KARACHI:
Spooky season has reached its peak as the big day has finally arrived! The streets are full of creative costumes, but we all know that for some, the preparation begins months in advance. A moviegoer might see the latest version of a creepy doll and decide to imitate her sinister style for Halloween.
Someone else may already have a list of favorite fictional characters to reference. The point is that people often choose costumes that are familiar to them, like Pennywise from HE or Jason Voorhees of friday the 13th. These are still modern selections with traceable sources. Have you ever wondered about the stories behind the more accessible gothic outfits you saw wandering the dark streets on October 31st? Well, wonder no more.
Vampires
Let’s start with an easy one. When you think of vampires, one notable name comes to mind. We’ve all heard of the fang-bearing, blood-sucking Dracula from Bram Stoker’s famous novel of the same name. Apart from this general awareness, you must have come across a variety of representations, from animated and soft-faced characters Hotel Transylvania father of loving dark-haired husband in castlevania.
You may be disappointed to know that Dracula is originally neither a black-haired beauty nor a forever lover. A human being a demon dealer before being subjected to damnation, the Count is described as not having even a hint of color on his body and sporting a thin white mustache. Blood is your source of youth and survival.
As for his motives, he aims to bring disorder to society by exercising his vast supernatural prowess: from creating vampires to dominating nature, he can do it all. To put it plainly, he is a monster. Don’t let pop culture tell you otherwise!
frankenstein
Among the monsters to whom the salvation of the species and the community has been granted, this is the only one, and that is its main tragedy in Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel. You may feel compelled to say: “Actually, It’s Frankenstein’s monster, not Frankenstein!” But let me be a smartass by suggesting that either works.
The “monster” desires acceptance from his creator, and essentially father, Victor Frankenstein. To deny him the name is to side with the evil scientist, whose redemptive acts the novel desperately wants you to accept. But aside from being an accidental, socially outcast monster, what makes Frankenstein so special?
Unlike most monsters, especially male ones, this multi-skinned antagonist is not as “horrible” as he is made out to be. Safe from the watery eyes and uneven patches of skin his creator has sewn into him, young Frankenstein’s appearance parallels that of the average human being.
His hair is “shiny black and flowing” and he has good teeth. He’s also cultured and self-taught, although the cosplayers you’ll see might try walking slowly. Although the many interpretations of his canonical appearance are at odds with each other, here’s a reminder that even monsters can disguise themselves as the most well-intentioned person you’ll ever meet.
witches
Some monsters are best enjoyed through a holistic lens. From the religious to the mythical, the origins of this community of women can be traced back to various texts. Witches are generally seen as practitioners of magic who use their curse-ridden craft to bend nature to their will.
Items that often accompany witches include arcane spells, bubbling cauldrons, flying brooms, and bad omens. The Wizard of Oz (1939) also popularized green skin, which is associated with the species due to the making of herbal concoctions. Due to their sinister aesthetic, witches are closer to Halloween than others on this list.
The holiday emerged some time after the famous Salem witch trials as a means of warding off evil spirits, as a reaction to the witch hysteria of the 1690s. The pumpkins and trick-or-treating rituals are reminiscent of the Gaelic festival Samhain. , which originated around the same period and included divination practices.
Witches later became symbols of black magic and were feared due to the belief that they could influence whatever they wanted. Aside from Irish and English history, they were noted as pre-existing figures such as the Greek deity Hecate, who inspired the authority figure in macbeth.
True to form, Shakespeare’s Hecate served the purpose of leading the male protagonist astray, as isolated female power was considered a bad omen. From Disney’s evil antagonists to live-action sorceresses, these women are known for their cunning plans and evil laughs, although contemporary media is beginning to explore feminist undertones.
ghosts
With the low-key monsters out of the way, it seems only fair to end the list with a guy whose origin and physical appearance are confusing. Although not meant to be seen, or at most occasionally seen, a friendly ghost would be stalking the streets wrapped in a white sheet on Halloween.
As children, no matter what culture we belong to, we have been exposed to oral stories of ghosts or, in the Pakistani context, of jinn. We grew up hearing these stories, telling them, fearing them, not believing them and still loving them. This community practice transcends generational differences and even personal beliefs.
There are multiple interpretations about the existence of ghosts. In certain contexts, they are believed to be spirits of dead people who may have unfinished business or who are naturally conditioned to wander the world after death. Some believe ghosts are silent, disinterested observers; Others claim to have been persecuted by an environment where the furniture made noise.
You may be more familiar with the concept of creatures made of searing wind that exist on a different plane than our own. Apart from the dead spirits that appear in Homer’s novel. Odyssey and the letters of Pliny the Younger, a 3,500-year-old Babylonian clay tablet is believed to represent the first ghost of a human being, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Fiction has taken many creative liberties with gruesome portrayals, ranging from the friendly Casper to the heroic and very much alive Danny Phantom and the vengeful Manjulika. As airy as they are, ghosts have even permeated social media trends and popular rituals like the Bloody Mary recitation and the Ouija board trend of a few years ago.
No matter what your beliefs are about translucent marauders, they’re an easy choice for a last-minute costume. If a full shroud isn’t your thing, wearing whatever layer of clothing your hands find first and a careless toss of your hair will do the trick. You can even jazz things up with messy makeup smudges. The effort level is low but the variety is endless!
Do you have anything to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.
