Courtney Ellett, founder and president

Time at OPR: Since the beginning! 2006

Alma Mater: The University of Memphis

LinkedIn profile

If you were to create a Halloween-themed playlist, what would your top three songs be? 

I absolutely have Halloween playlists! Instead of songs though, let’s do soundtracks and scores!

• Sleepy Hollow
• Corpse Bride
• The Nightmare Before Christmas

What’s your favorite scary movie and why? 

So, I have two answers. A movie I will watch every autumn season is Sleepy Hollow, but I’m not sure that qualifies as a scary movie – more spooky. It’s just – cinematically speaking – a beautifully shot film steeped in lore. I don’t gravitate to “horror” films, as such, but The Shining (both the book and the movie) are incredible.   

What is a piece of hauntingly good advice you’ve been given? 

Freedom is on the other side of discipline. 

Favorite Halloween candy? 

Twix, every day! Please keep the candy corn and licorice of any color far away from my jack-o’-lantern bucket.  

What are your ideal Halloween plans? 

In our household, we start celebrating early and often. From pumpkin patch visits and corn maze adventures to orchard picking and bonfires, we try to squeeze in a good deal of Halloween fun all season long. On Halloween night, you’ll usually find our family on a hayride and trick-or-treating with our kids.