Gen-X & Elder Millennials Remember Halloween the Way It Used to Be

Depending on how old you are, you may remember things a little differently. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, our generation experienced the forefront of technologies like CGI and the internet.

We're of an in-between generation with Gen-X's "don't care," but also Millennials' adaptation and almost instant adoption to changing technology. They call it Elder Millennial, or Xennial, so we know a thing or two, because we've seen a thing or two.

My parents were the fun, younger Boomers. They loved to experience life and really took pleasure in sharing it with us kids. Mom loved Halloween so much, she exposed us to horrifying and fun things starting at the earliest ages. I can still remember the first time carving pumpkins as a kid, and she somehow cut her mouth and started spewing blood all over the kitchen.

It was a single blood capsule, and it barely ran down her chin, but to a couple of energy-matching best-friend siblings, it might as well have been that one scene from The Shining.

via GIPHY

Tales From The Crypt was also almost mandatory watching when we were sick or got to stay up late... Until I called my sister a "Son of a B___" after hearing it on HBO one time. Then the good channels got canceled. I can still hear my mother saying, "Garbage in, garbage out."

Monster Squad on VHS is still one of my most beloved treasures.

The haunted houses were always fine, though, like most kids, our imaginations were far more frightening than the players in costume. I did once try to tell the tales to my Zoomer nephew, but he said "How can anything in black and white be scary?"

It almost gaslit me, but I remembered my first bedroom TV was black and white lol. It was a cassette/AM/FM radio with a tiny TV screen.

via GIPHY

We survived. We watch the old scary movies from our youth now and just laugh at how ridiculous they were. And while technology has gotten good enough to CGI some believable things, I still prefer the campy and goofy movies that Hollywood won't make anymore.

Intentionally B-movies like Bubba The Redneck Werewolf and The Invisible Raptor. Still, it's fun how the season and family time brings out all of the stories of being terrified at one thing or another growing up.

My sisters like to tease me about Ernest Scared Stupid. As an 8-year-old with the only bedroom upstairs, I slept on the couch until Christmas after watching it alone one night before Halloween... A real Blockbuster night.

Of course, when I bring up the time my sister had a nightmare that Rhea Perlman was jumping rope at the end of her bed, I'm the bad guy... then we bicker a little bit until she plays the role of sore loser and walks off upset. Good times.

Here's the rundown on all of the other stuff that terrified us growing up... Anything there we share in common?