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GENERAL ENGLISH · GENERAL ISSUES · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

THE DARK
SIDE OF
HALLOWEEN
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1 Warm up
In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. Do you like Halloween? Why/why not?

2. How do you celebrate Halloween?
3. Do you have any Halloween traditions in your country?
4. Is Halloween getting more or less popular where you live? Why?
5. Have you ever been to a Halloween party or other costume party? What did you dress as?

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THE DARK SIDE OF HALLOWEEN

2 Key words

Match the words on the left to their definitions on the right.

1. devour (v) a. artificial (relating to body parts)

2. a ton (n) b. eat all of something quickly

3. a prank (n) c. good enough for a particular purpose

4. horrendous (adj.) d. a very large amount

5. prosthetic (adj.) e. extremely unpleasant

6. a patch (n) f. a trick that is supposed to be funny but doesn’t cause harm

7. adequate (adj.) g. not completely certain about something or someone

8. wary (adj.) h. a small area that is different from what is around it

3 Reading

You are going to read an article about the dangers of Halloween. Match the headings to the paragraphs
in the article on the next page. You can check your answers by listening to the audio.

Hidden dangers Cosmetic catastrophes

Terrifying TV Risks to our four-legged friends

Vandalism Scary experiences

Fancy dress fears Cleaning up

Overdosing on sugar Commercialisation

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UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

THE DARK SIDE OF HALLOWEEN

The dark side of Halloween

Parts of Halloween that we don’t talk about

A. It’s Halloween again. Are you looking forward to so property gets easily damaged. Cars, homes and
dressing-up and eating your body weight in sweets mailboxes are often targeted on Halloween, but
or are you shaking behind the sofa? If it’s the people have also stolen things like kitchen utensils.
latter, prepare to be even more scared when you’ve In some states in the US, ringing the doorbell and
finished reading about the dangers and downsides of running away is a criminal offence.
Halloween. 6
1

G. On Halloween in the US, people throw eggs at

B. Everything about Halloween can be truly terrifying
houses, which splatter on impact. The mess this
for young children, and even the most fearless adults
creates is horrendous to get rid of. Toilet paper in
can be scared by realistic decorations. Psychologists
trees and silly string are also common Halloween
advise parents to watch their children closely during
pranks which take a lot of time to take down. In
Halloween, and to remind them of what is real and
California, you can be fined $1000 dollars for using
what isn’t.
silly string.
2
7

C. The average young trick-or-treater will consume

about 3 cups of sugar on Halloween, and devour H. Zombie face paint, fake blood and prosthetic skin
around 7,000 calories, which is the equivalent to 13 can all cause skin irritation, inflammation and allergic
Big Macs. As a grown-up, you’re also just as likely reactions. Test any make-up you plan to wear on a
to consume too much sugar, as it’s very tempting to small patch of your skin first. Coloured contact lenses
steal sweets from kids and snack on treats people have also become popular but experts say that it’s
bring to the office. wise to wear only prescription lenses.
3 8

D. In the past few decades, the Halloween industry I. It seems it’s not acceptable to leave the house on
has grown dramatically. Temporary Halloween stores Halloween dressed as yourself. Some people start
have opened up. Bars, nightclubs and restaurants thinking about their costume months in advance, to
have theme nights, and people even send Halloween avoid the stress of trying to put together an adequate
cards. Then there is the pressure to buy costumes, outfit at the last minute. Then there’s the pressure of
decorate your house and buy a ton of sweets for trying to top the costume you wore last year.
trick-or-treaters.
9
4

J. If you hate horror films, then Halloween isn’t a good

E. Children can trip over their Halloween costumes and
time for you. Scary movies take over our screens and
some are flammable. Masks can obstruct people’s
there are countless previews for these in cinemas. A
vision. Children should also be careful about what
lot of these films are also deliberately terrible. Many
they accept from strangers. In 1964, a woman
horror fans truly want to see a movie ‘so bad it’s good.’
gave dog biscuits and ant poison to a group of
10
teenagers she thought were too old for trick-or-
treating. However, the biggest Halloween danger is
K. Halloween can also be frightening for pets. Owners
car accidents. At night, it’s difficult for drivers to see
should be wary that they’re not eating any sweets
people wearing dark clothes.
or chocolate that are lying around the house. Many
5
Halloween costumes also have plastic accessories
F. Halloween can unleash violent behaviour in people. which a dog might want to chew on and possibly
Children get hyped up on sugar and adults get drunk, swallow, so these should be kept away from animals.

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THE DARK SIDE OF HALLOWEEN

4 Find the words

Find the words and phrases in the text which mean...

1. the second of a group of two things mentioned before (n, para. A)

2. something that has the same value as something else (n, para. C)

3. likely to burn easily (adj, para. E)

4. block someone’s ability to see (phr. v, para. E)

5. cause something that has a harmful effect (v, para. F)

6. break apart and cover a surface with a liquid (v, para. G)

7. very many, especially more than you think is acceptable (adj., para. J)

5 Verb + preposition

Choose the correct word to complete the phrases below.

around away down on over together up

1. The children were so hyped about going to the zoo they didn’t eat their breakfast.

2. Be careful! You’re going to trip your shoelaces.

3. Don’t leave your glasses lying . Put them somewhere safe.

4. I don’t have much food in the fridge, but I’m sure I can put a meal .

5. I think we need to take that poster . It’s really offensive.

6. You can snack some nuts before dinner. They are better for you than crisps.

7. Keep anything that is flammable from the fire.

6 Talking point

Discuss any of the questions below in pairs or small groups.

1. Have you experienced any of the things mentioned in the article? Which one(s)?
2. Do you feel any pressure to celebrate Halloween? Why/why not?
3. Do you think that Halloween has become too commercial? Why/why not?

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THE DARK SIDE OF HALLOWEEN

7 Extended activity/Homework

Write a short piece and give your opinion about Halloween.

You should:

• Write at least 100 words

• Check your spelling, grammar and punctuation.

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....................................................................................................

....................................................................................................

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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

THE DARK SIDE OF HALLOWEEN

Transcripts

3. Reading

00:04.17 The dark side of Halloween

00:07.17 Parts of Halloween that we don’t talk about It’s Halloween again. Are you looking forward
to dressing-up and eating your body weight in sweets or are you shaking behind the sofa?
If it’s the latter, prepare to be even more scared when you’ve finished reading about the
dangers and downsides of Halloween.

00:27.96 Scary experiences

00:30.58 Everything about Halloween can be truly terrifying for young children, and even the most
fearless adults can be scared by realistic decorations. Psychologists advise parents to
watch their children closely during Halloween, and to remind them of what is real and
what isn’t.

00:48.50 Overdosing on sugar

00:51.13 The average young trick-or-treater will consume about 3 cups of sugar on Halloween,
and devour around 7,000 calories, which is the equivalent to 13 Big Macs. As a grown-
up, you’re also just as likely to consume too much sugar, as it’s very tempting to steal
sweets from kids and snack on treats people bring to the office.

01:13.21 Commercialisation

01:15.07 In the past few decades, the Halloween industry has grown dramatically. Temporary
Halloween stores have opened up. Bars, nightclubs and restaurants have theme nights,
and people even send Halloween cards. Then there is the pressure to buy costumes,
decorate your house and buy a ton of sweets for trick-or-treaters.

01:35.15 Hidden dangers

01:37.15 Children can trip over their Halloween costumes and some are flammable. Masks can
obstruct people’s vision. Children should also be careful about what they accept from
strangers. In 1964, a woman gave dog biscuits and ant poison to a group of teenagers she
thought were too old for trick-or-treating. However, the biggest Halloween danger is car
accidents. At night, it’s difficult for drivers to see people wearing dark clothes.

02:06.58 Vandalism

02:08.37 Halloween can unleash violent behaviour in people. Children get hyped up on sugar and
adults get drunk, so property gets easily damaged. Cars, homes and mailboxes are often
targeted on Halloween, but people have also stolen things like kitchen utensils. In some
states in the US, ringing the doorbell and running away is a criminal offence.

02:32.24 Cleaning up

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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

THE DARK SIDE OF HALLOWEEN

02:34.20 On Halloween in the US, people throw eggs at houses, which splatter on impact. The
mess this creates is horrendous to get rid of. Toilet paper in trees and silly string are also
common Halloween pranks which take a lot of time to take down. In California, you can
be fined $1000 dollars for using silly string.

02:55.70 Cosmetic catastrophes

02:58.37 Zombie face paint, fake blood and prosthetic skin can all cause skin irritation, inflammation
and allergic reactions. Test any make-up you plan to wear on a small patch of your skin
first. Coloured contact lenses have also become popular but experts say that it’s wise to
wear only prescription lenses.

03:18.99 Fancy dress fears

03:21.53 It seems it’s not acceptable to leave the house on Halloween dressed as yourself. Some
people start thinking about their costume months in advance, to avoid the stress of trying
to put together an adequate outfit at the last minute. Then there’s the pressure of trying
to top the costume you wore last year.

03:39.45 Terrifying TV

03:41.91 If you hate horror films, then Halloween isn’t a good time for you. Scary movies take over
our screens and there are countless previews for these in cinemas. A lot of these films are
also deliberately terrible. Many horror fans truly want to see a movie ‘so bad it’s good.’

04:01.36 Risks to our four-legged friends

04:04.28 Halloween can also be frightening for pets. Owners should be wary that they’re not eating
any sweets or chocolate that are lying around the house. Many Halloween costumes also
have plastic accessories which a dog might want to chew on and possibly swallow, so
these should be kept away from animals.

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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

THE DARK SIDE OF HALLOWEEN

Key
1. Warm up

5 mins
This gives an introduction to the topic and opportunity for students to talk about Halloween and its traditions.
Monitor and provide on the spot feedback when appropriate.

2. Key words

7 mins
Make sure students can correctly pronounce the target vocabulary. Ask them to complete the task by themselves
firstly, and then compare answers with a partner.
1. → b. 2. → d. 3. → f. 4. → e. 5. → a. 6. → h. 7. → c. 8. → g.

3. Reading

10 mins
You may want to set a time limit on this task to encourage students to skim rather than read in detail firstly to
match the headings to the article.
1. Scary experiences 2. Overdosing on sugar 3. Commercialisation
4. Hidden dangers 5. Vandalism 6. Cleaning up
7. Cosmetic catastrophes 8. Fancy dress fears 9. Terrifying TV
10. Risks to our four-legged friends

4. Find the words

8 mins
This provides support with some of the more difficult vocabulary in the article and encourages students to scan
for vocabulary.
1. latter 2. equivalent 3. flammable
4. obstruct someone’s vision 5. unleash 6. splatter
7. countless

5. Verb + preposition

10 mins
This revises prepositional verbs from the article. Ask students to complete the task by themselves first and then
compare answers with a partner
1. up 2. over 3. around
4. together 5. down 6. on
7. away

6. Talking point

5 mins
Ask students to discuss the questions in pairs or small groups. Monitor and provide feedback where needed.

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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

THE DARK SIDE OF HALLOWEEN

7. Extended activity/Homework

40 mins. +
Ask students to plan, write and edit their work. Be sure to give students feedback on their work.

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