Pumpkin Spice season has been in full-swing for a few weeks now, and that means two things:
- We’re almost free from the tyranny of those pumpkin-spice-sucking fanatics and their cult-worshiping of the profane spice
- Halloween is just around the corner, so you’d better have your costumes prepped and your houses decked-out in ghosts, ghouls and goblins.
Speaking of words that start with “G”, what’s something that brings as much joy to us adults as the trick & treating does for the kids? Ganja. You can’t celebrate “Halloweed” without toking on some fiendishly good buds, with your buds. Whether you’re a dedicated grower looking for next year’s crypt-creepy strains, or you’re after some spooky ghost strains to make the annual ‘Thriller’ dance really vibe, Haute Health has all the best Halloween weed strains.
What makes a strain “creepy” enough for Halloween? What’s the latest & greatest ghost strains and how have they changed the Halloweed landscape? Let’s play bubble-bubble-toil-and-trouble with our bongs as we search for this year’s top Halloween weed strains.
What Makes A Happy Halloweed?
Before we dive into the top Halloween weed strains, we thought it’d be fruitful to explore what makes Halloween such a perfect fit with cannabis:
TIS’ THE SEASON
The most obvious reason, of course, has to do with the fact that October is ‘harvest month’. For millennia, across all cultures and parts of the world, autumn has always been a time for harvest – growth slows down as the cold of winter approaches, so it’s time to cut down those bodacious buds you’ve been painstakingly helping your plant grow all summer.
Harvesting cannabis flowers can come with a bit of sadness, even though the best part – the buds – are what we’re after all along. Seeing your beautiful plants begin to wither pulls on the heartstrings of any/all growers, but it is a natural cycle of life that we’re all party to.
MUNCHIE MANIA
Another prominent reason why Halloween and weed strains go together like “Halloweed” is that this holiday is known for one thing in particular: candy, chips, chocolates and more! Stoners are less intrigued with the ‘trick’ as much as they are all-in on the ‘treats’ this time of year. The munchies hit harder than the monster mash, so it’s no wonder why cannabis-lovers absolutely love Halloween. This Halloween, pair your ghost strains with chocolate ganache, or your creepy strains with crunchy snacks galore, to get the most out of your Halloweed.
WEIRDING WORLD
There’s something to be said about the weirdness of the Halloween season. Scary stuff, spooky stories, and downright terrifying decorations outside and inside our homes… Why are we so drawn to the obscure? The horrifying? The weird world of Halloween culture makes for an excellent space to eat space-cake and trip out over all the avant-garde art of the season. Maybe it’s because cannabis buds have to be harvested, the potential of the plants has to die, for us to enjoy/benefit from the buds? Such a grim fate for all weed plants really resonates with the ‘day of the dead’ worship surrounding Hallow’s Eve. There’s some stoner philosophy for ya.
The Top 10 Halloween Weed Strains
What better way to start a Halloween weed strains list than with the ever-consistent Ghost Train Haze. This ghost strain is as steady as the spectred train it conjures with its name – approaching from the fog, creeping up on your senses with carriages full of ghouls, goblins and ganja-thieves. Crossed from Ghost OG and Neville’s Wreck, this ghostly strain perfectly encapsulates everything we love about Halloween weed strains: pale trichomes covering its dark flowers like a veil from beyond.
Ghost Train Haze offers a citrus pop, and can be extremely floral smelling when smoked. Even though its name conjures up imagery of wailing specters aboard a train bound for hell, it is actually quite proficient at counteracting pain, anxiety and nausea.
The only creepy strain of weed that rhymes with “boo!”, Afgoo brings to mind slimy, mutant muck that will ooze out of your brain after it melts your mind. Sometimes called “Afgooey”, other times referred to as “Afghan Goo”, Afgoo is a strong indica strain that likely comes from breeding Maui Haze with, of course, Afghani strains.
While this sticky icky is keeping you glued to the floor, it will have your mind soaring up to the ceiling with cerebral, euphoric highs. Imagine the perfect clarity and bliss you’d feel being high on this special strain… right before the horror of your eternal reality, stuck in the glowing goo of an escaped lab experiment… (Maybe don’t think about this when you’re actually smoking it, it sounds too paranoid-inducing).
No ghost strain list would be complete without the “Original Ghost” – Ghost OG. We covered one hybrid of this legendary strain, but its infamy continues to loom like fog blanketing the crypt of a forgotten fiend. Ghost OG comes from OG Kush, which is why many people refer to it as “Ghost Kush”. Ghost OG is perfectly balanced – a part of this world, and that of the afterlife simultaneously.
Covered in spectral trichome crystals and potent from start-to-finish, Ghost OG puts the spirit of Halloween in every puff, every toke and every dab. You asked for strong genetics, so how about a ghost strain that never leaves you – even after death?!
What’s scary about Ingrid? Well, we’ll tell ya… <i>Legend has it that this strain is named after the famed, matriarchal killer: Ingrid Von Berggren. This towering terror of the 1700’s was infamous for marrying rich, murdering her husband in gruesome fashion, and staching them in the walls of every estate she maliciously inherited…</i> Oh whoops, none of that’s true, we just went down a Netflix Horror Week rabbithole and mixed up our stories. We’re sure the real namesake for Ingrid is a really nice lady.
Ingrid strain is known to be uptight – buds that is – and give off an almost glowing green color, taste and vibe. Beware the powers of Ingrid, because if you’re not ready for her she’ll getcha.
Nightmares don’t just creep up on you at night – they manifest when you smoke this ghastly ganja. Voted one of the best halloween weed strains three years running, Nightmare Cookies take a bite out of your sanity every time you light them up. Bred from White Nightmare and Girl Scout Cookies parent strains, Nightmare Cookies provides a robust, couchlock experience that does its name justice.
Nightmares never looked so good or smelled so good, however, because these Cookies exhibit vibrant purples, oranges and greens that smell as diverse as they are colorful. Known for their sweetness, Nightmare Cookie buds are a tasty midnight snack – just be careful they don’t take a bit out of YOU.
This OG strain doesn’t just hack up limes for fun… it’s coming for you next! The name says it all about this citrus-slasher of a creepy Halloween strain – expect lime flavors and lemon aromas gushing from these bright green buds. Crossed between Starkiller OG and Lemon OG Haze, OG Lime Killer will murder your expectations for a flowery, fruity, piney smoking experience.
Some stoners prefer this strain in edible form because it actually does offer a delicious citrus, sour and fuel-y pallet. Maybe it’s called “killer” because it’s just such a bodacious bud?… Because it’s Halloween, we’ll assume it’s just a stone-cold, hacking, slashing, fruity fiend of a killer strain.
Ever felt like your face was being torn off your body while you were helpless to stop it? We sure hope not, but that’s what you can expect when you rip a fat hoot of Face Off OG. The “OG” Face Off came about in a mad laboratory in California – OG Kush seeds came together with a mystery hybrid partner and literally melted the faces off the growers who first smoked it.
Even though the strain’s namesake – Face Off, the movie – isn’t a scary flick, it still conjures up imagery of skinned corpses, shrieking and wailing in pain, and dizzying amounts of blood… perfect for the gory glory of this time of year. Face Off is quite literal as well, due to its potent psychoactive effects making people lose senses in their head, limbs or torso. Don’t lose your head – or your face! – when you toke this OG up.
Speaking of your face being smashed into smithereens by Jason or Michael Myers… 9 Pound Hammer hits as hard as any slasher flick, but with longer lasting effects on your mental, physical, emotional AND spiritual states. 9 Pounds doesn’t sound like a particularly oversized gavel, but it will get the gory job done. Mixed between Gooberry, Hells OG and Jack the Ripper, this is one of the ultimate royalty Halloween weed strains.
Pungent and particular with its delivery of fruitiness, sleepiness and euphoria, 9 Pound Hammer will nail you to the couch or table and not let you escape until its job is done. You better hope it has your best interests at heart, because it’s too powerful to deny.
Why ‘Pre-98’? Well the 90’s were home to some of the greatest horror flicks of all time: Silence of the Lambs introduced us to the incomparable cannibal Dr. Lecter, Scream 1 & 2 boondoggled the box offices, and The Blair Witch Project traumatized parents & kids the world-over. Life was pretty darn good pre-1998, which is why Pre-98 Bubba Kush is the perfect Halloween weed strain to ‘bring you back’ to the simpler times.
Earthy, dearthy and a lot of fun, Pre-98 is a fantastic weed party strain for nestling your good times in the good vibes of the 90’s. If you’re more of an 80’s person, then just smoke double the Pre-98! We’re sure it will just keep pulling you back further in time until you’re satisfied.
Let’s face it… there’s nothing more scary than Chuck f&*#ing Norris! If a roundhouse kick to your face, butt and soul isn’t nerve wracking enough for you, then maybe the creepy strain Chuck Norris will blast you on your ass so fast you won’t know Halloween from Easter. This indica dominant hybrid comes from mysterious origins – much like its namesake, nobody really knows who, where, what, why or how Chuck Norris came to be.
What we do know is that this is one Halloween weed strain that will help you win ‘best costume’ at any festive party, because your beard will grow in thicker, your muscles will expand, and you’ll suddenly command the presence of a mythical half-man, half-god. Ready for a good head pounding? Perfect, because Chuck Norris truly does punch and kick as hard as the universe. Happy Halloweed to you and any others who stick with this new-age classic strain – just be careful, because with great power comes great responsibility – or in this case, mega munchies.
