spooky season

What does spooky season mean?

Spooky season refers to the weeks leading up to Halloween, considered as a time for Halloween-themed decorating and festivities. The exact temporal parameters of spooky season are debatable—some consider the entire month of October to be spooky season, while others herald its arrival as early as late September. Still others believe the season extends past Halloween into November.

Examples of spooky season

🍬🎃This Halloween, treat yourself to a book from our spooky season display!☠️📚
👻 Haunting ghost stories that linger long after dark
🎬 Frightful tales behind your favorite scary movies
😈 And a devilish local legend, the one and only Jersey Devil
—@paulrobesonlibrary, BlueSky, 16 Oct. 2025

Anchovy has an announcement - SPOOKY SEASON IS OFFICIALLY HERE 🎃👻 We did a lot of our fall photos with the ducks over the weekend and I’ll be sharing them throughout the fall months🖤
—@cheezandquacker, Threads, 28 Sept. 2026

My thought bubble: Halloween is one of the few holidays where decorating comes with almost no rules - the campier, creepier and more outrageous, the better. So why not stretch spooky season out as long as possible?
—Nadia Lopez, Axios, 25 Sept. 2026

Where does spooky season come from?

Use of spooky season to refer to a celebratory time surrounding October 31 has been around for decades, but has increased almost exponentially in the past ten years.

This is the spooky season, that time of year when days grow short and shadows lengthen, when yellow leaves float by dark windows, tree branches bang against the house, and getting through the night takes fresh courage.
—Ann Banks, The New York Times, 15 Nov. 1987

Count on spooky season to boost ghoulish interest
—(headline), The Orange County (California) Register, 22 Oct. 1991

It’s the spooky season, and no, that doesn't mean it’s almost Election Day. It means Halloween is here …
—Susan Bickelhaupt, The Boston Globe, 30 Oct. 1992

More and more of you are putting elaborate decorations in front yards for the Spooky Season.
—Robert E. Lee, The Daily Oklahoman, 4 Oct. 1993

How is spooky season used?

Similarly to Christmastime in referring to a time leading up to (and sometimes going beyond) a holiday. Just how long the season lasts comes down to personal preference. In other words, follow your heart, boo.