The Halloween That Passed Me By

You know, I don't think that I mentioned Halloween here this year.  I did review a couple of horror films during October and I did put out a Satanic-cinema themed podcast on The Overnightscape Underground based around those (and some earlier) posts.  But, by and large, I'm afraid that I just couldn't whip up any enthusiasm for it this year, so I'm afraid that the season barely registered on me. I didn't even watch any horror movies on the day itself, (if you don't include the first episode of the new Dr Who series, that is, which was quite horrific in all the wrong ways).  The bad weather on Sunday also meant that any lingering threat of trick or treating kids was snuffed out.  Part of my disinterest stems, I think, from the fact that I'm part of a generation for whom Halloween wasn't a big deal when we were kids - all those supposed 'traditions' hadn't yet been imported from the States back then.  Of course, they were mainly imported to provide manufacturers and retailers of tat another pre-Christmas marketing opportunity.  I have a theory that Halloween as some kind of celebration only gained ground here in the UK as Guy Fawkes Night started to fall out of favour as sales of fireworks became ever more restricted on safety grounds.  (I miss the days when, even as a kid, you could go into shops and legally buy explosive devices for home use.  Even better, you could also legally set them off in public - well, your back garden, at least).

Another reason, I think, for my general lack of interest in Halloween lies in the fact that I watch horror movies all year round,  I don't see why I should be confined to just one particular time of year to indulge.  Which is why I'm rarely tempted to look at those seasonal Halloween collections on the streaming channels - not only are they the same horror films they have available all year round, but I've invariably seen them, anyway.  This year, though, Halloween also fell victim to a general wave of apathy that has overwhelmed me of late.  Perhaps I should make more of an effort to get back into the workplace, just to give my life a bit more structure and motivation, but I just don't feel ready yet.  My experiences in my previous job have, in retrospect, turned out to have been far more traumatic than I realised - increasingly, I've been having troubling dreams about it, which I resent, as I usually dream about stuff I enjoy.  I just don't want to get involved in anything too stressful or complicated.  I recently turned down a part-time educational opportunity when I realised that I was only being offered it because nobody else was willing to take it on due to the difficulties involved.  I'm afraid the days when I'd do the stuff nobody else would or could do are behind me - doing so might have kept me work, but it dangerously undermined my health, both physically and mentally.  All of which has taken us a long way from the Halloween that passed me by - maybe I'll focus on Bonfire Night this year and obtain some illegal fireworks with which to terrorise my neighbours, instead...

(For purely legal purposes, I feel the need to point out that the last sentence is intended for purely satirical purposes and shouldn't be taken literally - I have no intention of obtaining or setting off explosives of any kind, for any reason).