by Joy Chaney

Created on: September 05, 2009   Last Updated: September 09, 2009

I have been asked by some American Immigrants "What's with this American fascination with Halloween and horror?" Being a bonafide Halloween aficionado here is my reply,

One of Halloween's Celtic originators questions was the more serious attempt at understanding the, "What is on the other side of humanity as we know it." Serious questions - left best for theologians and their elk. But we (and our European fathers) as a nation, despite being prodded by religious institutions insisted that we keep this celebration. We have changed it. Halloween, an evolution, of our Celtic's cousin's beliefs in the supernatural, was turned into an American fantasy. It is fantasy. In the 50s America gave it's children Trick or Treat in an effort to keep their bus's from being toppled, among other nasty little tricks that are now still celebrated in the traditional Cabbage Night. For those international pedestrians in America who don't know what these tricks are, if you ever wondered about a certain toiletry item seen all over your trees at the end of October this would be classified as on the those little tricks.

Oddly enough movies embraced the magical world of make-believe along with Halloween. The 50s parents loved making and watching Bella Lagosi's portrayal of Dracula-"I Vant To Drink Your Blood", Boris Carloff's portrayal of Frankenstein, Lon Chaney Sir's portrayal of the silent movie "Phantom of the Opera, Lon Chaney Jars portrayal of the Wolfman. Many of these stars now are forgotten by today's youth, in favor of the younger monsters such as Freddy Kruger, and Michael Myers.

Still America has its monsters. These monsters don't hurt us, can't hurt us. They're not real and we know it. They make our hearts pump. They let us tease our friends and families at least one day of the year with a big ole Boo. And we all giggle. Some of us shriek away in terror and say, "What is wrong with you". Unfortunately for them that's just the reaction the Halloween reveler is looking for. What a good trick we played on them.

Halloween offers more than monsters, it offers Angels, Famous Peoples, and Winged Fairies, even sometimes walking phones or inanimate objects, anything our imaginations can fancy. It lets our children celebrate their childhood with their friend's and us. It let's us celebrate the child in us with anyone who will listen. Halloween's best opens up the world of laughter, love, imagination and camaraderie. It let's us laugh at ourselves and frees us (for a little while) to face all the trials we face the rest of the year

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