I’m writing this at the witching hour, and thinking about pixy sticks. You don’t see them much in the stores out here these days (either that, or I’m looking in the wrong places!). I’m also thinking about caramel apples, mulled cider, and popcorn (but not so much popcorn balls…).
Yep, it’s that time of year again. Time to figure out what creative costume to wear, what decorations to put out, and what candy to salivate over prior to Halloween night. I do miss trick-or-treating, but the Halloween parties and events I attend these days make up for that, I think. *grin*
One of my favorite things to do this time of year is watch scary movies. My favorites happen to be ghost stories; I confess to owning the DVD of “The Sixth Sense.” Although the plot twist is old news to me, I never tire of watching the various ghosts in the film, and wondering about them.
A lot of other people seem to have an affinity for ghosts, or at least some experience with them that’s not limited to the silver screen. Over the weekend on CNN, it was announced that a third of people believe in ghosts. According to an AP poll,
…nearly one out of four, 23 percent, say they’ve actually seen a ghost or felt its presence…
The AP itself had the better title, though (in my opinion): That’s the Spirit: Belief in Ghosts High. The AP poll found that
About one out of five people, 19 percent, say they accept the existence of spells or witchcraft. Nearly half, 48 percent, believe in extrasensory perception, or ESP.
Obviously they didn’t poll a lot of Harry Potter fans, or that 19 percent might just be a wee bit higher.
I’m not sure I believe in ghosts, but at the same time, I’m not sure I don’t believe in them. Sometimes there are strange things that happen, and you just never know… the same is true for ESP. I think there’s a lot that science can explain, but there’s also quite a few things in life that there is no answer for.
What do you think? Had any personal experiences? If not, know of any good ghost stories, whether on film or in a book, collection of short stories, or some other artistic or literary form?
In the meantime, stay in high spirits and have some spirited fun this October 31!
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Yup, this month I have been renting the Netflix’s movies… “Supernatural” eposides, which I pop in my DVD player on my days off from work and while my kids are at school. More realistic than X-Files and a good media for Halloween!
Karen, I’ll have to check those out. I assume they’re captioned/subtitled? :)
Is it me or does Halloween have any meaning for the plus-25 crowd only when you costume up with friends or host a haunted house? Friends and I transformed our home into a veritable house of spook a few years back and had so much fun entertaining the kids that came through. When we moved on to scaring our peers, the fun was there as well but was decidedly adult, although just as immature… I’m a guy and I was single-mindedly dedicated to punching my guy friends in the gonads.
By the way, my all-time favorite scary flick is Jack Nicholson in “The Shining”
I still love Halloween (and I’m 41). I go to haunted houses and/or Halloween costume parties when I can.
Problem is, the last time I attended an adult Halloween party was sometime in 2004, and the last time I went to a haunted house was a year or two before that.
Since then, zip.
I did, however, take my 2-year-old son to a Halloween party last Saturday afternoon. He was dressed as a Superman. :-)
I enjoy Halloween also, Michele. :) Haven’t been to a haunted house in a while, but a dear friend has an annual costume party, and I always look forward to it.
Why not host your own? This year obviously it’s a bit late, but you could plan a party or do some kind of haunted house/yard decorations next year…?
As for your son, how fun! I was Batman myself, once upon a time… ;-)
Happy Halloween, everyone!
Yeah, it’s fun to get costumes for my son…last year for his first Halloween, he was dressed as Tigger.
Now this year, it’s Superman. :-)
And since we just moved to Indianapolis area last January, we’re still slowly getting to know people around here, but we will definitely think about hosting our own Halloween party next year. :-)
And, David, I’m so sorry I don’t have any ghost stories to share…I’ve never seen one, although I would be open to seeing one. The closest “ghost” story I could tell you is that the last house my husband and I lived in upstate New York last year…our bedroom probably was haunted, because almost every night, I’d go to bed and someone would always kick or bang into my bed and I’d wake up and there was no one there.
Now here in our house in Indy…I think my bedroom is also haunted, because every few nights, I feel someone sitting down on my bed and I wake up thinking it’s my husband sitting down and there’s no one there.
Sheesh. At least it’s an improvement…definitely prefer waking up to the feeling of somebody sitting down on my bed rather than feeling somebody kick my bed, which was far more jarring to my system!
Oh, I think Halloween still has meaning for people. Check out any costume store the two weeks before Halloween– half the people there are 18+. While I haven’t seen a lot of people in their 50’s or older when I go looking for my own decorations/costume accessories, I do see quite a few folks in my age range.
The fact that you had a haunted house and had fun, regardless of the maturity level, answers your own question! *grin*
Ah, “The Shining”! Definitely a classic. I’ll have to watch that again next year. I’ve had my fill of Halloween movies for this year, I think…
Ghosts definitely do exist. I know, because I’ve seen and encountered them. I find it strange that most people don’t have the same ability. And don’t tell me it’s because they don’t exist. You would change your mind instantly if you saw one - and millions of Americans have.
Cool– so share your story, if you don’t mind? I always love good ghost stories, true or not. :)
Only 19%??? I suspect that the number of people who believe in the existence of witchcraft, even if they don’t practice it or agree with it, is actually much higher than this. Not to mention that Wicca is a rapidly growing religion in this country.
Do I believe in the existence of ghosts? Yes, I do. Perhaps not in the same concept as Hollywood or much of society, but I do believe that certain dead souls still walk on this earth, and that especially on this night of Samhain, when the veil between the worlds is thin, the spirits of those who have passed on return to visit in this realm.
Blessed Samhain to everyone, and Happy Halloween to all!
Hi, Virginia! Well, that’s the 19% who admitted it in a poll. It could be higher, it could be lower… I always take ALL polls with a grain of salt. They’re really just a snapshot of that exact moment.
Ok, so if not in the “Hollywood” sense, then how do these ghosts appear or function? Are we aware of them? I think part of the fascination with ghosts (and certainly for me!) is the essence of the unknown that follows death. We may subscribe to different faiths or belief systems, but none of us actually knows what happens after death until we ourselves experience it.
I’ll join in that last line– Happy Halloween to all!
I know this is late but I wanted to share a ghost story. I’ve always believed they existed but my encounter with one confirmed it for me. My then-boyfriend (now husband) and I were backpacking in Italy during the Deaflympics in 2001. There was this little OLD church in Rome famous for its basement which was decorated with bones everywhere (walls, ceiling, etc). It was a very creepy place but intriguing. Afterwards, we went upstairs to view the church and its rooms in the back (like any normal church). I was walking along the back room which you could see through a one-way mirror the assembly area when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Thinking it was my boyfriend, I turned around to find no one there. Feeling a little freaked out, I rushed into another room to find my boyfriend to settle my nerves and share the experience. Neither of us could find anything or anyone in the room to explain what had happened. I would have forgotten the experience altogether but a few days later we found out that my boyfriend’s favorite grandmother had passed away a few days earlier. We figured that she must have passed and wanted to let us know before venturing further into the spiritual world. This was an experience that I will never forget. I have the utmost respect for the spirits because I believe that they communicate with us to give a message or ask for help.
Thanks for sharing, Keri– that is definitely a different experience to have!
David, I’ll share two.
One night, I saw my tall candle roll off the desk besides my bed. I tried wedging my arm in between the desk and wall, but the space was just too tight. I went to bed, thinking I’d just move the desk in the morning (it was two or three am, after all, and the neighbors downstairs were rather sensitive). I woke up to find the candle sitting upright on the desk right next to where my face was (on the bed). Many, many items were moved around like this all year long — far too many to be coincidental.
Another time, I was in the kitchen and saw my cat’s head swivel sharply in one direction. I followed her gaze and to my surprise, saw a thick white filmy fog moving around in the kitchen. No way could it have been a reflection, figment of imagination, or anything else. It was what it was.
Oh, here’s another one. I was shaken awake - rather roughly - and I’m a light sleeper so I wasn’t dreaming. Upon opening my eyes, there was nobody in the room, but the clock clearly showed that I had overslept.
Thanks for sharing, O Anonymous One. The candle would definitely have startled me!