The Horror of Halloween

Ghosts, goblins and creatures of all sorts come out of the woodwork on one special night, once a year. From a creepy crawly lurking beneath your bed, to a monster of unspeakable horror digging its way out of the grave: they all come out!

Do they seek to scare and terrorize; are they out for revenge or payback; or is it simply a scrumptious Snickers bar they crave? And are you the one who will satisfy their lust?

Originally from the Pagan festival Samhain, which celebrated the end of the harvest season in the Gaelic culture, it’s evolved in what now has become Halloween, or “All Hallow’s Eve”.

Cinderella, Count Dracula and Joe DiMaggio, all be it not the originals, slowly walk up the dark path to a neighbor’s front door, lit only by a poorly sculptured jack-o’-lantern. Not exactly sure what they’ll receive, but knowing full well what they are after. They knock gently, lightly on the door.

Hearing loud, heavy footsteps from within, the trio retreat a step or two and anxiously wait for the door to open. After what seems as forever, they notice the door knob slowly turning, the hinges squeak as the door gradually opens. They quickly glance at each other wondering who might be the first to run. No one does. The reward is too great. Looking back, a bright light shines behind the ominous figure now standing in the doorway, who’s carrying a large bag, but the light only reveals the silhouette of a – person?

"Trick or Treat", they speak quietly in unison. Starting to shake, the children now wishing they hadn’t knocked on the door at all cautiously wait for a reply.

"What have we here: a princess, baseball player, and a scary vampire? Now don’t you look nice? And you’re so cute too", says a frail voice.

The children breathe a deep sigh of relief as a slight grin appears on their faces. Mom is watching from the house’s sidewalk, amused by the goings on. Holding out their plastic pumpkins toward the figure, kindly old Miss Murphy gingerly gives them a generous portion of sweets and chocolates. She's moving slowly in her advancing old age, her arthritis has been acting up lately. After the spooks give their thanks to Miss Murphy, they bounce off to the next house.

Isn’t this the way it should be?

For years, "Trick or Treat", words synonymous with Halloween, have been joyously spoken by children in numerous countries. All in anticipation of filling their bags full of candy, while running up and down dark neighborhood streets, being chaperoned by their parents of course, dressed up as their favorite ghoul just for the fun of it. And shame on those answering their doors that haven’t enough tooth-decaying candy on hand.

Little by little, year after year, trick-or-treating has become tougher and a little sadder for those of us who yearn for days gone by. In today’s society, kids seem to grow up faster, putting a kibosh on their innocence.

Crime is more prevalent as well. Halloween is an opportune time for criminals to take advantage of people, using costumes for their own devious purposes. Some towns now have actually passed laws prohibiting the wearing of masks during Halloween for fear of robberies.

Horrendous crimes against children abound, where those who wish to, can hurt unsuspecting kids, and their naive parents, with candy. With poison and needles, it’s important, sad as though it may be, to inspect the treats before they can be enjoyed.

It’s estimated that Americans will spend upwards of 5 Billion dollars this year on Halloween costumes, decorations and lots of plush parties. An obscene amount of money to be sure.

This is the real horror of Halloween!