Ghosties and goolies, and things that go bump in the night. It’s that time of the year to celebrate that hallowed night when according to Celtic Samhain tradition the veil between our world and the next draws thin. It is a time when the dead are said to cross back over to visit old stomping grounds, and ancient peoples of Scotland and Ireland left food offerings outside their houses for them. Samhain is also a celebration of the shift of seasons from the busy autumn harvest to the cold sleepy darkness of winter.
The Christians may have adopted many of the traditions into what we now know as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween; the beginning of the season dedicated to remembering the dead. During Samhain celebrating groups of people went farm to farm ‘guising and souling’, similar to trick or treating; carving gourds into jack-o-lanterns; and lighting bonfires and using other means to frighten off the dead. The Jack-O-Lantern shifted from gourds to more readily available pumpkins in North America, and made its way into modern literature to help reinforce our fright. Take the example of the headless Hessian chasing down poor Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow.
Although the reason behind many of the traditions have been lost to commercialism we continue to celebrate none-the-less. So over the last week I took a drive around the area to see how creative our neighbors are in portraying Halloween scenes; and I must say some were pretty impressive. I hope you enjoy my wandering.
So what is it that really frightens us these days? Our modern traditions have evolved, maintaining much of the early Celtic aspects but our demons have shifted, driven by the entertainment industry or current events. Remember the tylenol scare in the 80s? We saw several tylenol bottle costumes that year. The fright factor has also shifted from the early monsters such as Frankenstein, wolf man, and Dracula into more of the blood and gore slasher movies.
It may sound crazy but I clearly remember in vivid detail a movie I saw at the Drive-In theater with my folks when I was 5 or 6 that stuck with me well into my college days when I finally had a chance to see it again – a good movie but not necessarily the stuff of nightmares; ‘The Blob’ with Steve McQueen creeped me out. Nowadays I still enjoy the psychological thrillers, but find the extreme gore of most horror pics to be a too gratuitous where the writer really does not have to work for the scare – special effects does the heavy lifting.
When we lived in Tecumseh, Halloween was fully celebrated with competition among neighbors for yard displays and role playing for the 100+ trick or treaters we saw. I recall one neighbor had their teen son sit under a porch table with his head sticking through a hole, looking very much like a head on a platter. The screams from the children were very real when he would start to move and talk. Unfortunately we could never get our little sheltie boy to wear his Cujo mask!
Those were definitely the days before the inflatable displays. Movie magic has driven our demons away from the dead revisiting (although we still need to be ready for the Zombie Apocalypse!) toward early monsters such as vampires, ghouls, witches, and now even further with special effects creating the monsters of our dreams, on up through Harry Potter’s dementors.
And finally the best for last, does anyone actually think clowns are happy and friendly? Especially after Stephen King’s Pennywise or ‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’! So I saved, what I think is the scariest Halloween scene for last – a small but I find a very effective display.
Sleep well my friends …….
Halloween is one of those holidays we looked forward to as kids; a night to head out in disguise to beg treats off total strangers. Of course safety concerns have changed much of that tradition. And for many the need to celebrate has carried through into adulthood, as observed in many of the ingenious displays. If you enjoyed this Journal entry, please drop me a comment below, feel free to share with your friends, and visit my website Terrance Alexander Photography.
Terrance Alexander