The Recent Evolution of Fear in Halloween

Today is the day it's said the veil between this reality and others wears most thin. Halloween, as anyone knows, is also a delight to kids, a neo-Pagan holiday, and one of the best days to revel in an atmosphere of the weird and mysterious. If you've ever wondered about the origins of the holiday or the evolution of current practices like trick or treating, then look no further than the fine Wikipedia entry on Halloween. The long history of Halloween and its winding alterations continues to impress, as do the alleged horrors associated with this holiday.

In decades past, many still believed in the potential for ghosts, shadow people, and other unspeakables from beyond to come out this night and haunt the living. Certainly, some still do, however, even then the genuine fears and superstitions have diminished--leaving parodies and search for awe, rather than fear, at paranormal occurrences in their wake. Today, urban legends with an anchor in more tangible frights continue to generate the most fear, mostly from the parents of trick or treaters. Much of this stems from vague tales of true psychopaths, who seek to make their presence known in hideous ways. Of course, even stories of serial killers and kidnappers have fallen by the wayside, to the point where the greatest current fear revolves around subtle means of torment like tampered candy.

Needles, poisons, and even razor blades have surfaced for years as means of intended harm against children. At one point, this rose to a fevered pitch, though incidents of sabotaged candy have never been widespread and seem increasingly rare. The persistence of these scares and their changes reveals Halloween fears continue to remain fluid. The most recent version I heard in the years following 9/11 made a predictable connection to current geopolitical hysterias. Vague reports of Middle Eastern men buying loads of candy prompted fears of terrorist activity, using tainted candy as a vehicle. Thus, the specter of Halloween fright lives on, even if genuine worries are no longer very spectral themselves.

Nevertheless, according to the US Census Bureau's Halloween statistics for 2006, legions of children and adults will continue to dive into festivities. As I've noted in several recent entries, those who wish to stay in will not find a great deal of Halloween specials on their regular channels, as used to be common about a decade ago. However, cable holders can move through their specialty options to find a range of comedies, documentaries, and films related to Halloween. The best option seems to be popping in a DVD of old favorites to achieve maximum effect.

Fears aside, twilight is now beginning to sparkle across the United States and other parts of the world. Let the festivities begin! Have a fun, safe, and happy Halloween doing whatever you choose this evening.

-Grim Blogger