Grew up in Connecticut. Halloween was bad-scary bad. Now live in PA. Those German’s love to decorate and do so about 2 months ahead of time but no murder and mayhem on the big day, just candy. These PA towns decide when Halloween is and everyone seems to go along with it. In CT, when I was young, nobody would have cared what the gov said. The M-80s, eggs, fires seemed to know when it was the 31st.
I grew up on Long Island. Kids started trick or treating as soon as they came home from school, and when street lights started to come it, it was pretty much time to go home. The dark was for the older kids, and I was glad when it was NOT on a Fri or Sat, because they didn’t go too late then.
There was always the bad kid or two, but it wasn’t too bad. Most kids just loved the candy.
Here in FL they don’t start till after dark. Maybe it’s the weather - a fall afternoon on LI is great brisk walk, but here the sun is still beating down in the afternoon.