Halloween is filled with ghosts, costumes, candy and horror and is a time of spooky movies and parties. If students are looking for ways to celebrate this spooky occasion, they can look no further then their own backyard.        

InSonoma County there areseveral corn mazes to explore. Petaluma Pumpkin Patch & Amazing Corn Maze boasts a four-acre maze with 10-foot tall corn stalks with only one way out. Costing only $5, The maze is open all week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a night maze on Friday and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. for $9. 

The Petaluma Pumpkin Patch & Amazing Corn Maze is located at 450 Stony Point Road. 

Santa Rosa Pumpkin Patch has Sonoma County’s largest corn maze at seven acres and admission costs $6. 

Visitors can also enjoy hayrides and face painting. It’s open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 

Word of warning though, the corn maze closes an hour before the pumpkin patch closes. Santa Rosa Pumpkin Patch is located at 5157 Stony Point Rd.

For those looking for something spookier, there are haunted houses to visit. NorCal Fear located at 175 Fairgrounds Dr., Petaluma, hosts Hell House and Zombie Hunt for $13 each. 

NorCal Fear is open from Oct. 28-29 and Nov. 1 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Oct. 30-31 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. 

Blind Scream in Rohnert Park hosts three haunted houses including Blackout, Carnicus and The Swamp Shack. Desiger and producer Drew Domingueze explained the Blind Scream is a family affair. 

“The storyline follows one single family, the Hunters,” said Dominguez. “It’s kind of like a soap opera, only these people are really horrible.”

“The Last Ride” is a unique attraction  in which one can  experience what it’s like to ride in  a coffin from a funeral home to the grave. According to Dominguez the ride is one of only 75 in the world. 

It’s $10 per haunted house and $5 for The Last Ride. Blind Scream is at 1500 Valley House Drive in Rohnert Park.

Dominguez invites everyone to experience this Halloween destination. 

“When you come to my haunted house, don’t be a tough-guy, scream.”

Costume parties are also being hosted. The Mystic Theater is hosting The Foreverland and Fleetwood Mask Halloween Bash on Oct. 31. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. with the show starting at 9:30 p.m. 

There will be live music performed by Foreverland, a Michael Jackson tribute band and Fleetwood Mask, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band. There will be a costume contest with prizes worth up to $500. The show is for those 21 and over. The Mystic Theater is at 21 Petaluma Blvd N. and the entry fee is $22. 

The Copperfield in Santa Rosa is throwing a costume party as well. Wicked Underground Halloween Party will feature Gregory Maguire, author of “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” and “After Alice”. Maguire will also be a judge in the costume contest. 

The price for entry is $20. Wicked Underground Halloween Party will be on Oct. 31 beginning at 8 p.m. at 2777 4th Street, Santa Rosa.

Movie-lovers have plenty of films to pick from this Halloween to see in theaters. 90s lovers will dig “Goosebumps”, starring Jack Black. It’s a fun and goofy movie for fans of the book series and a throwback to 90s kids films. Black plays a fictionalized version of “Goosebumps” author R.L. Stine who finds that his monsters have come to life and has begun to wreak havoc. 

For those looking for more horror, Guillermo Del Toro, best known for directing “Hellboy” and “Pan’s Labyrinth”, released “Crimson Peak”, a gothic horror film following an author of ghost stories at the turn of the 20th century trapped at a haunted mansion. 

The popular found footage franchise, “Paranormal Activity” released what is billed as the final film, “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension.” 

For those looking for things to do on campus, Sonoma State University has a few activities to choose from. The Writing Center will host a Horror Story Writing Palooza with free pizza from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Schulz Information Center. 

The Green Music Center is hosting Phantoms and Fugues, which will feature a showing of the Halloween classic “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” followed by selected songs played by organist David Parson. Phantoms and Fugues is on Oct. 31 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $8. 

Finally, the Scene It: Big Screen Series will play the 90s Disney classic “Hocus Pocus” in Ives 101 on Oct. 31 from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.