“All Hallows’ Eve,” “Samhain,” “All Hallowtide,” “Feast of the Dead” and “Day of the Dead” are all different celebrations or ways to say the United States version “Halloween.”

With Halloween comes fears and superstitions. Some fears are specific, and some are more general.

“There are specific phobias where a person has an irrational fear of a specific thing like snakes, darkness, or heights. Anxiety is usually a more general fear or worry,” said Jeff Stowell, associate professor for the biological psychology department. “Then there’s fear initiated by a situation that we perceive as threatening or dangerous.”

Halloween seems to ignite most of these fears.

During Halloween, more spooky stories are told and many “mysterious murders” are discussed. People listening have to decide what is real and what is not.

“There’s no change in how fear works (on Halloween) except that there’s more people trying to scare other people,” Stowell said.

Superstitions are also emphasized throughout the Halloween season.

“Throwing salt over the shoulder, walking under ladders, steering clear of black cats are all things I usually hear of,” said Kayla Peters, junior early childhood education major. “My grandma is also extremely superstitious. I think most of these things are silly, though, and I don’t believe in most of them.”

When it comes to students’ hometowns, even more stories are traded.

“Somewhere in my hometown of Effingham, there’s supposedly a haunted grave. I went with my friends one time, and we took shovels to protect ourselves, but nothing happened,” Peters said. “Also, T-town, a cemetery near Effingham, is supposedly haunted – and I’ve heard many stories about the Ashmore Estates, the old insane asylum near Charleston.”

Halloween is when tales of murders and strange occurrences pop up as well.

“A couple Halloweens ago, I went to a party with some of my friends at a house that only had a caretaker. We left early and the next morning we heard that three old bodies and five fresh ones were found in the basement of that house,” said Danielle Buenting, sophomore political science major. “I don’t know if the story was true, but it reminded us to be careful where we go on Halloween.”

Decatur, Buenting’s hometown, has folklore and superstitious history attached to it, as well.

“There are a ton of superstitions from Decatur, but the one I believe the most is that the Lincoln Theatre is haunted. Three of my friends said they’ve seen things there. I’ve heard chains rattling, and a lot of people said they have felt cold chills when in the building,” she said.

All the stories have one common factor: fear.

Stowell said reptiles and mammals have similar fear responses; there is a common circuit for fear and other emotions. Most people react to fear in the same way.

“There are some very specific pathways in the brain that are common amongst many species that result in an expression of fear in facial expressions (and) physiological changes that prepare you for a ‘fight or flight’ response, along with the accompanying feeling of fear,” Stowell said.