Halloween

A favorite Halloween memory was going to Willie Cook's house on Kiker Street and getting a king size Snickers or Milky Way. He once gave out Hershey Bars the size of 2 by 4 slabs. I wish I could give out the king size bars but the economy is so bad I am handing out a Hershey's Kiss to each ghost or goblin that rings the doorbell. I remember getting pecans and pennies in my trick or treat bag. The bag was a paper one from Evan's Red and White or Smith's Red Dot or was an old pillow case that my mother drew a jack o'lantern on with a Magic Marker. I have never seen any of the "Saw" series of horror movies. The only sawing I've watched was as an observer at Jack Owen's sawmill in the 1960's watching Georgia and Alabama pine turn into lumber. Other horror movies I have not seen are the "Nightmare on Elm Street" franchise with the central character of Freddy Kruger who really should consult a dermatologist. Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly in his book "Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" talks about the scariest movie he ever saw when he was a kid and it was the scariest movie I ever saw. "Not Of This Earth" was shown at the Grand Theater on Head Avenue one Saturday afternoon and it really frightened every kid in the theater that had the aroma of pine oil and fresh popcorn. Many of us the following Monday confessed that we slept with the light on that weekend. "Not Of This Earth" scared me so much I slept with the light on until I reached 35. I found an outfit out of New Mexico where I ordered "Not Of This Earth" on DVD and I still think that a space alien vampire could live somewhere in Haralson or Cleburne Counties probably posing as a divorce lawyer. I don't understand the horror and science fiction movies of today. Bela Lagosi as "Dracula" and Boris Karloff as "Frankenstein" were made in the early 1930's and were masterpieces of the horror movie genre in my humble opinion. In the 1931 Universal film when Dr. Frankenstein screams with delight "it's alive, it's alive" always will be a favorite movie line for many of us. The movie "Halloween" from 1978 with Jamie Lee Curtis in the starring role was kind of scary but it wasn't as scary to me as the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock movie that her mother Janet Leigh starred in "Psycho". Many of us avoided careers in motel management because of Norman Bates. When I see Jamie Lee Curtis now I want to get an Activa yogurt out of the refrigerator. The franchise of "Halloween"sequels is now up to ten. Ten movies about a guy who wears a mask and terrorizes mostly teenagers in their pajamas. A dear friend from Tallapoosa refuses to watch any horror or science fiction movie of any generation. She says if she wants to get a scare she'll open her monthly American Express and Visa bill. I watched the movie "Twilight" on the advice of my college students last year. I wanted my two hours back. How many of you still remember Friday nights at 11:30 p.m. as Channel 5 had "Big Movie Shocker" that was hosted by Bistoink Dooley? They'd show a great horror movie like "Wolfman" with Lon Chaney, Jr. or James Whale's production of "The Invisible Man" with Claude Rains and his oily voice delivering the line "an invisible man can rule the world". Probably so but he just can't get health care reform passed. I must share a story about growing up in Tallapoosa and I was walking alone one foggy night and I heard from behind a noise of bump, bump, bump, bump and I picked up the pace and walked faster and I looked back and through the fog I made out the image of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of Bowdon Street toward me. Bump, bump, bump, bump it went on and I was getting terrified and began to run toward the house on Stone Street with the casket quickly behind me faster, faster, bump, bump and I ran up to our door rushing in slamming it and locking the door behind me. The casket crashed through the door with the lid of the casket clapping clappity-bump, clappity-bump, clappity-bump right on my heels and I began to run upstairs to the bathroom and I locked myself in. My heart was pounding, my head was reeling, and my breath was coming in sobbing gasps and with a loud crash the casket broke down the bathroom door bumping and clapping toward me. I screamed and reached for something, anything in the medicine cabinet that I can throw at the casket. I found some Robitussin cough syrup and threw it and then the coffin stops. Happy Halloween.