Spooky season is officially here. We have put summer in the rearview mirror. Football is in full swing and baseball is in the playoff hunt. For some people, it’s fall colored leaves and pumpkins. For some, its goblins and ghouls. For us, its Halloween sneaker season. So grab your pumpkin spice chai with extra caramel drizzle and let’s get into it.

I’m feeling I need to go with the first ones… the mesh fit gets me every time. What are yall rockin?

Nike has fully leaned into the Halloween season. It has become an October tradition that sneakerheads get a few Halloween-themed offerings each season. The Halloween style of choice is often a dunk but some exceptions have been made over the years including some on court hoop shoes. Some of the spooky offering have become some of the most sought-after pairs of the year. And one pair specifically is on a few grail lists.

I need em… I gotta have em… can I borrow some cash? I’ll get you back ASAP

A Nightmare on Elm Street was released on November 9, 1984. Is it a Halloween movie or a Thanksgiving movie? You decide. The film included one of the most iconic horror characters in cinematic history. Frederick Charles Krueger. In 2007, Nike planned to pay tribute to the Springwood Slasher with a dunk designed by Todd Bratrud and Peter Moore. The blood-spattered dunk had Freddy’s Iconic sweater colorway and a silver swoosh symbolizing Krueger’s claws. However, New Line Cinema owned the rights to the film at the time and ordered a cease-and-desist because they claimed the shoe infringed on their intellectual property. A few pairs had already been sold in Mexico and a few Nike employees allegedly snuck out a few pairs. With less than 30 pairs on the market, it has become a legendary pair.

But the Freddy Krueger doesn’t top my list for the all-time Halloween grail. On October 28, 2021, Nike gave us the Nike Dunk Low SB ‘Mummy’. On the surface, it’s an off-white canvas upper. But the stitching and frayed edges can be torn away to reveal a blue/gray suede underneath. The same suede was used for the swoosh. The outsole is a translucent glow in the dark material and it has embroidered eyes stitched on the heel. For my money, this is the best Nike Halloween offering we have gotten. When I was kid, Halloween wasn’t that big of a holiday like it is now. It was a carved pumpkin and a pillowcase of candy. No one had 12 foot animatronic grim reapers (!!!) from Home Depot. No one had smoke machines and black lights. At least not in my neighborhood. And there wasn’t a Spirit Halloween with every imaginable costume. We had one isle in a grocery store for a plastic mask. Or we had whatever we could create at home, with what we had. This is why the Mummy Dunk makes me feel a certain kind of feel. We all tried to be a mummy. Some of us used toilet paper and some of us cut up a sheet. Neither worked. Fast forward to 2022. The October 28th release date from 2021 made sure that none of us had the shoe after it shipped for Halloween of the same year. So we had to keep them on ice for a year. But 2022, trick or treating with my kids and their $100 Spirit Halloween Store costumes was a memory. And the Mummy glows in the dark!! So all the sneaker heads on your street get to break their neck looking at them when you walk down the sidewalk. I don’t think my feet touched the ground that night.

wait… why don’t I have these? how much are they? damn… i have to them right? Riiigggghhhhht???

Last year, we had a few good pairs. The Dunk “Halloween Skull” had a cracked leather overlay in a bright curry colorway but the molded skull on the toe box wasn’t something that I was in love with. The Air Force 1 “Jason’s Mask” was subtle and clean and made a ton of sense. The Special Box for this shoe featured some Crystal Lake art and was the star of the release. There was also the Kobe 5 X-Ray that was spotted on some NBA courts last season and I would assume this year as well.

if i buy these, i’m pretty much walking on clouds right? why shouldn’t i buy these right now? Wait… how do you keep them clean?

Last year, even Phoenix Suns legend, Devin Booker got in on the fun when collectors received the Nike Book 1 Halloween with its incredible Nightmare Before Christmas theming. The shoe was offered in Black and also in White. The shoe dropped on October 30, 2024, but Nightmare before Christmas is also a fantastic Christmas film and here in AZ, the shoe fit in nicely all the way through New Years Day. There was also a PE of this shoe inspired by the films Oogie Boogie character. It was a lime green colorway with a texture that resembled Oogie’s burlap cover. Booker wore them during his Christmas Day game that year and they haven’t been back since.

But in 2023, we were pretty spoiled. We got some of the best Halloween offering that I can remember. The Nike SB Dunk High Trick or Treat was a candy corn inspired colorway that could not be missed. The Ja 1 Halloween Zombie was spotted on a lot of AAU courts because it’s a pretty great budget hoop shoe and it gave heavy Kobe grinch vibes with a $100 price tag. Even the Giannis Freak 6 Halloween looked great in hand with its subtle two tone colors of Wild Mango and Laser Orange.

Wild Mango and Laser Orange for anybody keeping score…

The worst part of the Halloween offerings are always the release dates. Often times, the shoe is released on Halloween or just before it. Since the SNKRS app is often the only way to grab these pairs, they don’t show up on our door step until close to trick or treating night or sometimes after. Can you wear Halloween kicks after the holiday? Sure. But should you?

can one nba player wear some Vans so we can get this kind of design work on some low cuts?

This year, Nike continues to impress with fantastic Halloween themed offerings. The Nike KD 18 “Slim Reaper” is an all-black shoe with an incredibly detailed skeleton hand reaching towards the eyelets. This shoe is so fitting for the former Phoenix Sun. Its simple. But it works. The Nike Ja 3 “Spooky Season” is very reminiscent of the Ja 2 ‘Zombie” colorway but on the much nicer 3rd offering from Morant. Even Victor Wembanyama is leaning into the spirit of Halloween with the Zoom GT Hustle 3 “Halloween” in a bright orange colorway with light green hits on the swoosh and laces. Giannis has the Freak 7 “Warewolf” and my guy D Book has the Book 1 “Halloween”. The Book 1 “Halloween” isn’t as strong as the Nightmare Before Christmas offering, but it looks like the outsole will still glow. The scorpions on the all black and white shoe are an odd choice for Halloween, but every Devin Booker shoe ties into Arizona somehow so I’m here for it. Most of these pairs will be offered on SNKRS on October 21st. But the Book 1 release date hasn’t been announced. Hope we see that info soon. Last year we got the Book 1 on the 30th, maybe this year will be the same.

So there it is. The Halloween 2025 offerings are all high points with no low points. Did I miss your favorite from a previous year? What are you trick or treating n this year? Are you copping any of this years releases. Whatever you grab, you can hoop in ‘em, you can go door to door in ‘em, or you can flex them at a sneaker con, but make sure you wear ‘em. Happy Halloween everyone! Save me your circus peanuts from your pillow case.