With a forecast of light snow and temperatures in the twenties, this past Saturday felt more like winter than fall. But the chilly weather certainly didn't stop crowds of Miamians from donning their costumes and turning the streets of Oxford into a spooky spectacle.
Braced against the chill, a group of Sith lords swoops past Armstrong, clacking their plastic lightsabers together in mock combat. Behind them walks a horde of zombie cheerleaders practicing their choreography.
Alyssa Burnett dressed as an ex-wife, complete with blood and gore, and says she shamelessly stole the joke from the movie "Mean Girls."
"For the most part, I really just wanted an excuse to use the fake blood I bought," Alyssa says, gesturing to the copious amounts of red stains on her dress and veil.
Along High street, Jack Salmer and Mike Dewitt are on their way to Brick Street dressed as police officers. Complete with handcuffs and flashlights, they joke that to some, theirs might be the scariest costumes of the night.
"We didn't have a lot of time to put these together, but I'm pretty proud of how well they turned out," Jack says.
Some students don't seem as concerned with how their costumes look. Ryan Davis slapped on a headband and wore a jersey that he had previously owned, going as a low cost, low effort basketball player.
"Halloween is about going out and having fun," Ryan says. "It shouldn't cost me a ton of money to do that, so I just wore stuff I already had."
Lots of people seem to agree with that philosophy, as the line in front of Brick is full of people in barely more than street clothes, one simply taping a sign to his chest that read, "I'm a werewolf, but it isn't a full moon tonight."
Another trend that is apparent across various parts of Oxford is the advent of the onesie costume. Dozens of students wear pajama-like onesies of various animals or fictional characters, passing them off as costumes.
Bryan Measure, Mike Thomas and Jacob Ronnebaum all wore onesies, going as Chewbacca, Pikachu and a shark, respectively.
"These were easy to find and easy to wear," says Jacob. "Plus, they're really warm, and tonight, that's super important."
Despite the cost and the cold, some students didn't hold back with their costumes. Lily Brook is dressed as a zombie, but her intense makeup sets her apart from the rest of the undead that prowl the campus. Her face is fully zombified, complete with torn flesh, stained teeth and a missing eye.
"This is the one time a year that I can really go all out with my costume makeup," she says, excitedly.
She's been doing theatrical makeup for years, and goes all out every Halloween. Last year she went as Frankenstein's monster.
All across campus, costumed collegiates roam the streets. Billy Mays walks next to Donald Trump, followed by Jack Skellington and Santa Claus.
Not letting the cold get to them, Brandon Lewis and Aaron Chavez proudly emerge from their dorm wearing nothing but swim trunks and headgear -- a swim cap for Brandon and a shark mask for Aaron -- and dive into the night.
The aquatic duo join countless other costumed students, all out to make this chilly October night one to remember.
headledd@miamioh.edu