to decorate. The other more general locations are good for getting a better variety of costumes and decorations, but will have a more expensive price.

Halloween is a special time of the year in that people can be super creative and decorate in any fashion they want to and have fun. It’s a time for creative expression and bonding with  peers by going to look at different Halloween decorations or putting up your own props yourself. With a little over a month left, Halloween is creeping up on us and it’s gonna be a fun October at Tarleton.