Some truly terrifying Zoom backgrounds to bring that Halloween spirit to your next lecture
Even though Halloween is going to look quite different this year, you can still get into that Halloween mood with these spooky Zoom backgrounds sure to terrify your professor and Zoommates (Zoom + classmates = Zoommates) alike. But how does one rate “spookiness”? Is it the most terrifying? The most blood-chilling? As law students, we love a good legal test, and so for the sake of this list, “spooky” is understood to mean “sinister or ghostly in a way that causes fear and unease” (according to the Oxford dictionary) to the reasonable person.
A Haunted House: Spooky Level 1
Okay, let’s start off easy. A haunted house, the classic Halloween setting and a generally considered “spooky” scene. But given what we’ve seen this year, a haunted house is a bit of a yawn.
A Spooky Movie Scene: Spooky Level 2
Marginally better than a haunted house, a scene from a scary movie as your background shows some creativity on your part. Sure, the terrifying twins from The Shining or a dancing Pennywise are pretty petrifying. But they’re also a tad cliché. Read on for the truly spooktacular Zoom backgrounds.
An Unmuted Zoom Mic: Spooky Level 3
We’ve all been there. That moment of sheer terror when you can’t remember if you’re on mute and whether your entire class just heard your phone call with your mom.
Someone Sneezing on a Library Book: Spooky Level 5
In this COVID world, is there anything scarier than an open sneeze? And on a library book no less? Setting this scene as your background will surely cause some stomachs to turn as people reconsider touching that treatise they took out for the duration of the term.
Empty Toilet Paper Shelves: Spooky Level 6
This is a throwback to the early days of the pandemic, but perhaps we’ll soon be returning to these drastic times. We are in the midst of a second wave, but hopefully people do not feel the need to hoard toilet paper this time around (I’m still a tad confused as to why this happened in the first place).
A Constitutional Law Midterm: Spooky Level 6
Really want to terrify your Zoommates? Throw one of these bad boys up and watch the faces fall. As people read your background, you’ll witness them break into cold sweats as they are reminded of recent midterms and a cumulative final a month away.
A Vacant SCOTUS Seat: Spooky Level 7
This one hurts. With RBG’s passing, President Trump now has the chance to fill yet another SCOTUS seat. Which way will the Court swing? Is Roe v. Wade toast? The implications are truly terrifying and lands a solid spook-level of 7.
A Positive COVID Test: Spooky Level 8
Terrifying. Just terrifying. Nothing else to be said.
A Trump 2021 Inauguration: Spooky Level 20
This background breaks the Spooky Scale. At this rate, if Trump is re-elected on November 3, we might as well call it quits. For the sake of America and the world, this is surely the scariest prospect of them all.
