history: from Irish to student traditions
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not common now, many students still love to purchase Halloween-themed sweets while others bake and share their homemade treats instead. “When it is specifically Halloween, I like to create themed foods like muffins,” junior Kassidy Wong said. “I [would often] share what I make with others and would, sometimes, watch classic Halloween movies too.” Halloween actually has a long history in the entertainment industry. During the holiday, the industry often capitalizes on the spooky atmosphere by releasing a variety of horror movies. An ultimate classic among students includes the Halloween franchise directed by John Carpenter. The success of the franchise helped set a precedent for more horror movies, like Friday the 13th, Scream, and Nightmare on Elm Street, to come. “I don’t really do anything for Halloween since I like to stay home all day,” junior Danny Thach said. “If I am feeling really festive, I might go watch classic Halloween movies or Halloween-themed episodes from different shows.” Due to the pandemic, certain traditions, such as trick-or-treating, will not be widely practiced this year. Nevertheless, there are still activities students can do while social distancing. Having Halloween watch parties and baking will always be an option. Students can also get creative and decorate pumpkins or play multiplayer horror games with friends.
or
MULTI
P L AY E R Halloween night— playing with friends or by yourself?
PHASMOPHOBIA
Halloween
SINGLE
$13.99 ON STEAM FOR PC WARNING: RATED 13+, JUMPSCARES, LOUD NOISES
“Phasmophobia” is a 4-player cooperative game where everyone acts as paranormal investigators visiting various haunted locations, like asylums and street houses, to uncover what spirit is haunting the location. Players are equipped with a range of ghost hunting equipment such as night vision cameras, thermometers, and an ouija board.
GRANNY
A SICK HALLOWEEN he moment October rolls around, stores love to display unearthly decorations for Halloween festivities. However, the playful celebration of Halloween has changed over the course of time. The holiday has transformed from an eerie time of the year to a chance where everybody can feel a sense of youthful exuberance and mischief. Halloween originated 2,000 years ago from Celtic festivals of Samhain in Ireland. During this time, Oct. 31 was synonymous with death and the Celts tried to ward off unwelcome spirits by wearing costumes consisting of animal heads and skin. To placate the spirits, food was prepared on banquet tables. Centuries later, the tradition changed to something more kidfriendly: trick-or-treating. Today, trick-or-treating is practiced primarily among younger kids, but there are still teenagers who participate in this activity. “Although I probably can’t do it this year, I always go trick-or-treating with my family and, sometimes, my friends,” sophomore Madison Dang said. “Looking back, I never had a theme or pattern for my costumes. My costumes were usually just random things that I liked at the time.” Handing out food was not only reserved for the spirits back then. It extended to those who were poor and hungry. In exchange for prayers for deceased relatives, people shared “soul cakes,” small, round pastries topped with raisins with those who were starving around Halloween. Although soul cakes are
LIFE AND ART 9
THE MATADOR
thematadorsghs.us WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2020
FREE ON MOBILE AND PC WARNING: RATED 12+, VIOLENCE
“Granny” is a singleplayer game with an objective to escape the house of a zombie-like grandma who chases players down with bear traps at every sound made. As of last year, the developer, Dennis Vukanovic, released a second chapter of “Granny” which includes an additional enemy, “Grandpa.” WRITTEN BY CHELSEA LAM PHOTOS FROM STEAM ‘Video Game Controller Icon’ BY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/CC BY 1.0
WRITTEN BY LYNDA LAM
WORTH THE WATCH A checklist of freakishly good movies for Halloween night. Monster House *Available on Hulu
Spiderwick Chronicles *Available on Netflix From flying fairies to shape-shifting ogres, this American fantasy movie is filled with magical creatures. The plot is driven by twins Jared and Simon Grace, with their sister, Mallory Grace. When the Grace family moves into their great-great-aunt’s house, a book written by his great-great-grandfather catches Jared’s eye. However, when nearby ogres discover that the Graces are in possession of the book, they begin swarming to the family. It is now up to the Graces to protect the book at all costs to prevent humanity’s demise.
WRITTEN BY MYTAM LE ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDREW LAM
In this comedy-horror film, three friends, DJ Walters, Charles “Chowder,” and Jenny Bennet, join forces to save their nei ghborhood from a ghastly and life-like house that holds a painful and chilling history. Bennet, Walters, and Chowder explore the strange, eerie building, facing thousands of obstacles, however, they continue on in hopes of finding the truth to the ominous building.
Frankenweenie *Available on Disney Plus A new take on the classic novel Frankenstein, Frankenweenie tells a story of a young boy, Victor Frankenstein and his dog, Sparky. Heartbroken after Sparky’s death, Frankenstein brings his dog back to life with the help of a massive thunderstorm. As he tries to keep Sparky’s resurrection under wraps, his peers also discover how to bring the dead back to life, and the town is swarmed with monstrous animals. Even filled with fear, Frankenstein and Sparky endeavour to save the town.
PHOTOS (LEFT TO RIGHT) FROM PARAMOUNT PICTURES, COLUMBIA PICTURES, AND FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES