Flyer News Staff’s Favorite Childhood Halloween Costumes, Candy, and Movies!

Kerry Kadel | Editor-in-Chief

I asked my Flyer News team if they would be willing to share their favorite childhood Halloween costumes, their favorite candy to eat around the holiday, and movies they love to watch that get them in the spooky mood!

Katie Costello – Advertising Associate

My favorite Halloween costume I’ve ever dressed up as would have to be when I was 4 years old. I dressed up as Madeline from the book by Ludwig Bemelmans. I was obsessed with that story and made my mom read it to me nonstop—I thought it was so cool that Madeline had red hair, just like me. 

Still to this day my favorite Halloween movie is Girl vs. Monster with Olivia Holt. I used to look forward to Disney Channel’s Monstober every year, and that movie quickly became one of my all-time favorites.

 When it comes to candy, Twizzlers, Peanut Butter M&Ms and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are my top picks now, but back then, Swedish Fish were my go-to.

Kerry Kadel – Editor-in-Chief

I went as a UD cheerleader one year when I was fairly young, with my younger sister matching. We both are attending UD, with me as a senior and my sister a sophomore! The only thing incorrect with this photo is that I am no longer taller than my little sister, she totally outgrew me. Ironically, we are both so uncoordinated that neither of us had the interest to actually be cheerleaders. 

I have a lot of favorite movies, but I think the best Halloween movie I’ve watched this month is Doctor Sleep directed by Mike Flanagan, the sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, which had me wanting to read my first Stephen King book! The Colorado Kid is a quick read and pretty tame for a first King novel, but Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards is next on my TBR list for the autumn season! 

 My favorite candy to receive on Halloween are Kit-Kats, but that’s always been a favorite treat of mine, and maybe it’s because of the alliteration of its name and mine, but I could also eat a whole bag of Kit-Kat minis.  

Alexis Lane – Website Technician

I think that some of my favorite halloween costumes would have to be when my mom had my little sister and I in matching costumes when we were super little. I think having two girls, my mom saw the opportunity when we were little to match us since she knew the days of us having our own opinions were forthcoming. We dressed as a flower and a bee, two different Care Bears, Miss Piggy and Kermit, etc. I also loved when I was Dorothy for Halloween. I was so excited to be a character with hair just like mine and tie little bows into my long braids.

I don’t remember watching a ton of Halloween movies as a kid, however I remember fondly sitting on our kitchen floor every year the week before Halloween and carving pumpkins. My dad would use the carver, my sister and I would design, and my mom would be toasting pumpkin seeds. My favorite Halloween candy would have to be KitKats or just plain Hershey Bars, I have a thing for chocolate. However my dad would tell you his favorite part about Halloween was having two girls who despise peanut butter (even to this day), as he was the lucky recipient of every single Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup we ever got. 

Bryce Russell – Arts and Entertainment Editor

My favorite costume as a kid was Dracula when I was 4. My mom always made my costumes for me, my second favorite being Frankenstein when I was 8. My go-to Halloween candy has always been anything Reese’s, which worked out great because my best friend I trick-or-treated with was allergic to peanuts, so I automatically got all of his.

Some movies I always watch around this time of year are Halloween (and Halloween 2, you got to watch them back-to-back), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre from 1974, and The Bride of Frankenstein from 1935. My favorite is, and always will be, Evil Dead 2 from 1987. It’s the best horror comedy of all time.

With my birthday at the beginning of the month and Halloween at the end, October will always be my favorite month. Spooky season is the best, especially when “Monster Mash” is on repeat.

Olivia Shirk – Social and Digital Media Coordinator

There was a solid period of time where I consistently was some sort of Disney princess for Halloween. One of my favorites when I was kid was my princess Belle costume. I’m pretty sure I wore this at least three times for Halloween, but also during other random times of the year. I am not sure if anyone else’s parents made them wear a turtleneck/long sleeve shirt/coat with their costumes, but I remember being angry that my Mom made me wear one (even though she was definitely right about it being cold, thanks Mom!). I am also pretty sure I tried to convince her that I should wear yellow, sparkly, plastic “high heels”, but that was quickly a “no”.

I must confess, I don’t like chocolate so trick-or-treating was always a toss up for me. I would often trade with my sister the chocolate candy I collected for her Starburst, Smarties, Sour Patch Kids, etc. My favorite Halloween movie would probably be It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown or any Modern Family and The Middle Halloween episodes.

Rachel Smith – News Editor

My favorite childhood costume was when I went as a lion when I was two. My mom told me that the costume was passed down from my neighbors and I was OBSESSED with it! Looking back on the picture I can’t help but smile. As I grew up, Halloween ended up becoming my favorite holiday and I would spend the whole year looking forward to the pretty foliage, pumpkin patches, and ABC Family’s 31 Days of Halloween that they aired every year. 

I still love watching all of the classic Halloween movies, spanning from The Nightmare Before Christmas to Interview With the Vampire (both movie and tv adaptation). While watching these incredible movies, I prefer to snack on Reese’s Cups, Kit-Kats, and pumpkin drop cookies! If you need me, I’ll be stomping around campus trying to find the best, most crunchy leaves to step on!

Anel Solares – Podcast Manager

My mom custom made a lot of my costumes when I was younger, making it hard to pick a favorite. Here I’ve chosen my adorable bee costume, chubby toddler cheeks and all. I wasn’t really conscious enough to understand the slay, but it’s safe to say it was a hit. My favorite candies are Nerds gummy clusters, Kit-Kats, and Hi-Chews. 

My favorite Halloween movies are The Night Before Christmas, The Addams Family, Casper, and any of the old Twilight Zone episodes. Morticia and Gomez are an elite couple. There’s so many classics I haven’t seen mainly because I’m a scaredy cat. I want to build my tolerance, so here I’m manifesting seeing: The Craft, Jennifer’s Body, Death Proof, A Cabin in the Woods, Scream, Saw, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. For now though…I’ll stick to It’s a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

TJ Thompson – Sports Editor

My favorite childhood costume growing up was when I went as a Mario. I was a massive Mario and Mario kart fan growing up. I remember always playing on the bus on my DS growing up and on my GameCube with my siblings and friends. I have never been a huge fan of scary Halloween movies, but the Halloween specials on Disney and Nickelodeon growing up were always awesome. My favorite Halloween candy has always been Reese’s cups and I know it’s a hot take but I love candy corn. I think it tastes great and I would always take all my siblings because they hated it. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. The trick-or-treat followed up by trading candy with my friends are some of my favorite memories.

Happy Halloween Flyers!