Halloween is a fantastic time for reading, re-reading, and watching stories that frighten us in some fashion. Two of my favorites are steeped in New England imagery and folklore.
I re-read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow each October. Written by Washington Irving, the tale recounts the encounter between school teacher Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, who pursues the hapless Crane in a race to the bridge near the Old Dutch Burying Ground. Easily available online, it is a brilliant example of Early American folklore and literature, told with regional flair, and supernatural possibilities.
The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the Revolutionary War, and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on the wings of the wind.
―Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, from The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon. New York: C. S. Van Winkle (1820).
A favorite film is The Devil and Daniel Webster, a retelling of the German legend of Faust set in New Hampshire in the early 19th century. New England is well-represented both in location, mannerisms, as well as the presence of Daniel Webster. The jury of the damned is haunting, after a fashion but the film belongs to Walter Huston as “Mr. Scratch” (a term for the devil found in New England). He charms, winks, and is mischievous throughout and Huston still manages to infuse the role with the ruthlessness needed when Mephistopheles comes to call.
It’s a cautionary tale but one with a subdued, thoughtful approach. This story is also readily available online from author Stephen Vincent Benet. Still, it is the film that gets my attention each October.
“I vow,” he said, and he looked around him kind of desperate −”I vow it’s enough to make a man want to sell his soul to the devil! And I would, too, for two cents.”
―Stephen Vincent Benét, The Devil and Daniel Webster, first published in The Saturday Evening Post (October 24, 1936).
Not regional but certainly timeless is It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. This cartoon has been a staple of my life for as long as I can remember. Not scary in the slightest, it is instead full of young people who consistently place their faith in beliefs and traditions only to have them dashed against the rocks of reality – from Lucy’s carving of the pumpkin before the credits roll to (spoiler) the absolute lack of a Great Pumpkin appearance in Linus’ pumpkin patch and Sally’s supreme disappointment in Linus because of this.
However, Lucy asking for candy for Linus while he misses trick or treating, and getting him to bed at 4 AM the next day is quite touching. Snoopy’s flight of fancy as the famous World War I Flying Ace battling the Red Baron over France is a tour de force of both storytelling and animation. With its darker, watercolor-washed palette and another great soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi, this cartoon sets a fantastic mood for Autumn. Watching Snoopy’s imaginary world intersect with the real one is a wonderful example of Halloween for me.
“There are three things I’ve learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.”
― Linus Van Pelt, from It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Written by Charles M. Schulz, Directed by Bill Melendez (1966).
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Your turn. What TV shows, movies, or books do you like to engage with for Halloween?
What a wonderful reflection on Autumn, New England, Literature, and my childhood ❤️????
New England has a rich history of folklore just waiting to be explored. There’s something about reading tales like this among the vibrant colors of the dying light.
I tend to one-and-done my horror movies and books, but we re-watched ‘Trilogy of Terror’ last year, and while two of the Trio are less memorable (but fun examples of vintage ’70s TV movies), the last tale, AMELIA, with Karen Black facing off against an animated fetish doll, still makes you think twice about retrieving anything that accidentally rolls under a couch.
‘The Shining.’ ‘Salem’s Lot’ (Stephen King novels and cinema)— all these were formative in my early sense of the horror genre, but none so much as the black and white Creature Feature B-movies my parents were negligent enough to allow me to watch in the early-mid 70s. I’ve actually tracked down the movie that terrified/fascinated me the most at the time—thanks Internet!— ‘Black Sunday’ (aka ‘The Devil’s Mask’). The mask scene at the beginning kept me up a few nights.
One honorable mention to close with….The TV show ‘Kolchak: The Night Stalker’ was short lived, but was a must-see for me in second grade.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
Creature Double Feature was my first exposure to all of the Universal monster movies, too! Great stuff.
The Night Stalker (original Kolchak movie) was just brilliant in my teenage mind.
Interesting possible subtext of a schoolteacher vs. a headless warrior.
But not so certainly a “knowledge” faceoff with “barbarism” – there’s also associations of capitalism and superstition on the Ichabod side and, perhaps, on the other a Headless Warrior a stand-in for communal will and a (from some perspectives) merciless rationalism.
It would be interesting to see how a modern and looser version would look. Would Ichabod be a teacher or professor? Who would the the Hessian be?
I should give Sleepy Hollow a re-read.
I am drawn to old classics for reading material. Dracula being a favorite. I also love The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I seek out new and old ghost stories to watch, however. I am not a slasher film fan, but I love a good ghost story. This year The Haunting of Bly Manor is winning the favorite rating….so far.
I don’t like slasher films at all.
I’m amazed at just how different the movie versions of both “Frankenstein” and “Dracula” are from their source material.