10 Prompts for Talking and Writing About Halloween

It’s October, a month that, for many in the United States and around the world, means one thing: Halloween.

If you’re looking for inspiration for how to talk or write about spooky season — whether in the classroom, around the dinner table or for your own reflection and creativity — we’ve got you covered. Below, we’ve rounded up nearly a dozen prompts we’ve published over the years related to the holiday and all that comes with it.

What are your favorite Halloween memories? How do you and your community like to celebrate? Do you enjoy horror movies and scary stories? Can you write a haunting tale of your own?

Each of these prompts includes links to our original posts, where you can find a free related New York Times article, even more questions to get you thinking, and writing from other teenagers around the world to inspire you. Most are still open for comment for students 13 and up; you can also share your thoughts here.

1. What Do You Like Most About Halloween?

Trick-or-treating. Creative costumes. Elaborate decorations. Pumpkin carving. Haunted houses. Horror movies.

Halloween, a day for celebrating all things spooky, scary and mischievous, has turned from a humble feast into one of the largest spending holidays in the United States. Read about its origins and evolution, and then tell us your favorite parts of the holiday.

2. What Was Your Most Memorable Halloween?

In response to this question, a student from Germantown, Md., regaled us with a tale of an unexpected hit costume:

I remember this time when I didn’t have the time to get a Halloween costume. So the night before Halloween at 10 p.m., I got a giant black cat mascot head and wore it for Halloween. I didn’t have any clothing, so I just wore my regular clothes. At first, I thought it was lame, but surprisingly, it scared a lot of people, especially the people giving out the candy. It was so funny, I wore the same cat head again for another two years of Halloween.

Read some of the other 200-plus responses and share your own Halloween memories.

3. How Do You and Your Community Celebrate Halloween?

It’s Halloween night. Where are you: At a party or a haunted corn maze with your friends? Trick-or-treating with your little siblings? Carving pumpkins with your family? Or on your couch, watching a terrifying movie through your fingers?

Write about how you and your community like to spend the holiday.

4. Do You Like Horror?

Vampires, werewolves and ghosts, oh my!

Do you enjoy reading, watching or listening to scary stories? Tell us about the scariest story you’ve ever heard or share your favorite horror books, movies, TV shows and podcasts.

If you’re a fan of the genre, why? What does it mean to you? In a guest essay from 2021, Stephen Graham Jones, a horror novelist, writes that “horror doesn’t just reflect our fears and anxieties back at us. It also helps us process them.” Do you agree? Share your thoughts.

5. What Was the First Scary Movie You Saw?

Do you remember the first afraid-to-do-anything-alone-afterward scary movie you watched? What do you remember about the experience? How has it stayed with you?

Here’s what a student from Baldwinsville, N.Y., wrote:

The first scary movie I saw was “Annabelle” when I was 6. My parents were watching it with their friends downstairs and I sat on the stairs to watch without them knowing … for a 6-year-old girl with lots of dolls in her room, that was probably not the best movie to watch, but I feel like that’s where my love for scary movies came from.

Share your own memories. And, if you enjoy these kinds of movies, tell us why and whether you think the genre deserves more respect.

6. What’s Your Favorite Halloween Costume, Past or Present?

Do you look forward to dressing up for Halloween each year? What has been your favorite costume you’ve ever worn? Was it store-bought or homemade? How did others react to it? Why did you love it?

Tell us about it, and share your ideas for what would make a great costume this year.

7. When Does a Halloween Costume Cross the Line?

Now it’s time for a Halloween debate: When does a costume cross the line from being edgy and irreverent to plain offensive?

Though we published this prompt in 2016, the questions about our “unsettled” and “divided” times remain relevant today. What is OK and not OK to wear? How do you know if something is funny or in poor taste? What rules or guidance would you offer others who are deciding what to go as this year? Discuss.

8. Should School Be a Place to Celebrate Halloween?

Not everyone wants to or can participate in Halloween festivities. There are those who don’t celebrate the holiday for religious reasons. Some young children find it too scary. Others, who can’t afford elaborate costumes, might feel left out.

Does this mean schools, in an effort to be more inclusive, should end Halloween celebrations? Weigh in.

9. What Can We Learn From Fear?

Halloween can be a time where we explore and confront our deepest fears, worries and anxieties. What are you most afraid of? What might that fear have to teach you?

In a special series on fear, a group of writers discusses how terror has shaped them. Alex Honnold, a rock climber, wrote about how defying death, and gravity, has made everyday life less frightening for him. Two researchers explain why a little fright can actually be good for us. And R.L. Stine, the author of the “Goosebumps” series, shares how his fearfulness as a child became the source of endless inspiration.

Read their stories, and then tell us about the role fear plays in your life and what you have learned from it.

10. What Scary Story Can You Tell?

Here is the haunting opening to a story by a student from Fountain Valley, Calif., inspired by the image of a mysterious mansion above:

In our small town, hundreds of miles away from the nearest bustling city, rumors spread like wildfire. During Halloween, one particular rumor runs rampant, becoming the center of the neighbors’ gossiping. At the very edge of town, in the heart of a notoriously pitch-black forest roaming with prowling predators, a stone mansion balances precariously atop a hill. Gossiping townspeople whisper about the clutter of splintered wooden planks and tangled masses of branches littered around the ominously silent house, flashing concealed looks of disdain. They talk about the odd couple who once resided in the abandoned manor, muttering under their breaths about the couple’s jerky mannerisms, their dreadfully dark demeanors, their ghastly pale skin, and their predatory eyes. But, as much as people avoided the peculiar couple, some could not help but be curious about the only abnormality in an otherwise ordinary town. And, inevitably, one of the curious souls was bound to act.

Read the rest of the story here, and perhaps some of the nearly 200 other teen responses in the comments. Then use these 25 picture prompts and tips from horror and suspense writers to craft your own creepy crawly tales.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.