In the 80s and beyond, teenagers took the word “trick” part of “trick or treat” literally. Due to our newfound litigious society, people mainly focus on the treat aspect of the classic Halloween phrase.

The tricks that teenagers pulled in 1988 would not pass in today’s world, as teens tend to take the pranks they pull too far. For instance, a varsity football player in the class of ‘88 pulled a prank that would not follow today’s laws or values.

“Forrest Miller, senior and a starting Varsity football player, said he and his friends would pour gasoline on a cat. Then, when they saw a group of kids walking down the street going from door to door beg for candy, they would set the cat on fire and let the cat go,” then staff writer for The Chant, ‘88, Larry Jarrard wrote. Laws protecting animals strengthened in November of 1990, just two years after students pulled this trick.

Even though this prank fell under the extreme category of past tricks, not all tricks reached that level. Other students felt the desire to pull tricks, but did not want to reach Forrest Miller’s extreme and harm living animals.

“Ashley Majors, senior, said that she and Tricia Moore, senior, got some pumpkins from Kroger. They also ‘borrowed’ a couple of construction signs and wrapped them in ‘Happy Halloween’ streamers. They took all of these materials and placed them in their work manager’s yard,” Jarrard said.

Tricks pulled today can include toilet papering or egging someone’s house, hitting someone’s mailbox with a bat, or simply scaring someone.

“I lay in the grass under my car and jump out at little kids because I like to be in the spooky spirit and see people get scared,” sophomore Ben Schuller said.

Today, teens mainly focus more on treating instead of tricking in fear of pulling a trick that could become dangerous or unlawful. Teens celebrate spooky season by going to parties, helping their younger siblings with their costumes, or adventuring through the neighborhood looking for candy.

“I always pass out candy to little kids because it is easier; I get to see all of the costumes that the kids are wearing, and it makes me feel good to see little kids happy about receiving candy,” Magnet junior Donovan Hall said.

Although teens tend to lay back and not worry about potentially becoming tricked, someone is always watching.