Horror And Halloween
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Halloween and Horror, two words that just naturally go together. And also two words that stir up quite a bit of controversy when you think about it. I mean many Christian groups have been striving for years to get rid of Halloween as a Holiday because of the supposed "Satanic" elements. However if you look back to the roots of the Holiday, the focus was more on chasing off evil spirits not enticing them, honoring those loved ones who have passed is also a big part of many cultural celebrations at this time of year. Halloween has evolved drastically in this country in just the last 50yrs. Horror has become a much more obvious element. Back in our grandparents day, a simple mask and some harmless (usually ) pranks and candy collecting were all it was about. In my youth the costumes got a bit more elaborate and the night was full of Dracula, Frankenstien and Mummy movies. Ahhh the days when you went with a bunch of friends, the oldest who was maybe 12 or 13yrs old and spent the whole night creeping the streets. It was more than just candy and costumes but a night of freedom, no parents, no real limits, just be safe and be home by 11pm. Pranks were expected and the art was do one big enough for the kids to talk about in school but be clever enough to NOT be fingered for it. The days when you could come home and eat the candy without first examining it under a microscope. But everything changes and although we can't just let our kids roam un-chaperoned, and we have to check the candy, the element of Horror and fear are getting bigger each year. Used to be a pumpkin and cloth ghost were the normal house decoration, now many houses look like scenes right out of your favorite horror movie, no one just carves Jack-O-Lanterns anymore but you have to buy the $9.95 pumpkin art carving kit to compete with the Jones'...Ok so those things do look trick
There is just something invigorating about this time of year, funny considering it's really a time when things are dying off and coming to an end. Preping for the long cold winter months, you would think it a depressing time, but maybe that is the whole point of Halloween, don't notice the dying trees but the bright and beautiful leaves and the smell of fresh crisp apples and pumpkins.
Ok that can be some of the things that make Autumn invigorating but what about Horror you say?...What is it about Horror that makes people flock to the theaters? Why do we like to be afraid?..and we DO like to be afraid. From horror movies to rollercoasters, horror and fear thrill us, well most of us.
So what do you fear most?? About 4yrs ago I had a conversation with a man online who asked me that. I answered honestly and he then told me about his "profession". Apparently his "service" is to line up "Fear Nights" for people, this is usually done on behalf of an unsuspecting friend, and from what I gathered seems more a Souther thing. What he does is get the info from the client, then he and others who work for him will kidnap the person, for 24hrs this person has no idea it's all a joke, but honestly feel they have been kidnapped. I think I would kill any friend who set up a joke like that for me, and thank goodness I don't think it happens much here on the East Coast. But it made me think about what we really fear, we don't really fear what we see in Horror movies, maybe there is something about a "controled" scare like we get from movies and books, as opposed to true uncontrolable fears we have of like, death, loss, spiders, hieghts, or poverty. By induldging in the fears we choose we take some power away from our true fears.
However you analyz it Horror and Halloween are deliciously good fun!!
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Email: Luturna