Halloween: Celebrating Things We Fear
Halloween is the time of year when we celebrate things that we fear. Normally, we don’t like to celebrate terror— but on Halloween, it’s A-okay.
What we fear the most would probably be evil, itself.
What is evil?
Evil is something that has power over you— the power to destroy you, to make you suffer, to turn you into a deformity or a monster. And… you have no control.
The fear of evil is the fear of losing control over what you are becoming and turning into something that disgusts, frightens, or repels you.
Let’s look at our most nightmarish fears—
Zombies
A Zombie represents society’s fear of drug addicts. Zombies have scratches and bruises from using needles. Zombies walk like they are tweaking. When they bite you, they turn you into a zombie— meaning if they give you drugs, they turn you into an addict.
Zombies are unstoppable— they can climb walls like THEY’RE HIGH ON CRACK.
They are basically… sponsored by Nike.
Monsters
Monsters represent our fear of being unattractive: ugly, fat, wrinkled, hairy, having different skin tones. Monsters are usually all those things and blue, green, purple and have big polka dots.
Yeah, let’s hear it for the monsters!
Vampires
Vampires represent our fear of greed. In the movie American Psycho, Christian Bale plays a Wall Street broker who sucks the blood out of the masses so that the few elite can live in gilded luxury.
If you’ve ever read Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice, vampires represent global capitalism— which preys on weaker, poorer, communities of color.
No one likes genocide, but vampires do…!
Mummies
Mummies represent our fear of people who are obsessed with their looks— vanity.
Society teaches us to fear anorexics— who starve themselves to be skinny— and to judge celebrities who do excessive plastic surgery.
Mummies are mannequins.
They pose for pictures, but they don’t talk, they don’t relate to others, their eyes are empty. We fear that level of vanity because of the deep loneliness that surrounds people who are vain.
That movie Blonde claims that Marilyn Monroe was lonely because she was vain— the message of the movie is “No, don’t be Marilyn. Don’t do it. You’ll turn into a mummy.” Meanwhile every young woman in America wants to be Marilyn.
Werewolves
Werewolves represent society’s fear of sexual predators, rapists, or men who want to steal your energy and drain you of your free will. When it’s last call, 2 am, you’re just a piece of meat!
Do you know how many women want Hugh Jackman to treat them like a piece of meat? There’s a waiting list.
Witches
Witches represent society’s fear of powerful women.
If they are young and beautiful, they can hypnotize you and put a spell on you.
Witches pretend to love you, but don’t trust a powerful woman to love you.
If they are old, they can put a spell on themselves, and make themselves appear to be fair maidens.
Witches pretend to love you, but don’t trust a powerful woman to love you. She’s just using you— probably to throw you into a cauldron so she can cook you—to make another super duper magic potion. Yay!!!
If any of you are stoked, not terrified— when you hear about a certain Halloween monster— that’s going to clue you in…
Frankenstein
Frankenstein represents our deepest fear— not being loved, especially by your own family or creator. Not being seen as lovable just because you’re different.
This is the most popular trope in western culture— the outcast is always a superhero who doesn’t know it yet. Their superpower makes them feel like Frankenstein, a monster whom no one can love. Then, boom!
They become Bat Girl, a slimy rubbery bat— who turns into a sexy bat bombshell.
Grim Reaper
The Grim Reaper looks like a skeleton in a robe. The reaper causes you to die, collects your soul, and guides you to afterlife.
Why do we fear the reaper? He’s obviously trying to help us.
Just like the flight attendant on an airplane that’s just been hit by a bomb, she’s just trying to help you, because you’re gonna die now.
Why are you scared of the one person assigned to help you while you’re hurtling towards death? Makes no sense.
Because we fear aging and dying.
Ghouls
Ghouls eat human flesh, so you find them in graveyards where they can have a buffet.
Ghouls represents our fear of unending loneliness.
Eating is the opposite of loneliness— it’s intimate. When you eat someone else, they become part of you.
Not that you eat people— but, you are what you eat!
Goblins
Goblins are mischievous, they play tricks, cause harm, laughing all the time. They are jokesters.
Goblins are criminals and con artists— they’re always stealing what they themselves don’t posses within themselves, like stealing your friends, stealing your joy, stealing your things, but things that are in your heart, not just in your pocket.
They represent our fear of not being relevant and not having meaning.
Do you know people who are little goblins? They can’t be serious about anything? Everything is a joke, including themselves?
More Halloween Evil
It’s getting a little depressing here because we’re talking about evil, but let’s continue! Let’s make evil exciting, even though it’s not, it’s draining, but it’s Halloween— so the spirits of the dead are helping us get excited about evil! Yay, evil!!
The Headless Horseman
The headless horseman represents our fear of losing our identity. Not knowing who you are and searching for it— ya’ whole life.
The headless horseman can’t find his own head, so he will settle for someone else’s head.
Remember when Amy Schumer said the Kardashians take the face that they were born with— as a light suggestion?
They are obviously not afraid of a full face transplant.
I don’t blame them. Wouldn’t you rather have someone else’s face— than no face at all?
The irony is that the headless horseman is carrying his head under his arm— so he has a face, he just doesn’t know it— and keeps searching for a new one. Just like the Kardashians, they have a face, they just keep searching for new ones.
Trolls
Trolls live in caves or rocky areas where no one can find them. They can only come out at night because if they are in the sun, they’ll turn to stone. That means, they are always hiding.
You’ve heard of internet trolls? They hide behind their screen name— and they attack you from the shadows. They’re like invisible ninjas that no one wants to date.
Trolls represent our fear of powerlessness. Our fear of being needy.
Somehow they’ve turned vulnerability into shame— so they throw rocks at people because they need to vent— rock throwing is like therapy.
Swamp Monsters
Water represents emotions. Swamp monsters are always wallowing in their emotions, their past; nothing is ever dealt with.
Swamp monsters represent our fear of becoming a hot mess, diva, and a drama queen.
Ghosts
Ghosts represents our unforgiven deeds, unfinished business, and unresolved conflicts that haunt us from our past.
Aliens
Aliens represent our fear of the government.
In reality, aliens are highly evolved conscious beings who are trying to help humanity survive climate change. But in popular culture, aliens stun you with a powerful ray, paralyze you, beam you up on their ship and perform medical experiments on you. Aliens trigger our fear of a powerful force that can do whatever they want with you and your body against your will.
Aliens represents our fear of political oppression.
Demons
Then you have your basic demon— which is basically a fallen angel.
If you take a regular angel and just twist it all up into an emaciated tangle and put horns on it and shred its wings— it’s a demon.
Demons represent our fear of falling from grace.
What do you want to be for Halloween? Tell us about it in the comments.
