The true spirit of Halloween

 

Traditions that involve candy are the hardest to break.

Ahhh, Halloween. When witches prowl the moonlit skies, and ghouls materialize in deserted graveyards, when jack-o’-lanterns howl with fiendish delight. It’s my favorite holiday, hands down.

A whole celebration focused on scaring the jeepers out of ourselves may seem a little silly. But in entertainment, horror is as old as the grave, if you’ll pardon the expression.

Folklore and legends have always focused on death and the afterlife, and stories of otherworldly creatures such as witches, vampires, werewolves and ghosts are found in many cultures around the world. Horror stories were among the first films made, dating back to the late 1800s. The Haunted Castle from 1896, by pioneer of early cinema Georges Méliès, is considered the genre’s first.

For horror fans (and roller coaster enthusiasts), the adrenalin rush that accompanies a good fright is the reward. Halloween, however, offers something sweeter.

Candy.

Whether it comes in small fun-sized packs or giant king-sized bars, candy is our Halloween reward for standing up to spooks and monsters and other things that go bump in the night. While the phrase “trick-or-treat” used to imply a one-or-the-other choice, today we gladly endure the tricks to get to the treats.

Now, if only there was something to get us through the horrors of a trip to the dentist.