It is October. The air: chilly. Creepy things have been occurring. The greatest wind storm in London since 1987 hit on Monday, knocking down my garden fence. It was a bit crap, but the wind definitely whistled in a distinctly spooky way.
Halloween shouldn't be limited to one night - it should be an uncomfortable state of mind that spans the entire month. Eggers and TPers add to this experience (not opening the door to trick or treaters contributes to the fear) in which we should all be uneasy, as we should be afraid in very real aspects of our lives as a method of immersion. If that fails, then sure we can turn to the aesthetics of this holiday however, often, the wrong kind of effort is made such as when it comes to dressing up. I want to see creepy prostheses that make you look like your face is peeling, not some halloWEENIE in an ironic costume. I don't want to be left wondering how you could afford a £70 costume if you're so hard up on loans, I just want to be spooked.
There's also an incorrect focus on food - unless it's eyeball and innards shaped then I don't want to know. I've never eaten a pumpkin (do the seeds count) and I'm probably not missing much - so don't step to me about trying the limited edition pumpkin spice latte at starbucks. If pumpkins taste so good then why are pumpkins seasonal? Why aren't pumpkin seeds seasonal? In this post-modernist age, have we turned a vegetable into a NOVELTY?
We're losing the essence of what Hollow's Eve really is: occult and that. In the Philippines, Halloween is total child's play - it's just prep for All Soul's Day which is as spooktacular as it sounds. You eat bread in graveyards I think. I guess we're just not as easily creeped out anymore. There's nothing wrong with using the night to get drunk and wear clever costumes (unless you're this loser who I think I actively dislike) but I do think it's important we remember that this night used to give us the heebie jeebies as chiddlers.
Halloween is a night of spookiness and unease. I sit in my living room with the lights off not to watch Evil Dead 2 but to make sure no trick or treaters think anyone is home. I don't open the door to Jehovah's Witnesses and I'm not going to open the door for 12 year olds dressing up as someone they're not (as an American). After seeing the Halloween special of Recess I went trick or treating a few times in my youth. When I was 8 I went trick or treating down my road and this Indian woman was all dressed up for the night in some shiny sari, I was loving it. I learnt from Recess that you're meant to yell 'trick or treat!!' so I did and she started shouting at her son in her mother tongue. He was all, 'you're meant to give her sweets' and she was all, 'nay PENNIES' and gave me two penny coins. I was not feeling her at this point. Although one penny fell down this grating business in front of her door so she went back in to get me another one which was chill. Maybe I ought to start opening the door, to keep the children's spirits alive and make sure they don't have a shitty time like I did, but isn't disappointment the spookiest feeling of all??
.jpg){kind=link}
