It's Halloween, Witches!
The thinning of the veil, a ritual to honor your ancestors, and some deep film cuts.
Last week, I got together with a few friends to carve pumpkins. One asked about the significance of the jack-o-lantern, and someone responded that in Pagan times, people carved horrific faces into pumpkins to scare away evil spirits that wander the earth on Samhain.
There are a few other variations of this origin story — an Irish legend about a guy named Stingy Jack, the Celtic tradition of carving faces into root vegetables — but they all involve fire, light, and a time of year when the dead can interact with the living.
That time is Halloween.
Today is the day when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. It’s a time for conjuring and divination; a time for celebrating ancestors and communicating with those who’ve crossed over.
I’m going to do a simple ritual to honor those who came before me. Perhaps you’d like to the same.
Ancestor Ritual
Walk around your living space, taking in its energy. Is there a spot that feels warm and comforting? A spot that feels most like home in your home?
Make this the spot for your ancestor altar.
It can be as large or small as you’d like — a corner of a bookshelf or an entire table. Whatever you feel called to do.
Gather some photos and objects that represent or belonged to your ancestors and arrange them in this space.
Put out some flowers and sweets, and anything else you know your ancestors like(d). This could be a cup of tea, a glass of wine, a specific perfume.
Light a candle.
Acknowledge your ancestors.
Thank them for existing because without them you would not be walking the earth.
If there is anything you need to say to one of them, do it now. You can speak out loud or simply say the words in your mind.
Ask them to give you any messages they want you to receive.
The messages may come through tonight in your dreams. When you go to bed, put a notebook and pen within reach so you can jot down any insights if necessary.
What to watch when you’ve seen every horror movie
I love to watch horror movies all October long. It’s great but then I inevitably get to the point where it feels like there’s nothing left to see.
In honor of that, here are six Halloween deep cuts. They may not all be traditional horror, but they’re totally worth watching.
House (1977), directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi
I wrote about this one in my post on haunted house films. It’s a very strange movie about a house that kills. The first 20 or so minutes are really bizarre (and not necessarily in a good way), but if you stick with it, it gets better! It’s so weird it’s amazing. That’s all I’m going to say.
The Transfiguration (2016), directed by Michael O’Shea
This film about a troubled teenage boy in Queens who’s convinced he’s a vampire premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. It’s slow and lyrical, but intense and visually quite beautiful.
Omen (2023), directed by Baloji
Ok, this is not the film about Satan’s spawn Damien, nor is it really a horror film. But the above still is creepy AF and it’s about a man who returns home to the Democratic Republic of the Congo with his Belgian wife after living abroad for years, and grapples with the fact that his family has been accusing him of being a sorcerer since he was a child. It’s pretty great.
Without Name (2016), directed by Lorcan Finnegan
This Irish psychological eco-horror film about a surveyor measuring an ancient forest for a land developer gives Nicolas Roeg in sequences with eerie nature shots and mesmerizing sound design.
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person (2023), directed by Ariane Louis-Seize
Sasha is a young vampire who doesn’t want to kill people. When she meets Paul, a human who doesn’t want to live, it may just be a match made in heaven (hell?) This one’s more coming-of-age than horror, but I’m not mad at it.
A Dark Song (2016), directed by Liam Gavin
A grieving mother brings an occultist to a remote estate in Wales to perform a ritual that will enable her to speak to her dead son. Very creepy.
Hope at least one of these films was new to you!
Happy Halloween!
Until next time,
Tara