Happy Halloween: Random Thoughts

Boo! I know that Halloween isn’t officially until tomorrow, but based on all the people that are dressing in their offices and on television, I think it’s safe to say that many folks are “celebrating” this “holiday” one day ahead of schedule.

It’s been a while since I’ve done a “random musings” post here on Beyond the Rhetoric, so I thought I’d take Halloween as an opportunity to do so. Feel free to chime in with your random Halloween-related ideas through the comment form at the bottom as well.

Everything is Commercial

The original story of Halloween (All Hallows’ Evening) tells us that the border between the living and dead is the thinnest on October 31. It’s on this day that both harmless and harmful spirits can pass through into our world; ancestors are honored and harmful spirits are warded off with costumes, masks, fires, and so on.

How this tradition of ghoulish outfits transformed into costumes for aging boxers and French maids is anyone’s guess. What is clear is that, like any other holiday, Halloween has long since gone very commercial. Selling costumes and decorations is big business!

The Scariest Man-Beast Hybrid

I’m using a fairly loose definition of a man-beast hybrid, referring to just about any humanoid-like “monster” with some animal-like features. I’d include blood-sucking vampires as part of this mix, as well as werewolves and Spider-man.

After some thought, I’d have to agree with Elisa in saying that the scariest man-beast hybrid is the minotaur. He’s just so menacing! What do you think? What do you think is the most frightening man-beast hybrid? My friend Harry thinks it’s the man-bear-pig. Do you know the reference? πŸ™‚

Your Greatest Fear

Horror movies are a lot of fun, because they give us an opportunity to address the worst case scenario without actually putting ourselves in any physical harm. We can watch as people get slaughtered by Jason Voorhees while admonishing the characters’ poor survival skills.

These movies are also an interesting way to live out our greatest fears vicariously. GeekRevolution says that his greatest fear is “death by avalanche or cave-in.” What’s your greatest fear? What would be your ultimate horror movie?