Halloween is our favorite holiday around here, though I guess that you probably already knew that.
Many of my friends who enjoyed being a kid in the 70′s and 80′s feel the same way, though I’m not so sure about other folks of more recent or nebulous generations.
For me, there was just so much Halloween to explore all over the place.
Part of it was the rise of the 70′s fantasy art movement (likely spurred on by big album artwork and poster art.)
Another was the proliferation of monster cartoons, cereals, television specials, and even stuff like Dungeons and Dragons. Halloween was bigger then too, with hordes of kids stomping in the night wearing vacuum-formed masks and carrying pillowcase bags of candy.
All of this monster culture fed my imagination, and helped me escape from some of the darker stuff that was going on in my life at the time. (My mom’s physically abusive boyfriends, being the main thing.)
So yeah, for me MONSTERS and Halloween = ESCAPE. Some people see MONSTERS and Halloween = EVIL, but I’ve never been of that camp. Monsters = joy and freedom to me.
Then again, I’m rarely thinking of blood-thirsty monsters that eat your spine and stick needles into your feet, when I say “monsters”.
I’m pretty much thinking about the creatures that live in those trees over there, that are a bit shy.
If you know my work, you probably already knew that too.
Happy Halloween!
- Daniel
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COOL!!! Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween, sir!
I’m absolutely crazy about monsters, although that’s a significantly newer love for me. I grew up in a house basically right next to a forest, and I was an imaginative kid, so I definitely thought a lot about what undoubtedly lived in those woods. I imagine that monsters (most likely the same kind of shy creatures who hang out in trees rather than anything one might find under a bed) came into it sometimes, although I remember more elves, fairies, and anthropomorphic animals. I miss those woods terribly, and I can now see that they could have easily been the hiding place of any number of wretched creatures.
Halloween, on the other hand, is something I’ve always loved, although my crippling fear of masks has always made it rather difficult to enjoy myself thoroughly. It’s incredibly depressing to me that Halloween is such a brief, regulated thing now. I remember the weeks, if not months, of anticipation, the well thought-out costumes, being forced to eat broccoli-cheddar soup before going out because my parents knew that it would be the last decent meal I’d have for the next week, and finally the big pay-off. Now there are all sorts of curfews (in a lot of towns, trick-or-treaters are strongly encouraged to be home by dusk. Our official hours are 4-6, but luckily not many people respect those rules in our town), and most kids either get their candy taken away that night, or they’re given one piece after dinner for a week or so before the rest is thrown away. I know for a fact that my nephews will never see their candy again after November 1st. What’s the point of Halloween if you’re not cranky and sugar-shocked until halfway through November?
Ah well. It’s none of my business. I’ll be enjoying my Halloween at home, in costume, handing out (and eating) candy and watching movies with my family while trying not to think about my poor, deprived nephews. Happy Halloween, even if you decide to limit your son’s sugar intake.
When we moved out to the rural part of the world, I figured that we would not have many visitors. We had no trick or treaters last night and it was one of the 2 or so nights I did not have to gig on Halloween. Watched a few movies including Coraline. Burton is amazing!
Hope everyone had a safe and fun evening.
Glad you liked Coraline. Burton, though wildly talented, didn’t have anything to do with this one. Henry Selick and Neil Gaimen did that one.
I love it myself.