How old is too old to go trick-or-treating? Some argue that teenagers are too old to dress up and ask strangers for candy, while others agree that no one is too old to have a good time.

A common complaint from parents who man their front doors giving out candy is that most teenagers they see are barely dressed up in costumes. If you’re going to trick-or-treat, a football jersey or a plain mask isn’t going to cut it. Adults often won’t open their door to noisy, rambunctious teens whose only goal is to cause as much mayhem and collect as much candy as possible.

Several Morris Hills students were asked about their Halloween plans for this year, and most responded that they went trick-or-treating last year but will not this year. Many of them said that they planned to attend a Halloween party instead.

If you still believe in dressing up and having a good time on Halloween, here are some of this year’s most popular costume ideas:

• Elsa and Anna- Frozen
• Maleficent
• Game of Thrones
• Hunger Games
• The LEGO Movie
• Captain America
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Orange is the New Black

According to halloweenhistory.org, Halloween began as Samhain, a Celtic holiday celebrating the change from the harvest season to winter. Over time, Samhain transitioned to the holiday we know today. Trick-or-treating originated in Medieval Europe, where poor folk would go door to door, begging for food from richer people in exchange for prayers.  Halloween has grown in international popularity in recent years due to the media and increased American influence around the world.

Another Halloween tradition is creating and walking through “haunted houses.” The first recreational haunted houses appeared in the mid-1900’s, but they have their origins in ancient Egypt and Rome. Americanhaunts.com states that the Egyptians build traps into their pyramids, meant to scare away thieves. Traps included pitfalls, snakes, and falling rocks.

The site explains that commercial and recreational haunted houses grew in popularity after Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion opened and the United States Junior Chamber(Jaycees) began creating haunted houses to raise money for charity.

Over time, horror movies and scary stories have popularized haunted houses, and there are now thousands of them across the United States.

If you enjoy being scared silly, here are a few local haunted houses:

• Haunted Scarehouse- 105 West Dewey Ave, Wharton NJ
• BANE Haunted Attraction- 630 W Mt Pleasant Ave, Livingston NJ

For more Halloween attractions, visit newjerseyhauntedhouses.com