The Shadow of Samhain: Putting the Christ in... Halloween?

Welcome back, Halloween-heads, to The Shadow of Samhain series here in The Vault of Horror. This time, I bring you the first of a series of special guest posts. Joining us for the initial one is one of the most fascinating and well-rounded horror bloggers you're likely to ever encounter, John W. Morehead of Theofantastique.

John is an avid student of both speculative fiction, as well as religion in popular culture, and always manages to combine the two areas in a most captivating fashion. This piece is no exception either, as Mr. Morehead dives headlong into the love-hate relationship between Christianity and Halloween, and how it dates back to the conversion of what was, for centuries, a pagan holiday...

The month of October has finally arrived and soon it will conclude with Halloween. For those of us who are huge fans of the holiday it couldn’t have come sooner. In fact, I’ve been hitting various store locations looking for decorations and memorabilia since late August. It may come as a surprise to many, but Halloween is very popular in my Utah cultural context, and it is not uncommon to find a few Halloween items shortly after the Fourth of July in select stores.

But this time of the year also provides an opportunity to probe this fascinating holiday in a little more depth. It is the second largest retail sales holiday in the country, second only to Christmas, and it is usually either loved or demonized depending upon the understanding of its background, history, and symbolism. With this post I will bring some historical and cultural considerations to bear on the evolution and development of this mutating festival as it has worked its way through various cultures. One of the areas that I am interested in is how the holiday has been influenced by Christianity. It is not uncommon to find many Christians opposed to Halloween due to concerns over its pagan origins, and during this time of year the rhetoric against the holiday ratchets up, particularly among Protestant evangelicals and fundamentalists. But as I will touch on below, this has not always been the case as Christianity has embraced and influenced various elements that make up the history of Halloween in its diverse manifestations.

Halloween as we celebrate it in the modern period in the West is a popular derivative of All Hallow Even or the eve of All Saints’ Day celebrated on November 1 on the Christian calendar. It is celebrated together with All Souls’ Day on November 2. Its earliest origins, and those usually cited by Protestants, are found in the Celtic festival from Ireland of Samhain, pronounced “sow-in” and meaning “summer’s end.” It was a seasonal and agricultural festival associated with the transition from summer to fall. Concerned Protestants often claim that the Celtic festival was associated with animal or human sacrifice. Although this cannot be completely discounted since it appears that elements of this were featured in the festival as the Druids practiced it, the festival largely served as a festival of the dead (although not specifically), and as a time of supernatural intensity heralding the onset of winter. It was also a borderline festival that took place between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Celtic lore discusses it as a boundary between summer and winter, light and darkness. Understood in this way it functioned as a “liminal” festival, a moment of ritual transition.

As significant as the pagan origins are to what we celebrate as Halloween, there are also Christian elements that have played a part. These come initially from Catholicism in the British Isles and elsewhere through its festive rites. This included ritual practices that were developed with the medieval holy days of All Souls’ and All Saints’ Day. It was an important part of Christian year, marked by high masses and prayers. These activities honored the saints and martyrs of the church, and affirmed the collective claims that the dead had on the living. Various church rituals included the ringing of bells, using flowers to decorate the houses of the dead, visits by family and friends to the dead, clergy processions to graveyards, and devotional offerings of holy water, milk or food at gravesides. Other developments during this period were also important in contributing to our contemporary Halloween, including the significance of All Saints’ and All Soul’s Day to children and young adults, and that it served as the season of masking and impersonation. Of course, these practices are reflected in Halloween as a time of costuming by children in our time.

As the festival continued its journey through cultures in history it arrived in England and it became connected to the time of Hallowtide. Hallowtide involved various fire rituals, including torchlight ceremonies to honor the dead. In addition to fire rituals, “souling” was an important practice. This involved taking bread or soul cakes that were distributed to relatives and poor neighbors who offered to pray for souls in purgatory.

Souling is important in understanding Halloween in that it involved individuals moving door to door asking for food in return for prayers for the dead (they used hollowed-out turnip lanterns with a candle for light), and it is the practice of souling that enabled this English Hallowmass practice to survive the effects of the Protestant Reformation.

It is at this juncture that Protestants would do well to engage in some self-reflection at this time of year. Although Hallowtide was practiced by the Roman Catholic Church, it came under attack in England with the Protestant Reformation. Protestants had concerns about the inclusion of purgatory in their celebration of dead saints, and they took exception to its ritualism. After the Reformation there was no common set of ritual practices that marked this seasonal event.

But given this slice of history, and the influence and participation of certain branches of Christendom in the development of what we know today as Halloween, it is curious that many Protestant evangelicals and fundamentalists find the holiday so objectionable. Here a little historical amnesia seems to be operative. As the historian Ronald Hutton has stated, for Protestants one of the arguments against Halloweeen is

"that it is essentially unchristian ... a Christian feast of the dead is thoroughly embedded in the history of Hallowe'en and that its legacy is usually impossible to distnguish from that of paganism in the practices and associations of the night. It is of course maintained by what is still by far the largest of the world's churches, the Roman Catholic. To describe the feast as fundamentally unchristian is therefore either ill-informed or disingenuous."

I keep hoping that one year Protestants might dig a little deeper on the history of this holiday, and that they might recognize the influence of their own religious tradition in its development. It would also be nice to see an embrace of a feast of the dead within Protestantism, but that might be asking too much. But that won’t stop some of us from enjoying this rich holiday whatever its origins and influences.

21st Century Terrors, Part 9: 2008

Welcome back, after quite a long hiatus, to the Vault's rather exhaustive look back at the decade of horror cinema that ended last December. It's probably for the best anyway, since the more distance that accumulates, the easier it is to properly judge exactly what it was that went down, and exactly what it all meant. When last we left off, we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the late '00s, right at the moment when the remake craze had truly strapped the horror genre to the speedboat like Fonzie...

One of the decade's most egregious remake offenses occurred this year, when American filmmakers took what had been one of the most talked about foreign films of the previous year, [REC], and turned it into Quarantine, a virtual scene-for-scene English translation of the Spanish original, with Dexter's Jennifer Carpenter in the lead role. It was a very cynical affair, too, with the Spanish version being purposely withheld from home video or theatrical release in America until the inferior remake had had a chance to run its course with a public who generally believed it to be an original work.

Quarantine may have been the most obvious and most cynical of the bunch, but it was far from the only. Alexandre Aja, who had previously given us the admittedly well-made redo of Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes, this time dished up the Keifer-Sutherland vehicle Mirrors, a remake of the 2003 South Korean film Into the Mirror. Jessica Alba headlined The Eye, a vastly inferior rehash of a 2002 flick out of Hong Kong. And the utterly inane One Missed Call, taken from a 2003 Japanese movie, assaulted our senses as well. The bankruptcy of ideas was reaching epic proportions.

But it didn't end there. Cult classics and long-time favorites of American horror cinema continued to be liberally raped, as well. Take the PG-13 version of Prom Night, which took an enjoyable little Jamie Lee Curtis slasher of the early 1980s and turned it into something that could've aired in prime time on Nickelodeon. And then, although it pains me to even bring it up, there was the tragically wrong-headed remake of George Romero's Day of the Dead, undertaken by '80s veteran Steve Miner, who should've known better. The less said about that abortion, the better.

But although the heyday of the early-to-mid portion of the decade was decidedly over, there was still enough original, engaging material out there to keep the die-hard fans entertained, even while the masses were being spoon-fed Hollywood's easily digestible pap. For example, for those savvy enough to seek it out, there was The Midnight Meat Train, a grim and unrelenting adaptation of one of Clive Barker's classic short stories that stands as possibly the finest Barker screen adaptation since Hellraiser (superior in fact, if you ask this blogger.)

And although they divided fans--as most horror films of the recent past always seem to do--films like The Strangers and The Ruins were fresh and interesting enough to provide some relief from the onslaught of garbage. The former, borrowing liberally from the grand tradition of home invasion cinema, was a taut psychological thriller that threw in a sprinkling of torture porn sensibility for good measure. And the latter, an adaptation of the wildly successful 2006 novel by Scott B. Smith (author of A Simple Plan, brilliantly adapted by Sam Raimi in 1998), took the painfully trite teen horror sub-genre and gave it a much-needed supernatural kick in the ass.

On its last legs, the zombie subgenre offered up Dance of the Dead, an endearing take on some well-worn territory that managed to succeed by grafting familiar tropes into a high school setting, resulting in something like a John Hughes-esque response to Shaun of the Dead. And although nowhere even approaching the sublimity that rom-zom-com achieved, this one at least gave us some hot zombie sex, and cemented Pat Benatar's "Shadows of the Night" as one of the most memorable rock songs ever featured in a horror film.

But of course, no discussion of horror film in 2008 would be complete without bringing up Darren Lynn Bousman's Repo! The Genetic Opera, one of the most unique, confounding, and possibly ingenious movies to hit the genre in some time. A bold rock opera with a star-studded cast, it scores major points for effort and originality, even if the finished product is admittedly not without significant flaws. Most impressively of all, however, is the way the film managed to become more of a cultural event than most horror films do these days--even if that status was achieved in a much more carefully orchestrated and less organic manner than with such films as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, for example.

And then, there was Let the Right One In. The film, which for my money, was the most memorable, best-made and most evocative the horror genre gave us for the entire decade. Yes, it was not entirely a horror movie, but whatever it was, this unique Swedish adaptation of the vampire novel of the same name was a damn fine motion picture. Standing out head and shoulders in the crowd of mediocrity that was 2008, Let the Right One In was the kind of film that reminded many--this blogger included--of not only why they love horror film in the first place, but why they love film, period.

The touching tale of Oskar and Eli, the young mortal boy and the otherwordly vampire girl with whom he falls charmingly and platonically in love, LTROI was the finest of all the foreign horror that washed ashore during this period. It may also very well be one of, if not the best vampire film ever made. If the 2000s in horror is remembered for nothing else at all, it will always be remembered for giving us Let the Right One In.

With the decade creaking to a close, the horror genre was stumbling toward the '10s with all the grace of an unraveling mummy. There were gems to be found, no question--it was just taking more and more effort to look for them. But for those willing to trudge through the muck spewed forth by the remake machine, it was still a pretty decent time to be a horror fan. And fans certainly had more than enough movies over to which argue vociferously--and if that's not what being a fanboy is all about, I don't know what is.

Also in 2008:

• Saw V
• Shutter
• Splinter
• Teeth
• Zombie Strippers

Part 1: 2000
Part 2: 2001
Part 3: 2002
Part 4: 2003
Part 5: 2004
Part 6: 2005
Part 7: 2006
Part 8: 2007

The Biggest Fails of Apple

Everybody knows that Apple is quite successful nowadays but it wasn’t like that before. They work hard but nonetheless they did make some crappy products. Here is the list of worst of them.

Apple 3 (1980)
When you’re looking for a home computer that will probably overheat and catch fire, look no further than the Apple 3. The successor to the hugely popular Apple 2 (see what they did there), this was a huge flop. Also, a genuine fire hazard.


Apple Newton (1993)
The original iPad. Released in 1993, the Newton was an all-in-one portable office that could send faxes (remember those?), splutter out emails, store your clients’ details, take notes and other relevant stuff. Anyway, its man claim to fame was its ability to read handwriting (via stylus input). Unfortunately, this feature was less reliable then your weed dealer. Also, it cost $1000 bucks.


Macintosh Portable (1989)
A portable Mac! Sweet... Wait, why do I have these crippling back pains? Maybe it’s because this laptop weights over seven kilos and is larger than a briefcase. Crapsticks.


Apple Lisa (1983)
The Lisa was actually pretty groundbreaking for its time – it was one of the first personal computers to utilise a graphical user interface (ie: on screen icons), came with a mouse, and could multi-task across programs. All very impressive for 1983. The $10 thousand price tag was considerably less impressive. In today’s terms it equates to approximately $22 thousand. Ouch.


Macintosh TV (1993)
If you’re going to release a computer that can display TV signals on the monitor than you wanna make sure it can actually do so. The Macintosh TV was a bit of a shambles and watching TV on it was slightly less satisfying poking yourself in the eyes with a stick.


QuickTake (1994)
The QuickTakes were some of the very first digital cameras available on the market, which again points to Apple’s uncanny knack for meeting needs that consumers don’t yet know they have. A QuickTake camera was easy to use, had a .3 Megapixel resolution (which isn’t bad for 1994), and ranged in price from $600 to $750.


Apple Pippin (1996)
A mutant PC/games consoles hybrid, this was a bit of a mess from the get-go. Apple partnered with Japanese entertainment giant Bandai and somewhere along the way things got lost in translation. Released around the same time as the original Playstation, this quickly sank without a trace, selling fewer than 45 thousand units internationally.


20th Anniversary Macintosh (1997)
Creating a deluxe version of your computer to mark 20 years in the business is all good and well. Charging nearly $8000 for some pointless ‘special features’ and a new casing? Not so much.


Apple USB Mouse (1998)
One button? What the hell am I supposed to do with one button? What about right cluck? Nuts to this.




Steve Jobs' wardrobe (1999 onwards)
Cheap shot? Maybe. But come on, the guy is one step away from being a comic book super villain, and his whole shtick is mom jeans, black turtleneck and white sneakers. Seriously, what the hell is that about?

The Biggest Dollar Bills in History: $500 to $100000

1. The $500 Dollar Bill



Yes, it may be hard to believe but the U.S. government did print $500 dollar bills for the general public at one point in history. This specific $500 dollar bill was printed in 1928 and features a portrait of the twenty- fifth President William McKinley. Today, there are very few of these $500 bills left. Nowadays they are collectors’ items and sell for thousands. The funny thing is that they still could be used in stores today, because by law they are still U.S. currency. If you are interested in buying $500 bills you can find them for sale online.

2. The $1,000 Dollar Bill



The United States government also printed $1,000 dollar bills which circulated in the American general public. This specific $1,000 dollar bill was printed in 1928 and has the portrait of the twenty-fourth president Grover Cleveland printed on. The $1,000 dollar bills are also collectors’ items and can be found for sale online. The 1,000 dollar bill and all bills over $100 were printed until 1946 before they were discontinued. They then were then allowed to circulate in the general public until 1969 were they were recalled. The only remaining $1,000 dollar bills are the ones that were not turned in on the recall. There are very few bills left and are all worth thousands of dollars.

3. The $5,000 Dollar Bill



The United States government also printed a $5,000 dollar bill which circulated in the American general public until 1969 when it was recalled. This specific $5,000 dollar bill was printed in 1934 and contains the portrait of the fourth president of the United States James Madison printed on it. There are less then five hundred $5,000 bills remaining in the world and if you are looking to buy one, check online. This site has very many old dollar bills that are for sale and is a dream website for any modern day collector.

4. The 10,000 Dollar Bill



The $10,000 dollar bill was the largest of all dollar bills that was printed and circulated in the American general public. This specific dollar bill was printed in 1934 and contains the portrait of U.S. Treasury Secretary Chase printed on it. These bills were also recalled in 1969 and very few are still around today. The $10,000 dollar bill is also a collectible and can be bought online. But don’t expect one of these babies to come cheap, be ready to leave a dent in your wallet and fork out over 10 grand. If I were I wouldn’t spend one of these in a store. These bills would only be for the hardcore collectors.

5. The 100,000 Dollar Bill



The $100,000 dollar bill is actually not a dollar bill at all, it’s a gold certificate. What’s a gold certificate? Well a gold certificate is money that the government prints that only they can own and use. It is intended for only the use in Fiscal Channels. They were never issued or used for general circulation. This specific gold certificate was printed in 1934 and has the 28th president, Woodrow Wilson’s portrait on it. There were only 42,000 $100,000 dollar certificates printed and the only ones around today are not for sale and are used for educational purposes only. The few remaining undestroyed $100,000 certificates are institutionalized today and may be seen only in some museums.

Monopoly Turns 75

Are you a fan of board-games? This year Monopoly has turned seventy-five and despite the advent of high powered computer-based games they are still played.

Since it's release in 1935 the board-game has caused an uncountable number of sibling versus sibling fights, plenty of laughter and maybe even an increase in kid's who grew up to be real estate agents. Fifty different versions of the classic board game Monopoly.