SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) — The spookiest of seasons is upon us, and goblins, ghouls, superheroes and wild animals will soon take to the streets of San Diego for Halloween fun.
In honor of the creepy-crawly holiday, we dug up some ghosts of Halloweens past with vintage footage from the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s.
Before you grab your pillowcase and head off trick-or-treating, explore these News 8 Halloween haunts... if you dare.
Just days before Halloween in 1978, News 8's Judy Elfenbein got into the spirit of the holiday by visiting some spirits at the Whaley House in Old Town, San Diego. Once a county courthouse and later a home and theater, the Whaley House was dedicated as a historic house museum in 1960. The ghosts of its previous owners - Thomas and Anna Eloise Whaley - are said to roam the halls along with several other spectres. In this interview museum employee June Redding even shares a story about a ghost dog!
This raw footage from October 30, 1978 captures the costumes and merriment of a Halloween party in San Diego. Among the dancing robots and mermaids former mayor and then member of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Roger Hedgecock can be spotted in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo.
Witches, skeletons and even a mini Hulk are seen in this clip from Halloween 1980. News 8 reporter Dave Cohen reported on the holiday festivities from the streets of San Diego to a haunted house at Balboa Park's Museum of Man to the London Opera House restaurant.
The day before Halloween in 1978, News 8 reporter Shirley Clum made a trip out to Jamul in east San Diego to meet "The Pumpkin Man." Dozens were also at Hal Simpson's nursery to pick out pumpkins for free; then if they brought them back as jack-o-lanterns they would receive $1 and the carved creations would go on display to bring the Halloween spirit to Jamul.
A couple weeks before Halloween 1980, News 8 reporter Loren Nancarrow visited a costume shop in Pacific Beach, San Diego to find out what was flying off the shelves. The hot items for ladies were Playboy bunny and French maid costumes while Star Wars characters were a hit among males.
Raw clips from 1980 and 1996 show UC San Diego's annual pumpkin drop. For over 50 years, pumpkins of varying sizes have been sent plummeting from Muir College’s 11-story Tioga Hall, customarily filled with candy. As you can see some things never change as year after year the shattered gourds send Halloween treats flying and students scrambling to retrieve them.
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