The scary Hallowe'en issue
Ben Forbes

It happened only a few years ago, I got stuck handing out candy on Halloween while my parents took my dog out for a walk. The neighbourhood was kind of quiet, no kids had been to my door for about an hour and I was running low on treats. I decided to turn off most of my lights and as I was walking away from the doorway I heard the lightest tap on the door.

Startled, I went back to the door, opened it and there standing about 4 feet high was a small boy wearing a battered Superman outfit. The boy just stood there, not making a sound, while I placed some twizzlers in his tiny pillow case and I asked him where his parents were. Suddenly with a slow movement, the child raised his arm and pointed behind me. I pivoted around to see a shadowy figure at the top of my staircase.

I quickly flicked on the hallway light to see who was in my house but suddenly the figure was gone, along with the young boy. No one else had seen or been visited by a small boy in a Superman outfit that night. To this day I still don't know what had happened that night, whether or not the light of the moon was playing tricks on me or if I was just extremely tired, but the incident really made me wonder... what really goes bump in the Hallowe'en night?

Hallowe'en was first celebrated by the Pagan people about 2000 years ago on October 31st, the Celtic New Year (see The Hallowe'en article, this issue).

"Hell Night" of the past, is today a Christian holiday of All Hallow's Eve. Children dress up in costumes and run from house to house collecting candy. Jack-O-Lanterns are carved for decoration. People also go around neighbourhoods breaking pumpkins and egging houses, to stir up mischief.

The only demons, spiritins, witches, and vampires that we ever see are on T.V in Hallowe'en specials. I am sure the Simpson's will be viewed by millions to see what demonic torment will fall upon Homer on this year's goulish special.

This Hallowe'en there is also a multitude of horror movies like John Carpenter's "Vampires", that seem so real they would scare the @#$% out of most people.

People get to see Jason in his white hockey mask with a large butcher knife slicing horny teenage kids in the woods. Or they can see "Chucky get lucky" as the malevolent little doll goes on yet another murderous rampage, but finds time for a little romance with Sociopathic Homicidal Barbie with a matching machete and chainsaw.

There is nothing like psychopathic dolls, vampires out for blood and witches casting their evil spells in order to get our skin crawling for this festive time of year. But then again that is all fiction! Right...?!

Well there are still people out there that believe such demons and bad spirits exist and have the strongest power around Hallowe'en. Cults that believe in the supernatural forces of "Devil's Night" try to make sacrifices to the Devil at ritualistic ceremonies. There are also many people who believe in the existence of ghosts. People from all over say they have seen apparitions instantly appear and disappear while others have seen objects fly across their rooms.

A student from Laurier claims that on a number of occasions, while her and her roommates were in their basement, an extraordinary loud bang would emanate from upstairs. They would rush to see what had happened yet there was no evidence of any problems.

There is a great debate about whether or not paranormal activity exists and what exactly goes bump in the dark moon lit Hallowe'en night. However, for all the non-believers, I may have one more story that might just change your minds.

Willison Hall is the oldest residence on the Laurier campus but it is full of life; alive and dead. Four years ago on Hallowe'en, there was a party down in the twenty four hour lounge. People were watching the T.V., playing fuseball and dancing the night away when all of a sudden the unbelievable happened.

One of the pool balls went flying across the room the right into the T.V. No one knows how it happened but ever since the lounge is no longer open twenty-four hours and Residence staff never replaced the T.V.

What, you don't believe me? See for yourself, the T.V. is still down there with a hole right through the screen!