Does anyone know of any US towns that go all out with their Halloween celebrations like the one in this movie? I love Halloween and think it would be awesome to find a town that just completely lets loose with their celebrating like the entire town in Trick 'r Treat (minus all the actual killings, of course). Also a place that caters to adult Halloween lovers, not just little festivals for kids.
shareSalem, MA from what I've heard. We did one of the walking tours over the summer and it sounds like a ton of people come to there around Halloween. I think they said that they population doubles in size or something like that during October.
Other than that, I'm not really sure.
I love about an hour and a half from Salem MA and I go many times throughout the year because I love the city and the history, but October is by far definitely the best month to go. Last year Halloween fell on a Saturday and so I was lucky enough to go and experience it in the actual Halloween day. It is very reminiscent of Trick r' Treat. After about 3pm they shut down the entire downtown area to traffic and it basically becomes one huge street party, similar to Mardi Gras. There are stages with live music set up all around the city and there is just partying and dancing in the streets and everyone is in costume. There are of course tons of bars and restaraunts having costume party's as well as the big costume ball at the old haunted and historic Hawthorne Hotel. It's amazing and there is nothing else like it that I've ever experienced before.
shareAthens, OH. I've often thought this movie might be based on that town loosely.
shareFrom an interview with Michael Daugherty where he responded to a question about the inspiration of the town's Halloween celebration:
"It was a mix of Ohio University?s party in Athens, but also a mix of The Circleville Pumpkin Show and then, of course, Greenwich Village parade."
I live near Sleepy Hollow and they definitely celebrate their Halloween heritage. They have a parade with the Headless Horseman, of course, haunted hay rides and I think they even have a reading of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow for the kids near the fabled Tree of the Dead. Sadly, I've never had the chance to be there for the celebration even though I'm close by. :( But I did drive through there around Halloween time and saw lots of great decorations featuring the Horseman and that they even change their street signs to orange and black for the season.
Here one of my favorite horror critics pays a visit to the village: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7RGxtDxRF4
Houses in the historic section of our town go all out with music, yard displays, it got so big that cops had to start directing traffic around the neighborhood but it's all home grown. We're in the bible belt where churches teach that Halloween is some kind of satanic worship so the city doesn't recognize it as a holiday.
shareSure wish mine did!
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