Utah ranks among the top states in the nation for most Halloween spirit due to Utahns’ love for scary movies, safe trick-or-treating and spooky decorations.
According to Consumer Affairs, Utah ranks third for states most obsessed with Halloween. The article says Utahns searched Halloween movies online more than any other state and had the second most Spirit Halloween stores per capita.
The National Retail Federation also predicts that the United States as a whole will spend a total of $11.6 billion on Halloween this year.
Another organization, Kuru Footwear, ranked Utah as the best state for trick-or-treating due to its safe atmosphere, temperate weather and high population of children.
Lombardo Homes rated Utah as the most decorated the most for Halloween, with spiders and spiderwebs as the most popular decorations.
Utah’s favorite Halloween treat is candy corn. Tootsie Pops and M&Ms were the next most popular candies, according to CandyStore.com.
Kelly Eisenhart, who lives in Lehi, Utah, believes that for Utahns, Halloween is a safe way to have fun and to be a different person for the day.
“I think it gives people permission to be someone else, where sometimes in our bubble culture, you feel like you have to fit into maybe a certain stereotype,” Eisenhart said. “It's a way for us to have a little adrenaline rush in a safe way.”
Eisenhart explained that her house has been deemed the “red house” by neighbors and spook seekers from around Utah. Her husband, John Eisenhart, fills their yard with red lights, skeletons, mannequins and other scary decorations, turning their ordinary, well-maintained yard into a haunted-looking, red-glowing Halloween hotspot.
“No one would ever guess it would transform to this,” Kelly Eisenhart said. “It’s like a Disney attraction.”
John Eisenhart said that this year he started setting up the display during the last two weeks of September. He expects to be finished soon, although he will make additions and continue working on it up until the day of Halloween.
The display attracts hundreds of people from different parts of Utah the weeks leading up to Halloween, Kelly Eisenhart said. Last year, on Halloween night alone, they gave out a total of 1,500 rock suckers to trick-or-treaters.
Kelly Eisenhart explained that when her husband was a kid, his father would make a “spook alley” each year at their house. When his father got older and could not do the spook alley anymore, he started giving the scary decorations to John. The Eisenharts have been continuing the tradition for about ten years now.
“Why is Halloween so popular in Utah? It’s tradition, and our families love tradition. So once it starts, then it keeps branching out,” Kelly Eisenhart said.
Helena Dodd, a sophomore studying advertising, met her husband, Jacob at a Halloween party. Jacob Dodd is a junior studying entrepreneurship. Helena explained that in Mexico where she is from, they celebrate Day of the Dead.
“It’s a very historic part of our heritage, so it's very important, it has a lot of meaning for us,” she said. “Maybe Halloween has meaning for people, but I guess I feel like it's more about the candy and the trick-or-treating and the socializing part and who has better decorations. It’s just very different,” Helena Dodd said.
Living in Utah, Helena said she enjoys going to Halloween parties but does not see its cultural significance or understand why its popularity is growing.
“I got here two years ago, and since I got here I have noticed that there are way more Halloween stuff outside of houses,” Helena said. “I do feel like it’s growing, a lot of people are doing it way more.”
Utahns are celebrating in various ways throughout Utah County. Corn mazes, haunted houses, pumpkin patches, church trunk-or-treat events and even Halloween ski lift rides are all part of the festivities.
Visit Explore Utah Valley's website for more Halloween attractions in the area.