Halloween, The Beginning

No, this is not a write-up about an upcoming prequel to the successful horror movie franchise, even though I'm pretty sure Michael Myers and his legions of fans will be ecstatic about it. Neither is this an introduction as to how the Halloween season came to be or got its name. Nor is this about how the practice of trick or treating came about.

This year's Halloween simply just happens to be...my first. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Did I get 'ya there for a moment? Well, then there's your trick. (,")

Yes, it's my first Halloween here in the U.S. where they celebrate it with much bustle. I heard they are closing West Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard for the celebration. It must be exciting! I wish I can join the street party later tonight but I can't.

One, I don't have a costume. It's too early for me to be spending much for it when I haven't been here long enough to save up.

Improvise using things at home? I've thought about it. Maybe I'll grab an old pitch black blanet, inflict it with some ghastly tears, and bring a huge cleaver along. Har-har-har-har-har! There's some meat from the fridge I can thaw and use the blood for added props. Naaah, it's going to stench. Besides, a costume, as the name implies, is supposed to be make-believe. It's too risky to bring a real sharp I might end up inadvertently slicing up someone. And my aunt's going to wonder why her cutlery's incomplete.

Two, I don't have a car yet. I don't think my uncle & aunt, who are baby boomers, are excited about the street party as I am . They must feel such events are way behind them already. Besides, they'll be coming home tired from work tonight. We'll just have to settle for the trick or treaters who'll come by later. Public transportation? An access is quite far from where we live, and it's too much of a hassle and a risk with my costume in mind, don't you think?

Too bad, I know. I'll just make up in next year's Halloween. This early I've been conjuring up images from the darkest recesses of my mind as to who I'll come out as next year. For sure, I will dress up as one my horror icons. Here's a peek at three.

Jason Voorhees! Oh, yes! He is my ultimate childhood horror film hero. He has such a lingering presence that we've been through a lot together, from my prepubescence to early adulthood. Hak-hak-hak! His regenerative abilities make him immortal. They've killed him so many times and yet he's still around. You go, Jason! I wouldn't be surprised to see a billboard for "Friday the 13th part XI" (that is, not counting "Freddy vs. Jason" as part of either franchise). And you have to give the man the respect he deserves. He happens to get a lot of things done without saying much. Add to that his nanotechnology-induced reanimated body and enhanced invulnerability (as if he needs it). He's a real killer in every sense of the word.


Freddy Kreuger! Okay, I'm a tad large to assume his role but it's make-believe anyway. I'm sure I can get away donning a large-striped, green and red-orange sweatshirt, an unmistakably ghoulish fedora and his delightfully diabolical sharped gloves. It will be an honor to continue his lurid legacy of terrorizing people in their dreams. Hee-hee-hee. "A Nightmare on Elm Street" is by far the most imaginative horror film in its time and one of the most original horror films of all time. Horror master Wes Craven really had something brewing in his devil's pot with it. And even though most of the sequels are lame, I remain a loyal fan of this disfigured fright film fixture. Freddy took "nightmare" and "macabre" to inventive levels it never before triumphed in.

Last but not least, an Alien soldier from the mind of H.R. Giger! Now this is a kick-ass, badass character from the most compelling sci-fi/horror movie franchise of the 20th century. The primordial film from Ridley Scott was atmospheric. The adrenaline-pumped sequel from James Cameron was electrifying. The third installment from David Fincher had a deliciously doomsday feel. And Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Resurrection" of the Alein legacy was refreshing. Lt. Ellen Ripley is a certified action/scifi/horror film heroine. Now, who can beat a genre-crossing and an astonishingly committed performance (earning an acting nomination) from Sigourney Weaver in all films?!

But the real stars of the show are the alien creatures who jump out of their eggs or ovums as facehuggers and leave an alien embryo to gestate inside the human body which, in turn, will eventually make its grand entrance into the world as a chestbuster. The adult alien has acid for blood, two sets of incredibly sharp teeth, and the dexterity of an ultimate killing machine. What more can you ask for?

Well, that's as far as my dream - or nightmare - of mephistophelean reveling on Halloween can get for now. I can't wait for next year. There's just so many nasty things you can do in so little time.

Muahahahahahahahaha!
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Photo credits: Michael Myers & Jason Voorhees images from Wikipedia. Freddy Kreuger image from official movie site. Alien image from official movie site.