Mount Hood

Halloween horror nights

Written by: Taylor Duff | Lifestyle Editor

Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, also known simply as Halloween Horror Nights, HHN, ran from Sep. 5 to Nov. 3 and is an event on many bucket lists. As the events and scares are now wrapped up for the 2024 season, there was so much excitement to recount. There were eight new haunted houses, a terror tram, four scare zones and two live shows. For RIP — meaning “Rest in Peace” as opposed to the traditional “Very Important Person” — guests there were extra perks, such as a tour guide who takes guests upfront past the lines to experience the haunted houses and get a gourmet meal with access to the VIP bar. For ultimate horror fans, the RIP tickets are the best way to experience the event with a guarantee to travel through each house. The houses or mazes are frequently made after iconic horror movies, television series or creative creations developed by Universal’s skilled artists. The houses are filled with performers portraying characters, jump scares and spooky settings. 

Halloween Horror Nights is aimed at a more mature audience, with unexpected scares and dark, mature themes that make it unsuitable for small children. It’s a location where horror aficionados, adrenaline junkies and Halloween enthusiasts can come together for a terrifying, high-energy occasion.

The houses for 2024 included “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” following the recent film release, and included an ice-infested scene with many specters and Garraka, the monster that freezes everything he touches. Most exciting was seeing the many Ghostbusters with all of their gadgets, fighting the ghosts and saving guests from the horrors they witnessed. Next, there was “Insidious: The Further,” which follows the twisted nightmare of the “Insidious” film franchise, with a lot of different dark red rooms and jumpscares from every corner. This house felt like a nightmare brought to life, with ominous music and effects scaring even the toughest of visitors. After “Insidious,” there was “Dead Exposure: Death Valley,” telling the story of a lab experiment gone wrong. Many test subjects didn’t make it and left many infected, radioactive zombies to avoid. 

Following that, there was the “Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines,” which is Universal’s very own creation, featuring an all-female cast. Saskia Van Helsing travels with the Bride of Frankenstein to retrieve an amulet from Dracula’s daughter, She-Wolf and Anck-su-namun. This house walk-through was artistic and unique, especially through the forest which was accompanied by smells of ivy and dirt. The home is dark, gothic and eerie, with cobwebbed corners, decaying mansions and blood-stained rooms. Consider it a twisted, centuries-old vampire castle, complete with secret doors, hidden tunnels and frightening candlelit rooms where vampires hunt their next victims. It was a very surreal experience, as many of the houses are. Next was “The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy,” which spawns a story its namesake created that connects to his last two albums, “After Hours” and “Dawn FM,” in a twisted, nightmarish way. The Weeknd also had a lounge and bar for RIP guests to enjoy with music and seating.

“A Quiet Place” was the next house, following the first two “A Quiet Place” films, where participants had to navigate quietly and avoid the sightless monsters lurking. Next was “Monstrous 2: The Nightmares of Latin America,” which follows the telling of Latin American horror folklore. There’s a possibility of encountering El Charro, the soul-stealing rider. There may be El Cadejo, a supernatural doglike spirit that jumps out at guests; or the bogeyman, El Cucuy, who is downright terrifying. The house delves into a nightmare realm where different legendary and mythological creatures from Latin American mythology have come to life, each more horrific than the last. The home is structured into multiple unique parts, each reflecting a different cultural tale or terrible beast that has plagued the region for generations. The concept is based on mythology but with a dark and horrifying twist, resulting in an immersive and disturbing experience. 

The last house, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface,” was a great house to end on with many corners full of gory scenes while escaping the notorious Sawyer family, which includes Leatherface himself. There was also so much nostalgia for those who are fans of the many films over the years, having first been released in 1974. Two notable aspects of the experience including background whisperings and sudden loud noises as well as the scents, such as the sewer in “Ghostbusters,” blood and the woods in “Eternal Bloodlines,” vomit in “Insidious: The Further” and much more. The multi-sensory onslaught heightens the tension and terror.

The terror tram took guests through a studio tour with a horror twist. The “scare zones” have a grim ambiance with scare actors wandering the streets. These performers are dressed as monsters, murderers or other terrifying characters and interact with guests in a way that enhances the horror experience. In the “Blumhouse” scare zone, guests get to experience Universal’s backlot taken over by all of the creepy characters of Blumhouse’s biggest films: “Black Phone,” “M3GAN,” “The Purge” franchise, “Freaky” and “Happy Death Day.” Blumhouse films are notorious for developing suspense and creating frightening, atmospheric settings. These haunted houses were filled with dark nooks, jump scares and unnerving sights, all intended to make guests’ hearts beat. Other scare zones include Chainsaw Punkz, Murder of Crowz, Skull Lordz and the Luchadores Monstruosos, the latter inspired by lucha libre, a wrestling style originating in Mexico. There are also live performances with horror elements, such as strange stage exhibits, live music or performances with horror-themed choreography. 

Halloween Horror Nights is a one-of-a-kind, immersive event in which Universal Studios theme parks are transformed into a frightful world of horror, complete with eerie, scary and entertaining activities. It blends excitement, creativity and the spooky atmosphere of Halloween into one exhilarating adventure. Whether guests want to face their fears, relive legendary horror moments or simply spend a frightening night with friends, “Halloween Horror Nights” is an amazing experience that every horror enthusiast should try.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu 

Witches through the years

Written by: Taylor Duff | Lifestyle Editor

The spooky season brings many frights, imagination and of course, costumes. Girls around the world might be dressing as witches this Halloween season, or they have done so in the past, or they just know that witches are generally associated with Halloween. When people think of a witch, they most likely appoint an old decrepit woman who rides a magic broom, casts spells and has a diet that consists of children. This depiction is far from what witches are, so where did the term “witch” come from? Where did they come from? 

It is believed that the term “witch” was a moniker given to women who practiced witchcraft and satanic rituals and ate children — but that is just what the fairy tales say. One early concept of what a witch is says that in mythology, witches were healers, shamans and spiritual workers who could affect the physical and the spiritual world. They used what is called “herbal medicine,” which is healing people with hand-crafted herbs. Not so different from what everyone in ancient times would do, however, witches were believed to have a special talent for healing. Some of the negative connotations come from Greek and Roman mythology: Deities like Hecate and Circe were goddesses that possessed magic and posed potential threats because of their power. 

Whether or not mythology is accurate, the witch hunts during the 15th-18th centuries caused significant harm. These included the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, precipitated by a real-life hysteria that affected many women during the time. A group of teenage girls from Salem, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused multiple local women of witchcraft. The trials resulted in the deaths of 25 innocent women, men and children. The purported witches were hung or crushed, not burned, which is a common misconception, as that was done in Europe during the Middle Ages. There is a museum in Salem, Massachusetts, where visitors can see just how the trials began and ended. 

Folklore and stories like “The Crucible,” a play by Arthur Miller, started to paint women as villains and self-absorbed, claiming they were witches. Fairy tales did the same, such as “Hansel and Gretel,” where two siblings travel in the woods and stumble across a witch’s house; she ends up eating them. Witches during this time were generally portrayed as old, bumpy and green; they were meant to look like they arrived out of the devil’s chambers and needed to take sources of life. Green witches appear often in fiction, most famously in “The Wizard of Oz” and its prequel “Wicked,” where the Wicked Witch of the West became the bad guy, and everyone was petrified because she was robbed. In Gothic literature, things looked a little different —  witches were usually painted as seductive and beautiful. But even then, they would use their beauty and seductive nature to lure men and hurt them. 

Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell — WITCH — was a 1960s feminist group that used guerrilla theater and public rallies to criticize patriarchy and capitalism. Feminist witchcraft movements in the 1970s reclaimed the image that represents the witch as a powerful monarch. Wicca is the largest modern Pagan or Neo-Pagan religion. Its adherents, known as Wiccans, commonly identify as witches and derive inspiration mostly from pre-Christian customs in Europe. Dianic Wicca, which concentrates upon the worship of a goddess figure, or female deity, and publicly supported feminist values, frequently gained influence from the emerging women’s rights movement of the time. Because of this movement, witches are now more popular in pop culture. Movies such as “The Craft” and “The Love Witch” show women usually painted as outcasts or weird embrace their individuality and sex appeal to contradict the patriarchy. Shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “American Horror Story, Coven” showed witches as everyday people who were just trying to navigate the world, and because pop culture sparks, the public made witches more approachable. This also opened up self-expression for LGBTQ+ characters, such as Willow Rosenberg from “Buffy,” emphasizing the connection between magic and gay identity. As environmental problems, feminism and LGBTQ+ rights continue to dominate public discourse, the witch remains a symbol of resistance and self-empowerment. 

TikTok, which has #WitchTok; Pinterest; Instagram and more platforms show modern-day people participating in witchcraft. Many creators provide spells, rituals, tarot readings and astrological insights. They show their lifestyles with aspects such as decor, clothing — witch-inspired Gothic apparel with Bohemian and crystal-laden looks, — black hats, pentagrams, jewelry, tattoos, books and much more. Halloween, in particular, has converted the witch into a fun, approachable figure for people of all ages. The internet enables individuals to combine cultural traditions, such as Wicca, Hoodoo and New Age practices, and participate in virtual covens or communal rituals. 

Overall, the witch isn’t one type of person. A witch can be multiple types of people, they can be friends, family, teachers, parents and your next-door neighbor. They are someone who embraces their faith and individuality and wears it proudly. Witches just want to be accepted and painted in a light that isn’t demeaning or harmful. The witch is a symbol of feminism and strength and has spent too many years not being understood. 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Lessons from the school of SAW

Written by: Aubrey Laine Baker | Freelancer

The late September release of “Saw X” met box office success and critical acclaim as the film grossed $29.3 million worldwide on its opening weekend. Long-time fans of the “Saw” franchise have rejoiced at its return to the limelight, inciting countless sentimental reflections on its colorful history and cultural relevance. For almost 20 years, the continuing saga has dispensed dopamine fixes and unified audiences across the globe through their insatiable desire for psychologically unsettling storytelling, complex moral quandaries and labyrinthine narrative twists. Or, maybe they’re simply brought together by their hardwired, human hunger for ultraviolence.

While some critics dismiss the films with labels such as “torture porn,” others praise them for their deeper philosophical outlooks and metaphorical explorations of redemption — needle pits, anyone? But whether one is binging on gore or strung out on the subtleties of cinema, “Saw” leaves viewers of any disposition with a timeless takeaway: life is to be cherished.

I want to play a game. The game I want to play is not unlike the game of life. There’s a slow-acting poison coursing through the world that each and every person has the antidote for.

Are they going to watch themselves die, or are they going to do something about it?

Thankfully they’re not typically strapped by their teeth to a home-brew head shredder on a timer, and they don’t need to face their most personal flaws in a grimly ironic, gruesome death room. They don’t need to push the limits of self-mutilation or sacrifice the well-being of others for their survival.

But they will have to do some surgery. Somewhere inside of them is the glow of their passions. Can they find it?

Will they tend to it and radiate with its warmth? Or let it dwindle and die, and rob the world of their brilliance.

Life is a gift and it’s not to be squandered. In our contemporary world of nihilistic persuasion and ever-rising suicidal tendencies, it can be easy to forget that. 

In the words of John Kramer, “Congratulations, you are alive. So many people are ungrateful to be alive, but not you. Not anymore.”

Contact the author at

albaker23@mail.wou.edu

October opportunities and activities

Written by:  Sierra Porter | Staff Writer

As students jump into the school year this fall, heads will be filled with priorities of homework, classes, jobs and of course, the pressures of everyday life. Oregon has a tremendous amount of October opportunities of all sorts stemming from screamingly scary to family friendly. 

When it comes to the scariest Oregon has to offer, Fear PDX, Nightmare Factory and the Halloween Train are the best places to look. 

Fear PDX Haunted House takes place every weekend from Sept. 29  until Nov. 1 and is the largest Halloween event in Portland. Fear PDX offers up to eight different terrifying attractions that include gore, chainsaws and escape games. 

The Nightmare Factory is at the Oregon School for the Deaf and is held every weekend in Salem from now until the end of November. Deaf students, alongside volunteers, provide a heart-racing experience with interactive lights, displays and scary characters. Proceeds from the Nightmare Factory contribute to the yearly funds for the Oregon School for the Deaf and help support the longest-running haunted house in all of Oregon. 

Mt. Hood offers the Phantom of the Rails Halloween Train — available to book online Oct. 20-21 and Oct. 27-28. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, the Halloween Train provides a two-and-a-half-hour ride filled with ghosts and spooks. 

Oregon has more than just spooky attractions and has a variety of events perfect for people of all ages and scare levels. Bauman’s Farm puts on a harvest festival each year from Sept. 23 through Oct. 29 that includes hay rides, pumpkin picking, a dark maze, an animal petting zoo and kids’ play areas. 

If you’ve never seen a giant pumpkin you may have a chance this October… 

From Oct. 20-21, the West Coast Pumpkin Regatta is taking place with dressed-up members of the community paddling in giant pumpkins in the Regatta Race. 

Eastern Oregon is also celebrating its fourteenth annual film festival during Oct. 19-21 — supplying various films and documentaries for the community to enjoy. 

Don’t stay cooped up in your dorm this October, and take advantage of all of Oregon’s best October opportunities.

Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu

Wicked writing ideas for this October

Eight frightful writing prompts to ignite the imagination

Sarah Austin | Lifestyle Editor

During the stressors of fall term, it can be rewarding to sit down and write something creative. Celebrate this Halloween season by crafting up a chilling short story. Listed below are eight spooky ideas to help ignite the imagination. Take the prompts below and morph them into any horrific desire.

  • Todd Hall — previously a women’s dorm — is rumored to be haunted and feed on the fear of men. Halloween night a group of men walk by the three story brick building. They hear/see…. 
  • After talking to someone on “Tinder,” they say something disturbing and get blocked. The next morning they are reported missing and there are flyers around the city.
  • While sweeping the living room, a dark stain is noticed near the carpet. After lifting to investigate, a hidden door is discovered.
  • It’s the day after Halloween. Nobody shows up to the 8 a.m. lecture besides the professor and one person. Campus is empty….
  • During an all-nighter at the Hamersly Library, a strange sound is heard. It repeats every five minutes….
  • While at a pumpkin patch, three close friends decide to enter a corn maze and ignore the closed sign across its entrance. After twenty minutes of wandering, they realize one friend is missing…. 
  • Using “Bumble BFF” a friend-date is made. After meeting and having dinner together, they offer a ride home. Instead of home, they pull into….
  • The main character is driving to the coast when they pull off onto a dirt trail, in hopes of a short cut. It seems to work until they see a tree fall on the road behind them, trapping them in. Forward is the only way to go on this unknown and unmarked trail, and the sun sets in two hours.

For a chance to be featured in Student Media’s art and literary magazine, “The Northwest Passage,” submit stories via email to northwestpassage@mail.wou.edu.

Happy haunting, writers.

Contact the author at lifestyleeditor@thewesternhowl.com

Sustainable decor for Halloween

Repurposing crafts for horrific handmade decor

Sarah Austin | Lifestyle Editor

Seasonal decorating can be expensive or create a lot of unnecessary waste. Try these ideas that repurpose items lying around the house for a more affordable and sustainable option.

  • Artificial flowers can easily go from chic to eerie. Paint or spray paint with any color. Once dry, glue on a googly eye or draw an eyeball in the center.
  • A milk jug can be turned into a jack-o’-lantern. Wash out the jug and let it dry first. Decorate the jug in any number of ways; draw a face on the front, tape on construction paper or paint the entire jug. After the face is made, light up the pumpkin by filling it with glow sticks, string lights or battery powered candles. Add leaves to the spout to complete the pumpkin. Make multiple for variation.
  • Using newspaper or old homework, make a fake body or scarecrow. Do so by stuffing some clothing with crumpled pieces of paper. Place outside the door, in the yard or somewhere in the house for a ghoulish addition to your Halloween decor.
  • Yarn or thread can be made into spider webs. Hang up a few tacks wherever is convenient, then weave under and around the yarn in any pattern for a “threadful” look.
  • For an apothecary touch, find some mason jars and fill them with spooky items. Use plastic or candy eyeballs, water and food coloring to give a potion look, branches or crushed leaves and so much more for a chilling counter.
  • Repurpose pool noodles into a faux chain. Take one noodle, stand it straight up and down and cut it vertically in half an inch to one inch wide sections. Repeat all the way down. After all have been cut, make one horizontal cut per chain link. Connect each individual piece to another. Paint black or gray for full effect. 

Properly dispose of all items, keep decorations around for a creepy theme or store for next year after use for a completely green experience. 

Contact the author at lifestyleeditor@thewesternhowl.com

Crack up to these spooky jokes

Hilarious Halloween jokes to rattle the bones

The Western Howl Collective

With the Halloween holiday comes many things — costumes, decorations, scary movies and stories — but it also brings in the chance to tell some fun, themed jokes to make others laugh during the spooky season. Read on to find some funny Halloween jokes and puns we’ve compiled here at “The Western Howl.”

“Do you want to know how to get a significant other during Halloween? You make sure they’re screaming without the s.” 

“Are you a vampire? Cause you’re a pain in the neck.

“The maker of this product does not want it, the buyer does not use it, and the user does not see it. What is it? A coffin.”

“What did the ghost say to their psychiatrist? I used to be somebody.”

“What do you call two witches living together? Broommates.”

“How do you get rid of demons? Exorcise a lot.”

“Where is a skeleton the most ticklish? Their funny bone.”

“Why did the ghost go into the bar? For the Boos.”

“What’s it called when a ghost has trouble with his house? A grave problem.”

“Why didn’t the skeleton go to the scary movie? He didn’t have the guts.” 

“What’s a ghost’s favorite dessert? I-Scream!”


Compiled by The Western Howl staff

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