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A cat sitting on a tree branch with the mood behind it
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SBU | Culture

My Spooky Season Draft

Updated Published
Sofi Schwarzmueller Student Contributor, St. Bonaventure University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Spooky season is in full swing! And football season! So, what better than to combine them both. May I present my top picks for the 2024 Spooky Season Draft:

  1. “Girl VS Monster”

“Girl VS Monster” was (okay, let’s be real, IS), my favorite Monstober special from Disney Channel. Skyler, played by Olivia Holt, was That Girl – fearless, effortlessly cool, and of course sings alongside the beautiful Ryan, played by Luke Benward. I wanted to BE her. That movie had its bangers, too; “Had Me @ Hello” is a literal masterpiece, and dare I say “Fearless” is a very close runner up? TBH, I shamelessly watch this movie year round, and yes, it’s better than “Cloud 9,” if you were wondering. Easy number one pick for this draft. 

  1. Pumpkins 

This is so easy. I LOVE pumpkin carving like no one else loves pumpkin carving. Like, I will be elbow deep in my pumpkin, scooping the guts and seeds out with my fingernails. I promise it’s a sight to see. Oh, and then cooking the seeds, yummm. 

  1. “Disturbia” by Rihanna

Yup, if this song plays on Halloween, I will sprout wings and ascend into the skies. “Disturbia” makes me channel my inner monster, and it is THE Halloween song. Sorry Michael Jackson, move aside “Monster Mash,” Rihanna is in the house. 

  1.  Apple(s)

This actually might deserve to be my number 2 pick, I’m still debating. And I mean apple anything. Hot apple cider, caramel apples, apple scented candles, apple pie, apple picking. Don’t even get me started on the apple scents from Bath & Body Works. Fall is the superior season for scents (spoiler alert, I’ll say the same thing come Christmas time when they break out the balsam fir and peppermint scents). Apples on top. 

  1. Reese’s Pumpkins

No, really, I have a severe problem. I had to resist buying them this year because I know I will eat the entire bag in a single day and make myself sick (and then buy another bag the next week and repeat). (Un?)fortunately for me, my friend JUST bought some for me and my roommates (I had four before writing this article). Something about the pumpkin shape changes the entire eating experience for me, and I stand by the fact that they are better than the Easter egg shaped ones, potentially my hottest take yet. 

  1. Ghosts

Okay, stay with me. Think of the most iconic, basic halloween decorations: witches, jack-o-lanterns, spiders and spiderwebs, werewolves and vampires, Frankenstein, etc. Out of all these, ghosts are simply the best. I can’t really explain why, maybe I just find them cute? I’ll walk around Marshalls or Home Goods and every ghost-themed mug, throw pillow, and decoration is just adorable (and sometimes pink, which is awesome). And there’s so many iconic ghosties: Moaning Myrtle and Nearly Headless Nick from Harry Potter, Casper, the Ghostbusters, the band (if that counts). Ghosts are the coolest (but maybe strictly fictional – please don’t summon any real ghosts this Halloween, as I’ll be totally freaked out and it’ll throw off my whole bracket). 

  1. Fall Leaves

Crunchy, colorful, and THE SMELL! Ugh, my Allegheny River Trail Walks are so elevated during the fall season, and the surrounding mountains are stunning. The memories of raking huge leaf piles is oh-so nostalgic, too. The amount of free labor I allowed my parents to squeeze out of me is actually wild, but I enjoyed every moment of it. 

Honorable Mention: Tim Burton

Because I need to make it even numbers for it to be a proper bracket, I’m throwing Tim Burton up there, too. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” has always been a Halloween movie to me, and although “Coraline” traumatized me as a child, I can admit that it’s a great film. I also have this ridiculous memory of my twin sister and I playing “This is Halloween” while jumping on the trampoline and doing this hilarious stomping/jumping thing. I really don’t have the words to describe it, but I would pee myself laughing every time I saw my sister doing the dance, her legs sinking into the trampoline with every strange lurch of her body to the beat of the song. “Corpse Bride” was also iconic, and might be worth a rewatch this season. 

**I totally just remembered Milo Manheim is in the Zombies movies. That feels important when discussing spooky season. That’s all. 

Sofi Schwarzmueller

SBU '26

Sofi is a third-year student from Buffalo, New York (GO BILLS!), and is currently pursuing an English degree with a biology minor at St. Bonaventure University. Sofi contributes to SBU’s chapter of Her Campus as Social Media Coordinator and Big/Little Coordinator. Outside of Her Campus, Sofi plays for the school’s club soccer team, tutors in the Writing Lab, and helps manage the social media of the Franciscan Center for Social Concern.

In her free time, Sofi can often be found curled up with a Sarah J. Maas book or making yet another new Spotify playlist. She also loves re-watching Outer Banks and being active, including snowboarding and hitting the gym.

From hidden music finds, to book recommendations, to stories of personal growth and inspiration, Sofi loves to write it all and is elated to spend her last semester as an undergraduate surrounded by the sisterhood that is HCSBU.