With Halloween approaching, the late nights packed with party hunting and chilly walks home are inevitable. The University of Massachusetts is generally a safe campus. That isn’t to say it isn’t creepy, however. The area is packed with tens of thousands of students and faculty, but some roads are less traveled even among the masses. Below is a list of the top 10 scariest places on campus, so be sure to take the necessary precautions to avoid them over the upcoming weekend. If not, you may find yourself Trick-or-Trembling.

1. The Orchard Hill-Sylvan Trail: The path that connects Orchard Hill to Sylvan has been unofficially nicknamed as the scariest place on campus.
2. Library elevators: A control cable broke in one of the elevators in August 2007, rocketing the metal box up to the 27th floor. The DuBois library made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Although no one was in the elevator at the time, who’s to say it won’t happen again?
3. The Old Chapel: One of the older landmarks on campus and notorious for being haunted, this condemned place of worship would best be opted out of in the Trick-or-Treat lineup this year.
4. Hardware Support: After taking a slow, creaky elevator down to the basement of OIT, Hardware Support stands alone with the terrifying experience it provides to students and faculty alike. Make sure to steer clear on a full-moon, and bring a friend when your laptop breaks.
5. Boyden during finals week: One thousand sweaty students packed into an excruciatingly brightly lit gymnasium, suffering through their cumulative exams. Enough said.
6. The underground tunnels: The tunnel that runs from the basements of Bartlett to Herter is simultaneously creepy and convenient. Shaving those few seconds off your walk from classes may not be worth the fright.
7. UMass Police Department: Unless you’re participating in some sort of safety course, the UMPD is the last place you want to end up on a Friday night.
8. Southwest Tunnel: A scream of terror in this channel of cement could be echoed throughout the entire residential area, chilling the bones of unsuspecting students. With flickering lights and wobbly floorboards, the tunnel into Southwest is best not taken after nightfall.
9. The Recreation Center after Spring Break: An entire week of guzzling fruity mixed drinks and stuffing your face with fast food galore may result in the dreaded beer belly. Good luck facing the treadmill after that fiasco!
10. The Morrill buildings: Didn’t think science could get any worse? Throw dimly lit bathrooms, cockroaches and a tarantula named Fluffy into the mix for a truly creepy educational experience.

Though some may prefer being stranded on a trail between residential areas than spending the evening on lockdown with the UMass police, all 10 places permeate a certain fear factor. It may be best of celebrate the holidays off-campus this Halloween!

Kate Evans can be reached at [email protected].