The Strange History Behind Halloween’s Haunted Attractions

Our American Stories

iHeartPodcasts

Society & Culture, Documentary

4.3 • 737 Ratings

🗓️ 7 August 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On this episode of Our American Stories, at the turn of the century, Halloween in the United States looked very different. It wasn’t about costumes or candy—it was a night for pranks, property damage, and a fair amount of frustration for the adults trying to keep order. Over time, some communities found a different approach. Instead of cracking down, they redirected the energy. Schools, churches, and local groups began organizing haunted houses, offering just enough fear to keep the night exciting without letting it spiral out of control. Lisa Morton, author of Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween, traces how that shift helped transform a night of chaos into one of the country’s most enduring celebrations.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
0:04.4	Summer's here and with the kids home and off to camp, it's easy for moms to get lost in the shuffle.
0:09.0	On good mom's bad choices, we're making space to center ourselves with joy, rest, and pleasure.
0:14.1	Take the kids to camp.
0:15.5	You know what?
0:16.3	It was expensive.
0:17.7	But I was also thinking, you have my kid.
0:20.0	This is kind of priceless. Take her, feed her,
0:23.3	make core memories. I don't have to do anything. Main thing, I don't have to do anything.
0:29.3	To hear this and more, listen to Good Mom's Bad Choices from Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart
0:34.4	Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
0:38.3	Adventure should never come with a pause button.
0:40.9	Remember Movie Pass?
0:42.3	All the movies you wanted for just nine bucks?
0:45.0	I'm Bridget Todd, host of There Are No Girls on the Internet.
0:47.8	And this season, I'm digging into the tech stories we weren't told.
0:51.2	Starting with Stacey Spikes, the black founder of movie pass who got pushed out
0:55.0	of the company he built.
0:53.6	Everybody's trying to knock you down and it's not going to work and no one's going to like it. And then boom, it's everywhere. And that was that moment. Listen to there are no girls on the internet on the IHurt Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I also want to address the Tonys.
1:12.4	On a recent episode of Checking Game with Michelle Williams,
1:15.7	I open up about feeling snubbed by the Tony Awards.
1:19.3	Do I?
	...

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