How to Get Your Spook on This Halloween while Social Distancing

Within the last decade, the American holiday of Halloween has found itself creeping into the streets of Australian neighbourhoods, as it gains in popularity. On October 31st each year, little ghosts and witches would knock on doors, trick or treating for candy, with some households going all-out decorating their front yards with fake spiderwebs and bats. But this year’s spooky season is bound to look quite different as the horror of COVID-19 continues to confine many to their homes, turning Melbourne quite literally into a ghost town.

But just before you blow the cobwebs out and put the brooms away, know that this year’s thriller night isn’t over just yet. Here are some alternative ways you can go about celebrating Halloween that will still give your friends the heebie-jeebies.

1. Halloween Grazing Boxes
Why not send your friends a sweet but spooky grazing box treat? Not only are you showing off your Halloween spirit by investing in a spooky spin on these delicious dessert boxes but you’re also supporting the small businesses that make them. And if you’re feeling extra creative, you could even try making your own.

 

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A post shared by GRAZING BOXES MELBOURNE! (@grazingbyem) on Sep 21, 2020 at 2:56am PDT

2. Host a Virtual Costume Party
This one is particularly good for the kids. Dress up all your little munchkins and arrange a Zoom call with their friends. You can still play traditional Halloween party games too, such as who has the best costume, Heads Up!, and host a marshmallow fluffy bunny competition.

3. Take a Drive and Look at Decorated Halloween Houses
Going for a drive to look at Christmas lights is quite common in most Melbourne suburbs so you might even be lucky to see some decorated Halloween-inspired houses nearby. Given that so many of us have been confined to our homes, getting out and about would be a nice break even if you don’t catch as many decorated houses as you would have hoped for. And if you’re allowed to travel more than 5kms, the six best Halloween hotspots in Melbourne are St Kilda, Richmond, Parkville, Carlton, Eltham and Malvern East.

4. Have a Pumpkin Carving Competition with your Friends
This one can be done over another Zoom call or you could all post your designs to your social media and have your followers decide on who has the best pumpkin. You could even do this in a park close to home with another household.

5. Binge on Horror Films
You can’t go wrong with a night-in and a big bowl of delicious popcorn mixed with Maltesers. If you’re planning the ultimate fright-night, top it off with Netflix’s jam-packed range of spooky thrillers. Just don’t get too comfortable, and maybe hold onto that popcorn before it ends up in the air.

Browse the range of Netflix horror films here.

While door-knocking for candy isn’t an option this year, there’s still time to come up with a savvy way to make your Halloween a spooktacular night!