Halloween is happening in just under a week. Now is the perfect time to celebrate the fall season and the final days of October. Here are some ways to end the month strong without breaking the bank.
Have a Scary Movie Night
One of the easiest ways to make it feel like spooky season is to put on a scary movie. This is something that can be done with a group of friends or alone, if you’re feeling brave. Just grab your favorite snack, light an autumn candle, turn the lights off, and make sure you have a blanket to hold onto.
One movie I watched recently was Us, directed by Jordan Peele, who also directed Get Out. Both can now be found on Netflix. Us follows a family’s getaway trip where they are abruptly disturbed by figures wearing red and resembling them. They soon realize that there are more figures wearing red and have to fight to survive. The movie is a psychological horror that had the attention of everyone in the room. It is one that makes you think; I would recommend giving it a try if you have not already seen it.
Don’t have Netflix or time to watch a full movie? No worries! I saw an Instagram reel about a disturbing short film called “The Chair” on YouTube. It currently has almost 3 million views and has been nominated for multiple awards, including Best Film at the Los Angeles Short Film Fest. “The Chair” follows a man who experiences horrific events after taking an antique chair he found on the side of the road. For being so short, this is a film done well and uses amazing effects to capture and terrify its audience. You might need to turn a light on for this one.
Try a New Drink
Of course each season comes with its fair share of new flavors, whether it be for food or for drinks. This week’s spotlight goes to Pekoe & Bean, a tea house in Tinley Park whose menus never fail to please.
From the Autumn 2023 drink menu, they offer a Salted Caramel Apple Latte, Cinnamon Vanilla Matcha, Peanut Butter Cup Coffee, Pumpkin White Chocolate S’mores, Hazelnut Chai Latte, Almond Tuxedo Latte, Tiramisu Latte, Maple Cookie Cappuccino, Apple Cider Palmer, and Peanut Pumpkin Cookie Float. As a tiramisu lover, you can guess which one I decided to try. I was far from disappointed and truly cannot wait to go back and try as many more as I can.
Pekoe & Bean also released Halloween flavors available until October 31. These include Ghost Cabin, Wolfsbane, Witches Brew, and Pumpkin King.
The staff at this business always welcomes every customer. They offer longer menus than most places with flavors that can please everyone. Make sure you stop by while their fall drinks are still available! They can be found at 17028 Oak Park Avenue.
Do Some Painting
Whether you are artistic all the time or want to give painting a try, doing a Halloween-inspired piece is a fun plan for friends or on your own!
There was a recent TikTok trend to thrift an old piece of artwork and “spookify” it. I had the opportunity to do my own version of this with one of my friends. We got our paintings, our supplies, set up a candle, got Starbucks, put on a Halloween playlist, and got to work. This project not only allowed us to be creative, but gave us a canvas to start with that was not entirely blank. We wanted to add our own twist to them and had visions in mind already. For painting, a blank canvas can sometimes be the hardest part of finding inspiration. For anyone feeling this way, I would recommend trying this trend before the month is up.
Thrift a Costume
In my eyes, we are never too old to dress up and still celebrate this time of year. What can be the coolest part is trying to piece together a costume at thrift stores. Each store has unique finds that you can get for cheaper prices than a premade costume at a Halloween store.
Recently, one of my friends needed to find a pirate costume for an event he was going to. A few of us went to multiple stores to piece something together and we had a lot of fun looking through with this predetermined idea in mind.
We were able to find a work shirt to dye, some pants, a scarf to tie around the waist, and some other accessories.
For my own costume, I was able to find some cool items on Depop and some shoes in thrift stores to make my idea of a Chucky costume come together. I found a preowned Chucky shirt, an overall dress, and some red boots all for a cheaper price and with the fun of thrifting different pieces.
It is never too late to find a last minute costume. If you need inspiration, there is a ton on the Internet to get you started. Good luck thrifting and have a safe Halloween!