By Cardinal Connection staff

How would you like to spend your Halloween?

What horror movies would you be watching while you indulge — just a little — in your favorite trick-or-treat candy?

According to an informal poll conducted by the Cardinal Connection, Robertson High students have a wide array of favorites in both films and snacks. The poll asked participants to name their three favorites for each category in order of preference. Point values were awarded depending on ranking.

More than 90 different movies were among the choices named by those polled, with titles ranging from old school scarefests like “The Thing” and “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” to newer fare such as “Us” and “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.”

Similarly, Robertson students offered a diverse selection of the sweets they’d most like to see in their trick-or-treat bags. Roughly five dozen different types of candy were on the lists generated by poll respondents. Some were quite specific with their requests, i.e. “Nerds Gummy Clusters” or “Blueberry Dum Dums.” Others named chocolate, gum or popcorn balls as favorites.

In the end, the majority of students surveyed picked “Scream” and “It” as the ideal double feature for Halloween viewing. “Scream,” originally released in 1996, spawned a series of films and similar attempts. It was rebooted in 2022 with Gen Z star Jenna Ortega joining original cast members Courteney Cox, Neve Campbell and David Arquette. The franchise’s comedic take on the horror genre continues to be a hit with fans. “Scream” garnered 51 points for a decisive win in the RHS poll.

“It,” also a remake, is based on the novel by Stephen King. It was released in 2017 and stars Bill Skarsgard as the titular clown Pennywise, who takes on the form of various childhood fears to torment a group of kids. “It” was second in the poll with 43 points, beating “Halloween” and “The Conjuring.”

Meanwhile, students named Twix (64 points) as their favorite Halloween candy, followed by Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Snickers, which tied for second with 52 points apiece.

Twix, which consists of a caramel and shortbread cookie coated in milk chocolate, emerged with the win from an all-chocolate top three. The real surprise may have been at No. 4, where the oft-maligned candy corn placed in the poll. Another surprise was that Swedish Fish picked up a few votes, though none of the respondents had it as their No.

MOVIES — TOP TEN

Scream, 51 points
It, 43 points
Halloween, 35 points
The Conjuring, 34 points
Terrifier, 18 points
La Llorona, 17 points
Hocus Pocus, 12 points
A Nightmare on Elm Street, 10 points
Chucky, 9 points
The Conjuring 2, 9 points

CANDY — TOP TEN

Twix, 64 points
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, 52 points
Snickers, 52 points
Candy corn, 42 points
Kit Kat, 37 points
Hershey’s, 32 points
M&Ms, 26 points
Skittles, 22 points
Smarties, 10 points
Sour Patch Kids, 9 points
Tootsie Roll, 9 points.

Memorial Middle School

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