Halloween in a college town is a night of tricks, treats, parties, horror houses and costumes for the young at heart and the slightly old in age.
 
Many students have plans for the weekend leading up to Oct. 31, ranging from costume parties of a more adult theme to haunted houses for a good scare.

 Traditionally, Halloween is the time of year when the line between reality and fantasy becomes thin enough for grown people to dress up in costumes and carve pumpkins to ward off evil spirits.

 However, on a college campus, some students might be looking for something more fun than the regular “trick-or-treat”-ing.

 The Honors Program will host its annual Honors Student Association (HSA) Haunted House on Georgia Ave.

 The Haunted House will open for business tonight and remain open for students to creep through until this Saturday.

 Tickets will be available starting at 8 p.m. until midnight each night and sell for $3.

 “Our theme this year is the ‘Rolling Meadows Bed & Breakfast’, an old establishment with some southern charm led by a woman known only as ‘Ma Poppins’,” Michael Holman, director of the HSA Haunted House, said. “Just be careful to leave your sins at the door, as Ma doesn’t like sinners in her house and will go to any lengths to get rid of you.”

  According to Holman, 30 percent of the earnings from the Haunted House will go to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

 The HSA Haunted House won’t be the only establishment providing spooks and horrors for the adrenaline-junkies out there.   Moody Air force Base is also producing their 30th annual Haunted House just north of the base on Bemiss Road.

 The house will be open on Oct. 29 through the 31 from 6-11 p.m.. Admittance is $5 for ages 11 and up.

 Haunted houses won’t be the only thing students will take part in; there should be a hefty amount of partying before the end of Halloween night from fraternities around campus and local bars.

 However, even with everything happening on campus and around town, a big concern is safety.

 Many parties around town may involve alcohol, and Halloween, like most other holidays, is one of the most car-crash filled days of the year because so many people drive under the influence of alcohol.

 So it’s important that if you drink, you shouldn’t drive; at the very least, make sure there’s a designated driver.

 For some students not into the party scene, staying in and watching horror movies in the dark can be just as frightening as going to a haunted house or getting drunk at a costume party.   Some popular titles that may be worth watching on Halloween include “Zombieland”, “Silent Hill”, “28 Days Later”, “Paranormal Activity”, or even “Drag Me to Hell”.

 Of course, nothing beats playing a good prank on one of your friends; after all, Halloween is good for something other than begging for free candy from strangers.

 Be careful, though, as it’s quite easy to cross the line separating prank from severe injury.

 Enjoy your Halloween, VSU.