The Season for Horror (To Relish the Art of Macabre)

I write this post with great expectation for Halloween, or Hallow's Eve (the day before All Saints Day). Since early childhood, Halloween has captivated me in the deepest existential sense possible--my very being is completely assumed with the grandeur of macabre.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that I enjoy the demonic and elementally horrific nature of Halloween. I am not a sadist, nor am I a masochist, or any variation therein. I simply love everything about Halloween.

I am not like some who get their thrills through Trick'or'Treating. I prefer instead the physical manifestation of darkness. This is understandably strange coming from a Christian, who claims to follow Christ, the Light of the world. But the appeal of Halloween has nothing to do with allegiance to dark forces. Though those are certainly celebrated in the holiday. Holiday might seem an inappropriate term for Halloween, but considering the history of Halloween I think it is appropriate. It precedes the day in which the saints of the Church are celebrated. It's presumed history as an evil day is unfortunate and simply untrue.

The reason I like Halloween is its ability to give a face to evil. This is important, especially in a day and age when evil has become abstract or non-existent (politically incorrect). I am not arguing for a demonology. I am simply describing what Halloween does for me.

As Christians we celebrate the Good. There is good reason for this. Good is something inherently praiseworthy. But I think the church would be remiss if it did not acknowledge the presence of Evil in the world. We certainly do not want to celebrate Evil itself, but rather acknowledge its presence so as to be aware of its reality.

Slasher films, monsters, ghouls, witches, demon possession all participate in this process. I admit that getting too absorbed in these films borders on sadomasochism. But I think there is nothing wrong in watching them--if you can handle it.

Confronting evil through these mediums is not well-received by religious people. There is the belief that these films open the door of the soul to the Devil.

I do not want to deny that this can happen. I certainly think it can happen if people allow it to happen. But that is only if people use them that way. In fact, there is good evidence that people who are already committed to evil are the only ones that fall for this trap.

What I really want to say is that Halloween should not be merely dismissed as evil, nor should it be accepted as just a fun time. We need to remain aware of Evil. This can be done in a lot of ways. You do not have to watch scary films to accomplish this. There are a plethora of safe, or more amiable ways to become aware of Evil.

I do watch scary films. There are many reasons for this. I think that some of them are very artistic and powerful.

There is a sense that in Horror films people get in touch with their own mortality, reminding them that they will some day be confronted with death. I am not going to argue that horror films help people to accept the reality of death. I only want to point out that they do in fact present death in a way that forces us to accept its reality.

Horror films also remind us of the creative goodness of humanity. All too often in this world we accept the horrible lie that people are too depraved to do anything genuinely good. Even when faced with tremendous odds, we give in to the belief that humans will acquiesce to the power of evil. I think that, to the contrary, humans have a great will to survive that will endure any type of threat, even ones that involve those with sadistic intentions (God forbid any of us ever be put into a situation like that).

These reasons I think are compelling enough to watch Horror films. Though I advise all people to be aware of their own limitations in regards to fear.

People should be cautious of using fear to impress a point on others. Preachers, in this country, have had a long and horrible history of scaring the hell out of people to convert them to Jesus. This is inappropriate and ungodly. Fear must be used sparingly and cautiously. It should only be used in situations of great and immanent threat to people's lives.

If you are a film buff, I would recommend Horror films simply because they are a part of artistic expression and culturally relevant. I mean, come on, can you honestly imagine a world without Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th), Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Michael Myers (Halloween), Reagen MacNeil (The Exorcist), Pinhead (Hellraiser), and Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)? So many actors, as well, have come out of these movies. Johnny Depp's first film was A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Kevin Bacon was lifted to stardom out of Friday the 13th. You have to appreciate that.

So, as I leave you, what are your impressions of Halloween? Are you like me in that you revel in its grandeur? Or, are you seriously confused by Halloween, making it dreadfully dumb-witted and boring?

Tell me your thoughts...if you dare!!!