Halloween isn't so much a holiday anymore as it is a season, a time to get in touch with the dark and spooky, to recognize that there is as much we don't know about the creepy world around us as there is we do know, and to acknowledge that tingle down the spine is as important to life as the wholesome joy of the Christmas Season. In fact, Halloween has become the anti-Christmas. We will be looking at things Halloweeny all through the season (see our '04 roundup here, '03 here):
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - demabloggery
Halloween has become the one great celebrated American tradition that doesn't involve dysfunctional family get togethers , the visage of lonely people who believe they are being deprived by missing them, or the cult of spending that tends to spring up everywhere...plus it gives young women an excuse to dress slutty...
2 - Eric Berlin
Is that Martha Stewart in the book on the bottom row?
3 - Scott Butki
Would this be an appropriate time to reflect on my most terrifying Halloween experience(s) ever? Worst/best costume ideas?
4 - Al Barger
Yes Scott, indeed it would. This sounds like two good Halloween posts for you right there. Get on it.
5 - Scott Butki
Yes, sir. Right away, sir.
Can I get over my hangover first?
6 - Scott Butki
How about scary Halloweeny fiction written by Blogcritics members?
7 - Al Barger
No Scott, no scary fiction allowed. I forbid it. I might get scared and poo myself.
8 - Silas Kain
Senator Al Barger poo-ing himself. A site to behold. That, in itself, would be considered a horror flick.
9 - Scott Butki
Hmm, I'll wait for Eric to answer the fiction question.
Two more occured to me as I spent the last hour finding photos and anecdotes online of halloweens past:
1) Is there a way to upload photos or should we just link to them? I figure if I'm going to write about going as a punker you'll want to see the end product?
2) Do we just file it under culture or will there be a special category for halloween stuff?
Oh and Al, please, no photos of your bodily reactions to any scary stories.
I forbid it.
Scott
p.s. Hmm, some satire could b fun too. Cheney comes as himself to a party and people run away terrified? Judy Miller goes as Libby and Libby goes as Miller to a costume party and nobody notices?
etc.
10 - Victor Lana
Eric,
Nice post. My daughter has been bothering me about Halloween since 4th of July. I think it is becoming the BIG holiday. Bigger than Christmas even. I mean, it is made for kids (big and small).
I guess Jack Skellington really had nothing to worry about after all.
11 - Eric Olsen
thanks Victor, Halloween has a frisson the other holdiays don't have and the haunted house explosion and media have helped it expand to cover the whole month
Scott, yes to the Halloween fiction if it is short and good
12 - Joanie
Every Halloween leads me to create yet another list of spooky songs, or songs with words related to the whole spooky vibe.
I wish I could enjoy trick or treating as much as the kids do. Or at least get dressed up and collect treats like they do.
I think it's time to start polling readers to find out what the best/worst costumes they've worn or seen.
13 - Eric Olsen
my best costume ever was a urinal
14 - Scott Butki
Great. I have short scary fiction.
What about photos so we can show a before and after?
15 - DJRadiohead
EO, did you have a urinal mint as part of your costume?
16 - Eric Olsen
I did indeed have a most fetching urinal mint as a costume accessory!
Yes, pics (following guidelines) are always welcome
17 - Phillip Winn
Scott (#9), link to them. Flickr.com or imageshack.us are good places for linking images.
18 - Scott Butki
So I can rant about how this was the goal
goal but not the
reality.
19 - Eric Olsen
why yes
20 - Dawn
I didn't know I needed an excuse to dress slutty.
21 - Eric Olsen
how about "it gives them cover to dress slutty"?
22 - Eric Olsen
yes, that is Martha Stewart being furtive on that book cover
23 - Scott Butki
Eric and Al, I'm confused.
I have posted here the first of two Halloween-related short stories I submitted. (I may have scarier ones - I'll dig those out this weekend when I have time.)
Anyway I listed them as culture original fiction but instead they've been labelled as satire.
Which sort of fits for this but sort of misses the point. Please advise here or by email.
24 - Eric Olsen
should be Opinion, not Satire, changed
25 - Scott Butki
I didn't list as satire.
I listed it as culture - culture fiction and opinion
But thanks for fixing it.