It’s almost Halloween, which means we have broody vampire costumes to make and spooky parties to attend. There’s a lot to anticipate.

With every party comes its own holiday-specific set of rules.

The standard rules still apply: don’t drive home after drinking, go with a friend who doesn’t have a record for ditching, “no” means “no,” etc.

Halloween parties bring out the wilder side in people, so a few more rules need to be established.

Costume consent

People dress in ways they normally wouldn’t dress. If a woman wants to dress in a way that emphasizes her feminine curves, that’s her choice. A sexy costume does not equal consent. Only a “yes” equals consent.

Going to a party

When preparing to attend a Halloween hullabaloo, it is best to figure out what kind of party it is beforehand. If it’s a family-game-night-type get together it probably isn’t a good idea to sneak in a flask or wear something too gorey. This applies if the host is accepting trick-or-treaters as well.

If it’s a drinking affair, it’d be best to leave the board games at home. Although they’re really fun, it’s likely people would be too drunk to understand how to play, and board games are really expensive. Wearing an elaborate costume isn’t wise either. There are plenty of opportunities for it to get ruined.

Screening movies

For anybody showing horror movies at this year’s Halloween celebration keep in mind how this could affect guests. Everybody loves a good cheesy eighties scary movie, but showing something like The Human Centipede, with no warning, is not OK. Keep it classy. Horror flicks with deep, complex story lines are hard to pick up when dropping in or out. Movies that have an obvious or simple plot line are best. Unless all people present have specifically agreed to watching something that messed up, stick to movies like The Nightmare before Christmas.

Be sensitive

If people from religious backgrounds, or anybody with reservations about the occult, are invited to the shindig, don’t pressure them into playing with ouija boards or breaking into cemeteries. Halloween pranks like these are why cops are usually posted outside Oak Hill cemetery every year. People go to parties to have fun, and it really sucks when someone ruins the night with devil magic.