Courtesy of FOX

“The Raven”
“Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’”
The classiest segment to spawn from the depths of the “Treehouse of Horror” also happened to come from its very first episode. Originally airing for Halloween 1990, “The Raven” featured the inimitable James Earl Jones lending his voice to Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous poem. Each stanza is perfectly aligned with the show’s charming animation, which sees Homer as the despondent protagonist and Bart as the mischievous raven, and even a portrait of Marge as the lost Lenore thrown in for good measure. Whenever I read “The Raven,” I can’t help but narrate the poem in James Earl Jones’ deep and booming voice, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The Shinning”
“Urge to kill…rising…”
The fifth “Treehouse of Horror” brought us a segment that parodied Stanley Kubrick’s most famous horror film. Homer and the family are left to take care of Mr. Burns’ lodge for the winter, but Mr. Burns has disconnected all the televisions and discarded all the beer from the lodge. From there, Homer goes crazy (“Don’t mind if I do!”) and begins to hunt down his family. So far, so “The Shining.” This segment is packed with memorable moments like the blood-filled elevator, Bart cutting holes through Willie’s hedge maze, and, my favorite, Homer’s “60 Minutes” spin on Jack Nicholson’s famous “Here’s Johnny!” scene.

“Time and Punishment”
“I’m the first non-Brazilian person to travel backwards through time.”
Hey, it’s another segment from the fifth “Treehouse of Horror.” This one is based off of Ray Bradbury’s science fiction short story “A Sound of Thunder.” Homer makes a time-traveling toaster and travels back to the time of dinosaurs, only to kill something and cause massive changes in the present. Each timeline is twisted in its own way, such as Ned “re-Neducating” Springfield by forcing citizens to get lobotomies, or Bart and Lisa being giants for absolutely no reason. My favorite gag was the “Terminator 2” tile floor scene from the Ned timeline, although Homer beating the crap out of dinosaurs with a baseball bat is a close second.

“Hell Toupee”
“Now that’s what I call a bad hair day.”
Every time I so much as think of this segment, I can’t help but laugh over some of the finest jokes to grace the “Treehouse of Horror” lineage. The premise of Homer being possessed by an evil toupee from the dead convict Snake is utter genius, and I’ll fight anybody who disagrees. The animators outdid themselves on this episode by including some hilarious sight gags, such as the pack of cigarettes in Homer’s rolled-up sleeves, his hair magically curling upwards whenever Snake takes over his body, and the toupee being repeatedly shot with pistol rounds.

“Night of the Dolphin”
“Snorky…talk…man.”
Anybody who has seen this segment from “Treehouse of Horror XI” can vouch for just how stupid it is. How stupid? Walking and talking dolphins leave the ocean to violently force humans into the sea. That stupid. It’s a good kind of stupid, though. The best kind of stupid. The segment has so many notable scenes that I can’t possibly name them all, but Snorky’s speech, the dolphins perched on top of power lines (parodying Hitchcock’s “The Birds”), and the fight between humans and dolphins come out on top. It wasn’t the classiest or most clever segment, but with that premise, it was already destined for greatness.

“Bones” : “Mummy in the Maze”
For most TV shows, Halloween is just an opportunity to make the characters wear costumes. “Bones” is no exception, but it did a better job than most shows do. Each character’s costume is perfectly in line with his or her character. Angela is a super sexy and creative Cher, Cam and Brennan have a semi-serious showdown as Catwoman and Wonder Woman, Zach is the back half of a cow, and Booth is a squint. Plus, they have a reasonably intense shootout while in costume, and they explore the origins of fear as a psychological response. So basically, it’s a “Bones” episode.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”: “Halloween”
Here’s the problem with supernatural TV shows—pretty much every episode is a Halloween episode. Every episode of “Buffy” features vampires, demons and creatures of the night, so what’s left for Halloween? Fortunately, Joss Whedon came through with an interesting twist: Apparently, monsters think that Halloween has gotten too commercial, so they stay in. “Halloween” is an episode in which someone breaks the rules, worships chaos and turns everyone into their Halloween costumes. It’s a great balance of humor and plot, with a splash of philosophical consideration of what motivates people to dress up on Halloween.

“Community”: “Epidemiology”
Last year’s Halloween episode engaged in one of those high-concept premises that make “Community” so wonderful—a zombie apocalypse. When the food at the Greendale Halloween party turns everyone into zombies, Troy must step up as “the first black man to make it to the end” and save the day. The party’s playlist consists of only ABBA songs, which juxtapose nicely with the action.

“Halloweentown”
The first movie in the “Halloweentown” series follows Marnie Piper’s discovery of her witchhood and her journey to investigate all the mysterious disappearances in Halloweentown. Filled with elaborate costumes and cheesy plot lines, “Halloweentown” is sure to bring back childhood memories of doing nothing on a weekday night but watching your favorite Disney Channel movie.

“How I Met Your Mother”: “Slutty Pumpkin”
This first season classic centers around a Halloween party on the roof of Ted and Marshall’s building. Four years prior, Ted met the beautiful “Slutty Pumpkin” at the party, and he’s been showing up in a “Hanging Chad” costume leftover from the 2000 election ever since. The best joke in the episode revolves around Barney, as usual, who shows up in three costumes over the course of the night to woo a girl.

“Hocus Pocus”
This film has all of the necessary Halloween elements, from witches to magic to ghosts. Nonetheless, an air of humor pervades the film, mainly through the interactions between the three Sanderson Sisters (played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy). The cheesiness makes it fun to watch as older children and adults, and it’s not too scary for younger children. For extra oomph, the movie is set in Salem, Mass., a city with a history of witches and eerie occurrences.

“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”
This Halloween classic has aired on TV around this time every year since 1966, so we know it’s important in Halloween lore. However, it’s sort of a sad story. Linus stays up all night waiting for the Great Pumpkin to come (and the Great Pumpkin doesn’t), and all Charlie Brown gets while trick-or-treating are rocks. Still, the animated special is a classic, and the Peanuts characters somehow win our hearts every year.

Courtesy of ABC

“The Nightmare Before Christmas”
This 1993 Tim Burton stop-motion classic is perfect. The soundtrack is amazing (thanks to Burton’s go-to man, Danny Elfman) and the concept is clever: Jack Skellington, king of Halloween, stumbles upon Christmastown and is so taken with the idea that he tries to organize the holiday himself. As the Halloweentown denizens—a literal patchwork of endearing-yet-creepy characters—set about “making Christmas,” you can’t help but cringe and smile at the same time. Also, Jack’s dog Zero is adorable.

“Twitches”
Starring twins Tia and Tamera Mowry, “Twitches” is another Disney Channel Halloween must-see. It is enjoyable, entertaining and kid-friendly. “Twitches” does not closely follow the book series on which it was based, which is disappointing. However, the plot of twin sisters discovering they have magical powers (not to mention meeting and finding out that they’re twins) and combating a force deemed the Darkness in another world is great to help you get into the Halloween spirit.

Emily Shur | MTV

The cast of the second season of “Jersey Shore” poses.

5. The cast of “Jersey Shore”

It’s too late in the year to appropriately get a fake tan (if it’s ever appropriate, anyway), and we don’t want you spending a ton of money on enough makeup to turn your body carrot-colored. Stay away from the guido look until summer.

4. Rachel Berry from “Glee”

You think it will be easy to dress as Rachel, as you’ll just need to find a headband and some ugly sweater and tights. We think you should save both your dignity and the sweater for the ubiquitous Christmas sweater party.

3. Any “Harry Potter” character

The last book came out in 2007, and the final movie has been out of theaters for a few weeks now. The “Harry Potter” craze, for the time being, should be over. It’s too early for nostalgia, and it’s not like Pottermore is even available for those without beta access.

2. Lady Gaga

With the amount of candy being given out on Halloween, there’s enough gross food out there to drive any kid crazy. Some things that won’t help the problem: a dress made out of meat or some kid walking around in an egg. Don’t turn to Gaga for inspiration.

1. Edward and the rest of the Cullen vampires

There’s one prop we all agreed we really, really don’t want to see this Halloween, and it is body glitter! First of all, vampires are supposed to die in sunlight. They wouldn’t be able to sparkle. Second, it’s dark when you trick or treat, anyway, so the point should be moot. If you going for the vampire look, either attempt the classic Dracula outfit or stick with other pop culture demons.

Kevin Hall | Student Life

Freshman Nana Kwansa greets trick-or-treaters at her suite on the South 40 and hands out candy.

On Saturday, Oct. 30, residents of the South 40 were geared up in their costumes, handing out candy to the visiting trick-or-treaters. The children who participate in Safe Trick or Treat are usually St. Louis children who can’t trick-or-treat in their own neighborhoods due to safety concerns, though Wash. U. faculty and staff members also bring their children to participate.

“Trick or treating is a privilege that [most Wash. U. students] take for granted…it’s core to childhood,” said Lionel Johnnes, the fundraising and special events chair of the Campus Y.

Preparation for this year’s Safe Trick or Treat began in September, when the members of Campus Y began communicating with various St. Louis branches of the YMCA and other organizations in order to reach out to local families and inform them of Saturday’s event.

Campus Y also collaborated with EnCouncil and CS40 to create a spooky set of life­-size board games, including a graveyard-themed mini-golf course and “whack­ an engineer.” The hope was to provide these children who otherwise wouldn’t have a typical Halloween experience with wholesome fun and, of course, candy.

Kevin Hall | Student Life

Children on campus for Safe Trick or Treat walk through a hallway in Park House that has been decorated for Halloween.

Safe Trick or Treat is the Campus Y’s banner event of the year, which allows Wash. U. students to make a difference in the lives of local children.

“We come every year,” said a mother of three whose kids were dressed as a bear cub and two super heroes. “They love it.”

Her sentiments were echoed by other families, including newcomers who were impressed by the decorations in Liggett-­Koenig.

Johnnes discussed hopes that this event will not just impact the annual celebration of Halloween for St. Louis locals but perhaps inspire these children to participate in service as well. He feels that if the children recognize that Wash. U. students are providing them with an opportunity, maybe they will aspire to do the same by helping other St. Louis children as they grow up.

It looks like in the giving arena, the kids are off to a good start; on Saturday, one little girl offered a Reese’s peanut butter cup to one of the volunteers.

Campus Y promulgates a positive outlook on service in the student body and in the children they help through Safe Trick or Treat and some of its other events. “It requires minimal effort from the students and has great returns,” Johnnes said.

After dedicating many hours over the past few months to orchestrating this event, Johnnes felt, with good reason, that his efforts were well spent.

I’m not a stickler for tradition. When it comes to Halloween, I’m a live-in-the-moment kind of guy. Who cares that the holiday is rooted in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhein? Halloween should be appreciated in regard to the current zeitgeist. It has evolved into a much higher form, that is, until you get tired of partying. But by then you’ll probably have kids, so you’ll be right back where you started. To those who would argue that Halloween should stay grounded in its roots, and that its current incarnation is offensive, I would simply respond, “Sorry for partying.”

There is a stretch of a few years in our lives when we are not under the oppression of “the Man.” If lucky, we have a few years of high school (unless your parents were “the Man”), and then our years in college. After that, lame stuff like jobs starts to rub away at all the cool stuff, like fun and free time. When you start drinking your beer out of glass instead of a Solo cup, you’ll know that time has come. It is our collegial responsibility to take full advantage of these fruitful years. “Ridiculous” should be a word you commonly use to describe your life, let alone your activities. “Fear” is a word that should never be uttered, unless, of course, you fear that your level of awesomeness is falling below acceptable levels. When one of those adult figures asks you what you study in college, ignore her and say, “I go hard.” We throw responsibility to the wind, until, of course, we need to get something done. And then we do that to the best of our abilities. That is going hard.

Holidays like Halloween provide us the opportunity to maximize the potential of such a vivacious outlook on life. Ignore the naysayers who criticize Halloween for being too risqué. Halloween is a time to go nuts, to let go of inhibitions. There is something to be said for the benefits of having a weekend of hilarity, raw carnality and suggestive adventure. To those who think that Halloween is too centered on alcohol or too risqué: You are in a costume, it’s not like people can tell who you are. Duh.

With that being said, I urge you to wear your slutty police officer costumes proudly, embrace the pain of freezing pectoral muscles while you strut around in your fireman costume with suspenders as a shirt. Halloween is an inspiring spectacle. Make those Samhein-celebrating Celts wish they could party with us. They’d be honored to see how far their holiday has come.

Lane Christiansen | Chicago Tribune | MCT

3) The Rent is Too Damn High Guy
You’ll need gloves, a mustache and the ability to perform karate.

4) Double Rainbow
Fashion two rainbows out of construction paper and start crying.

Alex Ibanez | ABACA PRESS | MCT

6) Mel Gibson
Get so drunk and racist that the cast of “The Hangover 2” bans you from the set. These are the same guys who cast Mike Tyson in a movie.

7) Lady Gaga
Beg the butcher department at Schnucks for last week’s steaks and somehow fashion them into some sort of clothing substitute. We’d give you more concrete advice, but Cadenza is still not sure how that all stuck on her. If you’re of the vegetarian persuasion, buy a giant block of tofu.

Gary Emeigh | MCT

9) Tea Party Member
Wear revolutionary clothes and hold a sign that says, “Obama is a Komunest.” Also, try to find a sun hat. Hang tea bags from it. Refuse to use your inside voice.

Host a Monster Mash Bash:

So we know you’re probably planning on heading to the frats this weekend for some of their parties, but what’s a Halloween without a pre-monster mash bash? Forgo the stress of providing dinner and make some Halloween punch instead (blood anyone?). Try this recipe for a spooky treat.

Bloody Vampire Punch:

1 quart or liter cranberry juice

1 liter 7-Up or Sprite

1 package frozen strawberries in syrup

thawed Grenadine

Place strawberries in a punch bowl (Large black cauldron is preferred)

Add cranberry juice and stir

Pour in 7-Up or Sprite

Pour in Grenadine

Do not stir—SO THE GRENADINE LOOKS LIKE BLOOD (yum)

Add alcohol to your desired amount!

Maybe throw in some spine-tingling snacks like gummy eyeballs, organs and brains to bring back the creepiest memories of childhood. You can’t have a great Halloween pre-game (or all-night event) without some awesome decorations too. Keep the lights dim and be sure to throw some cotton cobwebs (easily found at any drug store) all over the walls. Keep a plastic pumpkin filled with your favorite candies on the coffee table—you may be sophisticated college kids, but we know you still love candy! We happen to love the pumpkin shaped Reese’s.

It’s that one night of the year when it is totally fair to wear the craziest costume and go wild. So encourage your friends to deck themselves out because everyone loves a party filled with vampires, ministers, French maids and Na’vi.

Roadtrip to State Street:

Two words: Halloween and Wisconsin.

State Street, the infamous center of University of Wisconsin, attracts around 50,000 costumed partygoers on Saturday for “Freakfest.” And good news—it’s only a five and a half hour road trip away! So pack up your car with loads of costumes and some junk food for the road, and head out in time to catch the performances by OK Go, Stealing Angels, Mechanical Kids, DJ Will Calder and more. Be prepared to see anything from cross-dressing frat boys to the most obscure costumes like an H1N1 Virus and Facebook. Best of all, there’s a costume contest with expensive prizes like vacations and flat-screen TVs.

While Halloween in Madison already has a legendary reputation, this year’s Freakfest is said to be the freakiest and nuttiest of all. Make sure to plan ahead though (even though we always stress spontaneity) because you can’t get onto State Street without a wristband, and most of the clubs sell all of their tickets the week before.

Visit a Haunted House:

The Darkness

This haunted house located at 1525 South 8th Street, is a St. Louis local favorite during the fall. Rated the 13th best-haunted house nationally in 2010, The Darkness has its name for a reason! The 30,000 square foot warehouse hosts a walk-through section filled with live, shivering ghosts and zombies who will literally chase you down narrow corridors.

We won’t tell you more and ruin the surprise, but it might be wise to wear sneakers. The Darkness also features a brand new 3-D room that is sure to totally creep out all who enter. This year, the warehouse underwent its biggest renovation in 17 years, and the newly added second floor funeral home is said to be the scariest place of all. If you think you can handle it, make sure to purchase your tickets from www.scarefest.com.You don’t want to miss out, and tickets sell out fast—so pre-purchasing them isn’t a bad idea.

And don’t forget to read the WARNING advisory before entering…

I spent another early Halloween dressed as a mail carrier. Again, I’m not really sure of the motivation behind that one.

Illogical as these childhood costumes may seem now, they have one important trait in common. Each one allowed me to temporarily slip into a different persona, to experiment, to become something other than my childhood self.

In that sense, Halloween costumes should be irrelevant to college students. The entirety of our four years is meant for self-exploration, for trying on new masks and new costumes daily and figuring out what fits best. In theory, we have no need for a specific day to dare to become someone new.

Yet that isn’t quite how it works out. College students celebrate Halloween more intensely than most. Sure, we’ve traded princess (or, in my case, clock radio) costumes for something a bit more revealing, and we consume large quantities of alcohol instead of hard-earned Halloween candies. Still, we love the opportunity to play dress-up.

College does allow us some room for experimentation and change, but too often, it is insufficient. We too readily become prematurely trapped in costumes we chose long ago or in those laid out before us.

The decision to attend Wash. U. is itself in some ways confining. This is a school full of smart, motivated students. Accepting an offer of admission here commits us to four years—and eventually, a lifetime—of successful overachievement.

And then there are the majors we choose and the friends we acquire. These too confine us. Sometimes we switch our academic focus or our friendships alter, but these changes are the exception rather than the rule. As our college career progresses, our role here becomes increasingly pre-defined.

We have our entire lives ahead of us, full of set careers and familial obligations. True, there is a great deal of comfort in developing a fixed identity, and I often wish to speed up the process of self-discovery and arrive immediately at the knowledge of my purpose in life. Still, I’m not ready to be done playing dress-up.

Halloween shouldn’t be the only time we feel brave enough to slip on new roles and try things we would not attempt unmasked. We should be pushing ourselves routinely, constantly, to try more, to explore more, to be more.

We should be pushing each other, too. I wish I could say that bold experimentation comes solely from within and, therefore, reshaping our college experience requires nothing more than a few introspective glances in the mirror. The truth is, however, that redefining ourselves is much easier when the world around us is open to such redefinition.

Ultimately, we should strive to make the Wash. U. experience a bit more like a perpetual Halloween, albeit without the fake spider webs and tombstones. Or the clock radio costumes.

Eve is a junior in Arts & Sciences and a forum editor. She can be reached via e-mail at elsambor@wustl.edu.

(Mike Hirshon | Student Life)

Our plans, however, unwound into a mildly disgruntling but still quite exciting journey, us having found an adult block party in the middle of Euclid, complete with a dancing deck of cards and many women (and men) dressed up as tawdry-looking Disney characters. Because of all the drunken debauchery, I would assume, no one within a three-block radius would open their doors to a bunch of poor, pathetic college students. Still, it was all too funny to see.

Decked in a scarf and pants about five sizes too small for me, I realized that no one truly ever grows up.

Life has a tendency to put restrictions on us as we grow older: Play nicely with others, go to college, pay your own cell phone bill, get a good job, stop picking your nose. The list goes on, and we wrap ourselves in these costumes of “adults,” responsible, caring, good citizens who contribute to the greater good, and try our hardest to keep order, peace and reverence and not hit our cousin Jimmy when he tries to steal our Tonka trucks.

Adulthood is an expectation that has afflicted generations and generations before us as we maintain propriety rather than express how we truly feel. Oftentimes, it isn’t adult-like to act silly and let loose. We become so caught up in what we have to do that we forget who we used to be; we’ll put on the suit or the corporate mask or the soccer-mom wig, and when we finally do look at ourselves in the mirror, we don’t even know what is staring back at us.

The block party, though, is proof that given an opportunity, the child in us will get out. All it takes is one occasion, one little chance to revert back to adolescence, or even childhood, and adults will jump at the opportunity, whether responsibly or irresponsibly.

If adulthood is so uncomfortable, why do we bother trying to perform as adults? I don’t mean to say that we should just let everything fall into anarchy, and I know we do have to behave responsibly, but why is there so much tension in the world? Why do we kill ourselves putting on this image of some stereotype that is generations old? We’re all trying to do well in school or in our jobs so we can make a better life for ourselves, yes, but if we don’t take a second to look around—past the textbooks and the minivans and the taxes—we will miss what life is about.

It is more than just this performance starring the over-18 crowd. From time to time, we need to look back and see where we came from. We need to laugh, enjoy ourselves and be who we are, free from worries about what anyone else will think.

I can tell you from experience that some pants are just too tight to wear and should not be seen on your body or mine. Step out from your imposed adulthood and seriousness, and I think you’ll find that it’s much easier to breathe.