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Haunted History: Where Halloween Comes From Part 1

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Halloween

“Sisters, All Hallow’s Eve has become a night of frolic, where children dress in costumes and run amok!”—Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson, Hocus Pocus

We hear this line in the movie Hocus Pocus and we laugh because we can’t imagine Halloween being anything but a fun night for kids to trick or treat and adults to dress up and be as naughty as they want to be for that one night out of the year.  We never imagine that it could have ever been anything else.  But, where did Halloween come from?  What was it when it began?  To find the answers, we’ll have to take a journey together back in time to the lands of the Celts and their ancestors, whose practices would become the holiday we celebrate today.

While no one can nail down exactly when this celebration began, our nearest estimate for its earliest incarnation is around 5000 years ago.  At the time, people’s lives revolved around the seasons of the year and one of the largest gatherings would happen at the time of the final harvest.  It had no name that we know of yet, but the entire clan would come together as the last of the grains and vegetables that would ensure their survival through the winter were stored.  Bonfires would be lit and the people would dance around them, giving thanks to the Gods for another year of bounty.  From the earliest time, fire had been a symbol of the Divine in whatever guise, and they reveled in the connection they felt to the Gods in the warm glow of the flames.

As time passed, and the Paleopagan peoples of the region became more organized, a caste system developed that would affect all parts of their lives.  A priestly caste, known as Druids, had come to power and they led the people in celebration of the four fire festivals throughout the year as well as ministering to their daily needs.  Druids also acted as ambassadors between clans and judges for wrongs committed in the tribes.  This is the first time when our holiday/celebration is given a name and that name is Samhain  (pronounced “SOW-en”).  Meaning “Summer’s end”, Samhain marked the end of the harvest season and the descent into the “darker” part of the year as the Winter solstice approached.

It was at this time that Samhain began to take on another layer of celebration and meaning.  The people were taught that on this night, the veil between this world and the next was at its thinnest.  It became common belief that our ancestors would roam the earth on Samhain night.  Families would place an extra setting at their tables with food and drink for their loved ones who might pay them a visit.  Candles were lit and placed in windows to guide the spirits to their destination.

But it wasn’t only their loving ancestors who could cross that veil.  Other spirits could make that journey, as well, and not all of them had good intentions.  In order to protect themselves from these mischievous spirits, the wise men and women of the Druid classes taught the people to be cunning on Samhain night.  They were familiar with the stories of the “will o’ the wisp” which were spirits who appeared as small lights in the darkness.  Travelers would follow the lights and become lost in the forests and marshes.  So, the people would hollow out large turnips and place a candle or lightly smoldering coal inside to carry with them on Samhain night.  Their hope was that the spirits would see their light and think they were fellow spirits, thus diverting the attention away from them.   It also became common practice at this time, for villagers to put on masks to hide their identity and further confuse the spirits who might try to cause them harm.  Here, of course, was the birth of our modern traditions of Jack O’ Lanterns and wearing costumes on Halloween night.

The Druid priests would call the clans together around the fires to dance and revel as they had always done.  The wise women, learned in the ways of magick and the foretelling of the future, would cast their lots and read the signs to predict the events of the coming year.  Young men and women would make charms to reveal the identity of their intended lovers.  It was a golden time for them and their beliefs, but there was a new political and religious power on the rise and it would soon change the course of the people and their beliefs for all time.

I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of my series on the history of Halloween!  Come back next week for Part 2!

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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