When Death Is Our Entertainment

Halloween is my least favorite holiday on the calendar.

I don’t understand the concept of “liking” being scared. I could never watch a horror movie. I am not one to head out to a Halloween party and, honestly, I don’t get why trick-or-treating is as popular as it is (safety-wise, it seems like a horrible idea).

The fascination with death around this time of year always baffled me. We are a society that likes to avoid that particular topic most of the time. We say “passed” instead of “died”. We avoid the idea of our own mortality and that of those we love. Yet, when October arrives, we see skeletons, gravestones, ghosts and death front and center as if we are completely at ease when death is for those we do not know.

Yes, I understand the idea that it is “just a holiday”. Holidays can be fun and people certainly seem to have fun around Halloween. But I genuinely want to know why death is being celebrated? Why is “evil” the front and center of everything we see around October?

I have heard the argument of horror movies and the like being sort of a “good over evil” story. In theory, this sounds like something plausible. Yet, the good part of the movie isn’t what people are really thinking about: it’s the blood, the spirits and the overall terror that keeps people in their seats - not necessarily the resolution.

Good over evil implies that the good part is more highlighted than the bad. It doesn’t mean that you have to be scared and let the fear and images on the screen stick with you after the credits close.

Another aspect of Halloween I relate to personally is the dislike of Halloween decor. I was the kid who was scared of all the creepy store displays and front yards in October. As someone who spent seven-plus years working with kids, I know that I was not the only small human who felt this way. In my own neighborhood, there are plenty of people who cover their lawns in skeletons, graves and even add creepy soundtracks. If I had been the kid who lived next door to such a display, I would never go outside until November at least.

I would argue that any extreme lawn decor is not considerate to neighbors. We all have to live in this world, and a creepy laugh track and the sounds of ghosts and ghouls playing at all hours of the day and night just doesn’t seem to make the world better for others. Unless all your neighbors are also Halloween fanatics, then this is just going to be annoying, and possibly terrifying to small children that have to live nearby.

This idea carries into stores and businesses, too. Scary displays might attract adult shoppers, but families with young children could easily be encouraged to skip taking their toddlers altogether.

Another bone to pick with October is the fact that it is extremely difficult to watch movies or TV. If you have a streaming service, they are going to advertise horror movies, paranormal shows or violence and psychological thrillers. Often, the ad alone is scary enough. If you watch cable, channels tend to run this type of programming nearly nonstop, giving very few options to view something less scary if Halloween isn’t your thing.

Even worse is the commercials. I can be watching a favorite feel-good show or movie and when it cuts to commercial, I see all kinds of ghosts and zombies and such without any sort of warning. Not that every instance is inherently terrifying, but it is rather unpleasant to view without prior warning or consent. This can go double if there are small children present.

In a world that is full of death and suffering already, why do we have an entire holiday glorifying the worst-case scenarios? Why do we enjoy the mind games of fear and darkness?

We can argue that Christmas is overdone, or complain about Valentine’s Day. The difference is that both those holidays, and most others, celebrate happy things: family, love and peace. Halloween is about darkness. I do not understand the appeal “spooky season” has in the world today.