Aisha Bolden loves everything about Halloween.

 “When I think about it, the first thing that comes to mind is creative, scary decorations stretching down a Jack-O-lantern lit street,” said Bolden, a first-year Visual Design student. “Watching horror movies … was my favorite because they never scared me, but they always scared my family members. 

“There was a particular movie that always got underneath my sister’s bones, called ‘Jeepers Creepers,’” she said. “I would hide behind the couch or under her bed and sing, ‘Jeepers creepers… where’d ya get those peepers,’ she hated it,” she said. I would have a hoot scaring the bejesus out of her.”

Bolden still loves Halloween movies.  She never tires of watching “Halloweentown,” “Twitches” and the Disney Channel series “Monstober.”

She has always loved the theatrical nature of Halloween.

 “I love pretending to be something new every year,” she said, recalling that as a little girl, she imagined Halloween costumes as a one-night performance. 

“I would pounce around the house pretending to be Winnie the Pooh,” she said. “My favorite character was Tiger, [but]there was not one small enough to fit me.” 

For Bolden, Halloween represents happy memories.

“I was raised in the south, but in my adolescent years I lived in Arizona,” she said. “The varieties of candy were out of this world. It was not just traditional American candy, you know, like Skittles, Snickers, candy corn, and Dum Dum’s, but also Mexican and Native American candy. 

“My favorites were Coronado and Tamarindo,” two Mexican favorites, she said. “This played such a key role in my childhood. Now my candy must have a hint of spice. 

“Halloween in Arizona holds a sweet spot in my heart,” she said, “Pun intended.”

A big part of those memories involves scaring her brother. “I would wait in closets and cabinets, even when Halloween had ended.  I would say, ‘Look out kids, Bozo the clown is coming to town’ just for giggles,” she said. “I would enjoy scaring my brother because he hates clowns.”