Not the Halloween You Remember

On the calendar, Halloween always falls on October 31. But we Christians are often confused about which cultural moment we’re currently in: Are we back in the era where we condemn the day as an evil, pagan practice? Or are we in the stage where it’s seen as (mostly) harmless fun?

We’ve been caught up in this binary debate for so long that we may have missed how Halloween has changed and taken on new cultural significance.

Halloween today reflects various cultural forces that have influenced its meaning and practice over time. For some, it remains a fun celebration of creativity and community; for others, it’s a more complicated symbol, one that reflects our culture’s ongoing fascination with death, darkness, and the supernatural. These shifting meanings highlight both the fluidity of cultural practices and the persistent human desire for what Halloween represents—connection, identity, and transcendence.

Halloween: A Cultural Evolution

Historical accounts indicate Halloween was originally rooted in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain . That holiday marked the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter—a time when it was believed that the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin. Over time, though, Christians adapted and transformed many of these pagan customs. By the Middle Ages, the celebration had evolved into a precursor to All Saints’ Day (All Hallows’ Eve), which honored those who had gone before in faith. Around 1745, All Hallows’ Eve began to be called Halloween .

When Halloween came to the United States, it continued to change. Taking from Irish and English traditions, Americans in the mid-1800s began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a precursor to today’s trick-or-treating. This blending of European folk traditions, colonial harvest celebrations, and American commercialization eventually turned Halloween into the event many of us remember from our childhoods.

Yet over the past decade or so, Halloween has transformed. No longer is it primarily a neighborhood-focused event where children dress up to collect candy. Instead, the holiday has seen unprecedented growth in economic and cultural significance. The National Retail Federation reports that Halloween spending hit a record $12.2 billion in 2023 . A survey showed that 72 percent of Americans are planning to celebrate Halloween this year, and they’re planning to spend an average of $103.63 per person (with a collective $700 million predicted to be spent on pet costumes ).

The rise in spending on the holiday is mostly due to its embrace by adults. Elaborate costumes and parties have been around for a century, of course. But they’ve become the new norm. Similarly, haunted houses have expanded into full-fledged “immersive horror ” experiences, where people pay to engross themselves in elaborate scenes of terror. Even our front yards have transformed, decked out with skeletons, cobwebs, and life-size animatronics .

Why is Halloween becoming bigger, scarier, sexier, and more extravagant? And what might this tell us about our culture and where it’s headed?

We’re Obsessed with Fear and Fantasy

Just as we may not all agree on what Halloween is, we may disagree about what the current Halloween surge reveals about our culture. But there are several possible interpretations worth considering.

First, the fascination with death and darkness may reflect a longing for something transcendent. In a secular age that downplays spirituality, people still feel drawn to the mysterious and even the macabre because it suggests there’s more to this life than the material world. Halloween, for many, provides a chance to dabble in the supernatural without any genuine risk or commitment. It’s a way to explore our curiosity with the spiritual and yet be shielded from its reality.

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Second, the cultural embrace of fear may serve as a release valve for deeper anxieties. In a society plagued by division, uncertainty, and anxiety about the future, Halloween offers an opportunity to face fear on manageable terms. Horror movies and haunted houses provide a controlled environment that lets us laugh and scream at the same time. We can face horror knowing we’re completely safe. This ritualizing of fear—turning our nightmares into entertainment—provides a strange sense of empowerment, though one that’s ultimately fleeting and superficial.

Another significant shift in Halloween’s cultural evolution is the increasing sexualization of the holiday. What was once an innocent occasion for children to dress up has become an opportunity for adults to wear racy and provocative costumes. This trend first began in the mid-1970s, as Juliet Lapidos notes , when “gay communities in the United States adopted Halloween as an occasion for revealing, over-the-top attire.” Today, it has become ubiquitous and is particularly evident in the women’s costume market, where many outfits are designed to be revealing or emphasize sexual appeal. Such sexualization reveals deeper cultural issues, such as the commodification of the body and how we can confuse our sense of identity with sexual desirability.

Additionally, our culture’s investment in fantasy and playacting on Halloween speaks to a deeper hunger for identity and the appeal, especially for adults, of transgressiveness. Costumes allow both children and adults to explore personas different from their daily reality. They can choose characters that represent humor, power, or even moral darkness. This drive might reveal a deeper restlessness—a dissatisfaction with the ordinary and a search for meaning rooted in expressive individualism .

How Should Christians Respond?

For believers, this holiday presents both challenges and opportunities. How do we disciple our children amid Halloween’s booming cultural allure? How do we relate meaningfully to our neighbors whose front lawns are adorned with the ghoulish rather than the glorious? As you navigate Halloween’s new realities, here are a few suggestions to consider.

Protect Your Conscience—and Your Neighbor’s

Some Christians may feel convicted to avoid Halloween entirely, while others may see it as an opportunity for community outreach. Both positions can honor Christ if approached thoughtfully and in good conscience. For those who choose to participate, consider how your actions might honor God and reflect his love to your neighbors. Don’t mock or shame those who disagree with your view. Engage with grace and be mindful of how you can build bridges rather than barriers, recognizing that faithful Christians can come to different conclusions.

And for those who think Halloween is a pagan practice to be shunned, avoid rushing to judgment about those who disagree. Recognize that many aspects of Halloween are about adiaphora , “indifferent things.” As the apostle Paul might say, Halloween candy doesn’t bring us near to God; we’re no worse if we don’t eat and no better if we do (see 1 Cor. 8:8 ).

Identify the Most Realistic Dangers

For most children, the danger of Halloween isn’t that they’ll become enamored with pagan spirituality but rather that they’ll succumb to a more subtle idol—materialism. A focus on acquiring more treats or having the best costume may seem tame. But it feeds into the increasing materialism that extends throughout the holiday season. Parents can guide children by emphasizing generosity, homespun creativity, and communal activities rather than sheer accumulation or competition.

For adults, a primary danger lies in the idol of escapism. Halloween offers an opportunity for many to indulge in fantasy, anonymity, and excess. Many are seeking a reprieve from the pressures of daily life and consider October 31 a time when moral rules become more flexible. This escape, even when seemingly harmless, can lead to a deeper disengagement from the responsibilities and realities of the world God has called us to steward. Adults should be mindful of how their participation in Halloween activities reflects their values and consider how they can use this cultural moment to demonstrate self-control, hospitality, and genuine joy, rather than an ephemeral thrill.

Seek Out Gospel-Oriented Opportunities

Halloween can provide opportunities to point our neighbors to deeper truths. Conversations about fear, death, and even costume choices can become entry points to discuss the reality of sin, the surprise of the gospel, and other matters of faith. For instance, if your coworker’s desk is strung with (cotton) cobwebs, or your neighbor’s yard is littered with (plastic) corpses, you have an opportunity to ask why Halloween is a favorite holiday and to follow up with a discussion of spiritual realities.

In a similar way, the extravagance of Halloween decorations can offer a unique entry point for connection. Rather than withdrawing or condemning, try engaging. Compliment people’s creativity, join in the neighborhood activities, or host an event of your own. Showing Christ’s love often begins with merely being present—sharing life, even in moments where the culture seems far from him. Just as Paul in Athens pointed to an altar dedicated to an “unknown god” to bridge his message to a pagan audience (Acts 17:23 ), we too can use this cultural moment to point to deeper truths.

Shine Light in the Darkness

Halloween may be growing scarier and more elaborate, but the message of Christ’s triumph over fear and death remains steadfast.

While the world decorates for fright, we have an occasion to embody hope. We have an opportunity to disciple our children and engage our neighbors, showing them there’s a Light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5 ).

As believers, we can approach Halloween not with fear or judgment but with discernment and grace. By engaging thoughtfully with our culture’s evolving traditions, we can demonstrate that our hope is anchored in something far greater than seasonal thrills or fleeting escapes. In doing so, we invite others to consider the eternal truths that give meaning to our celebrations and transform our fears into faith.

Joe Carter is a senior writer for The Gospel Coalition, author of The Life and Faith Field Guide for Parents , the editor of the NIV Lifehacks Bible , and coauthor of How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History’s Greatest Communicator . He also serves as an associate pastor at McLean Bible Church in Arlington, Virginia.