A Trick or Treat Haul of Heebie-Jeebie Halloween Nostalgia Straight From the 1980s

Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor

Oct 23, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

It's 1986, you're having a slumber party, it's chilly outside, and the pumpkins are rotting on the porch. As your favorite Halloween special starts on TV, you chow down on delivery pizza and trick-or-treat snacks. Life is good.

When we were young, we didn't realize how rad the 80s were–especially during spooky season. Halloween in the 80s was marked by dried-up egg yolks on the principal's car, 15 lbs of candy in a pillowcase, and spooky slasher films on repeat at your friend's house. We wore stinky plastic masks that nearly asphyxiated us, we clobbered around the neighborhood smelling of mischief and sugar, and the blustering winds tossed crunchy leaves in the air like confetti. The neighborhoods were alive with pranks, glee, and the occasional 80s mom dressed up like Elvira.

It's in the more complicated times in adulthood that we wistfully imagine a childhood in the 80s. So as you nostalgically recall your favorite synth-clad 80s horror movie, remember back to the first time you ever kicked your monster feet up with your best friends, and circled around a tiny square TV to watch Scooby Doo.