But to tell you what Halloween
means to me is a somewhat intimidating endeavor. I mean, Halloween
means wearing costumes, watching horror movies, going to haunted houses,
partaking in various pumpkin spice flavored things, eating candy,
carving pumpkins and all the other innocent and fun traditions. Who
doesn't like all those things? But for me it's always been about
something more than that. I don't want to say I've always had an
unhealthy obsession with Halloween because that has negative
implications. I have, however, always been very enthusiastic about
Halloween.
Aside from my earliest years when I
wore store-bought costumes of The Incredible Hulk and He-Man (the
plastic ones that would be be torn to shreds after a night of
trick-or-treating), I usually spent a good deal of time modifying
costumes or creating my own. Whether I was slicking my hair back with
Vaseline as Dracula, trying to find something more realistic than a
plastic sword for my pirate costume or wrapping aluminum foil around the
plastic blades of my Freddy Krueger glove in hopes that they would look
like real knives, I always wanted to have the best costume in the
neighborhood. And once I got to that awkward age where people started
telling me I was too old to go trick-or-treating, I still had to have a
new Halloween costume each year. Thankfully I had a younger brother, so I
could always just say I was dressing up to take him trick-or-treating. I
especially enjoyed the year I tied colorful shoestrings around his
arms, put a wig on him and applied equally colorful makeup to his face
to make him look like the Ultimate Warrior. I think that was the same
year I went as Norman Bates and wore a dress, which freaked my mom out
quite a bit.
But costumes were only part of my
Halloween experience. While most of the neighbors were content with Jack
O' Lanterns and maybe some of that cottony spider web stuff (usually
displayed in manners that in no way resembled how actual spiders spin
their webs), my uncle and I would piece together masks and leftovers
from previous years' costumes and create front yard displays that, on
Halloween night, would have some kids running in fear rather than
knocking on the door for candy. A homemade graveyard, some dry ice, Walt
Disney Studios' Chilling, Thrilling Sounds of the Haunted House and
a few scarecrow-like creations made of rubber masks, rubber hands and
old clothes stuffed with newspaper, made for several memorable
Halloween's at my house. I guess we were more trick than treat.
As
I got older, my love for all things Halloween never wavered. In fact,
it has continued to permeate every facet of who I am. While I am
probably more inclined to listen to the Misfits, Marilyn Manson and Rob
Zombie in October than other times of the year, horror rock, industrial
and heavy metal (especially of the theatrical variety) are things I
listen to on a regular basis. Horror movies and thrillers are certainly
viewed more this time of year, but I'm drawn to monster movies all the
time. Now that I'm thinking about it, one of the first (if not the first)
article I ever wrote was a review of Netherworld for my college
newspaper. So Halloween has influenced me both personally and
professionally and continues to do so. As soon as I finish writing this
article, I'm going to post Wrestling with Pop Culture articles about
Chambers of Horror, Netherworld and Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse.
I
could go on and on with Halloween nostalgia and how it influences me to
this day. But I'm still not sure if I am actually telling you what
Halloween means to me. Knowing now what I didn't know as a child (most
Halloween traditions are rooted in honoring the dead or just celebrating
seasonal harvests) only makes me appreciate Halloween that much more.
But I guess what I'm struggling with is why all these things appeal to
me so much. I've never enjoyed Georgia's summer heat, so part of it
probably has to do with the cooler temperatures. But to examine a little
deeper, I think facing fear has a lot to do with it. We learn a lot
about ourselves and others when we are forced to experience things that
frighten us or cause us discomfort. Also, I love the creativity involved
with Halloween. Some of the most interesting and inspiring people I
know are involved with special effects, makeup, costumes, body painting
and haunted houses (or other theatrical endeavors). While it could be
argued that wearing masks, makeup and costumes gives us something to
hide behind, I feel like it tends to make us more comfortable and allows
us to be ourselves. For some, this comfort zone is only available
around or on Halloween. Once it's time to take off the costume, the
uniform goes back on and the routines resume. What Halloween means to
me, however, is facing fears and staying in that comfort zone all year
long. As long as Halloween's good nature remains and no harm is done to
anyone else, there's no reason we can't all have year-round Halloween
fun."
23 days 'til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween. 23 days 'til Halloween. Silver Shamrock!
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