Halloween And Hollywood
No other reminder of Halloween is more visible than Hollywood movies themselves. In addition, we’re not just talking about high-budget horror movies here. Even the budget movies (B-movies) or “splatter” films are firm reminders of the strangeness and utter mystery of human life itself.
Movies are like mirrors of reality. It’s a reflection, not really reality itself. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Halloween turned out to be something more than just homage to frightening kids out of their socks?
Halloween and Horror Movies
Certain aspects of culture complement each other. They seem to give each other a synergy that helps them develop and survive. This is how the movie industry defines and redefines the genre of “horror” each passing generation.
By going deeply into the public imagination, movies are able to record on film the unconscious drives, desires and fears of the larger public. Not only because it creates profit for the producers, but also because it serves to remind the public of the real Other: the enemies of liberty, free expression and equitability.
The Scary Seventies
Horror movies took their baby steps in the 1970’s, and they soon became almost synonymous with Halloween. The usual Jack-o-Lanterns and scarecrows received new life as evil, demonic signs of the unknown.
These two images used to represent more mellow things, such as the harvest season. When Hollywood revamped the public notion of Halloween, the images suddenly gained an evil, demonic identity. Scarecrows suddenly carried scythes and moved with bloodlust.
In short, Halloween was the time of the year where even the cutest chipmunks can become rabid rodents out for blood. It was a way for people to scare themselves silly and come back out alive.
Rollercoaster of emotions
Yes, people don’t like being frightened. However, what makes horror movies like Wait until Dark palatable to the public? It was the idea that something so scary could be packaged to become less frightening and controllable.
You see, real tragedies and unfortunate human events are often beyond the control of people. This is the reason why people often recoil from real life events because it would be painful to watch and not be able to do something.
But when the same terrible events become something you can pop into your DVD player and enjoy in the comforts of home, they become under your total control. They are suddenly less frightening, and even kids can appreciate the scare they bring.
All About The Kids
This is the reason why many adults still want to celebrate Halloween. Without a celebration with death and the unknown as its main motifs, how can an adult teach a child about fear, horror and death without cringing?
How do you make something as horrible as death less intimidating? You use Halloween, masks and parties. Parades are good, too. By dressing up the unknown, a message is being communicated.
The message is this: no matter how horrible real life may seem, there’s always a chance that we will be able to control it. The way seems to be muddled at the moment, but let’s enjoy ourselves while we seek it.
Related posts:
- Halloween in Comics, Radio and in the Movies Unbelievably, Halloween-inspired scripts and stories first made their appearance not...
- Halloween And Ground Zero After America was shocked by the September 11 attacks, its...
- The Pious, the Profane, and Halloween Halloween has suffered from more persecution than other public celebrations...
- America And The Commercialization Of Halloween Halloween is probably the most commercialized celebration in America. When...
- Halloween: The Origins of Celtic Samhain Many people associate Halloween with pagan rituals. But the truth...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Leave a Reply