The spectacle has reached new heights, yet the heart of Halloween is still creativity

Originally written for the Weber Forecast

Once upon a time, all you needed for Halloween was an old bedsheet, pair of scissors (sorry Mum) and a selection of terrible jokes for your neighbours to fake-smile to. Now? If your costume wouldn’t get you accidentally submitted to A&E, are you even trying? Somewhere between our sheet ghosts and prosthetic bullet wounds, Halloween traded simple spooks for high-value shock factor. ​

Our feeds are crawling with realistic ‘mice stews’, missing posters for your friends (just for fun!), and makeup tutorials that should come with a parental advisory. The iconic symbol of Halloween, the Pumpkin, has gone full extreme-makeover mode. With 12-mile queues of 20,000 eager pickers, to professional pumpkin carvers charging £300-£1500 for masterpieces worthy of a horror film rather than your front door. ​

Childhood whimsy has met shock factor, and we can’t stop watching. We used to play at being scared, now we stage elaborate scenes, swipe through serial-killer cosplay and obsess over themed décor. Theme parks have even gone from rickety ghost trains to full blown horror movies (we won’t be able to sleep now, thanks Six Flags). Somewhere along the way Halloween horror went from playful to blood curdling, but at least we can say that imagination is still the guest of honour. ​

Halloween has grown, gotten louder, and maybe a little gory, but creativity is still alive in every DIY costume, every glowing pumpkin, every shared scare. This year, let’s celebrate the joy of pretending, crafting, and laughing together, or should we say screaming?

Insight: Even as Halloween has become more extreme and performative, audiences still crave creativity and DIY fun. Leverage this by enabling playful, imaginative experiences rather than just selling spectacle.