Halloween can have a different meaning for everyone: a time to trick or treat, a chance to dress up in carefully prepared or last-minute costumes, an occasion to party or one to cocoon inside a blanket and watch horror movies. With the holiday fast approaching, The Heights set out to discover how Newton residents will be spending their Halloween.
Chuck Sullivan, 45, is taking his two children trick-or-treating. He and his family recently moved to Newton, and it is the first time the family will put on their costumes and roam the streets in search of sweets in their new town.
“The kids really love it,” he said. “We already have our costumes!”
Sullivan will dress as a waiter at a classic American diner. His son James, 10, will dress as Naruto, a character from one of his favorite TV shows. His daughter is barely old enough to walk and yet is full of energy—which she gets out by tugging at her dad and jumping in place.
“We’ll dress her up as a dinosaur,” Sullivan said. “It’s going to be very cute.”
“I checked and I think it might rain. I don’t know—I hope it doesn’t,” he added.
For Justin Nguyen of Nonantum, the rain won’t derail his plans.
“I’m just going to spend Halloween watching horror movies with my girlfriend,” he said.
Nguyen said he is usually not a fan of scary movies—his girlfriend is the horror buff of the two. But since it’s Halloween, he feels it’s right for the atmosphere.
Martin, 25, who declined to provide his last name, plans to go on a bar crawl in the Fenway neighborhood with his friends for Halloween.
“It’s something me and my friends have been doing for a year or two now,” he said. “It’s usually very fun.”
Martin will go as Ted Lasso, the titular character of the Emmy-winning sports comedy that has grown a cult following.
“When I was younger I liked to go overboard with my costumes—as scary as possible, lots of fake blood, and everything,” he said. “Now I like something more lighthearted, you know?”
Olivia Johnson is spending Halloween with her son and husband.
“We have a tradition where we like to watch a scary movie or two before we go trick-or-treating. It gets my son really excited,” she said. “We always end up watching Poltergeist. Honestly, it might be [my son’s] favorite movie.”
Her son will go trick-or-treating with her along with his friends and their families after the movie.
“It’s a great time for the kids,” she added.
