Has Halloween Become Too Gory?

Written by Jennifer Keegan

When it was suggested at home that we finally update our Halloween decorations (we only had sad and dusty paper bats from my primary school days and a chain of semi-working orange pumpkin lights), I was all for it. We were in desperate need. 

I hoped to find a cute little spooky ghost to hang up or some better pumpkin lights and jumped on to the Woodies website to see what was on offer. 

Well, I was spoilt for choice: there were amputated and bloody arms and legs, plastic brains, a ‘chop shop meat market’ sheet that features a selection of severed body parts hanging from chains, which (weirdly) included a near 2 metre tall electric chair with death row prisoner that could be propped up next to you as you watch the telly.  

I also looked at the Costume Shop, which only ever seems to appear around Halloween time. They had bloody intestines, bloody surgical instruments, a tablecloth with blood splatters all over it (because that’s lovely to look at) and a model of a zombie with his eye exploding.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not opposed to horror; I am actually a huge horror film fan and I don’t shy away from a decent amount of spook at Halloween. 

I like the ‘old school’ Halloween; the Halloween that was filled with bonfires and fireworks, pumpkins, witches hats, vampire teeth and maybe a ghost or two. 

However, I really don’t see how hanging body bags (€21 on Amazon, if you’re looking) on your front door is scary if not just distasteful. Are severed limbs sticking out of the ground around your house appealing? 

Do you want trick or treaters? Or is this all just a ploy to hog all the treats for yourself?

I just don’t understand why Halloween has to be so gory. Surely there is enough horror, blood and gore in the world. This innocent celebration where kids dress up, knock on doors and eat more sweets than they’re usually allowed doesn’t call for such gore.

In the end, I bought some ghost-shaped lights for the front porch.

We can’t talk about the decorations if we don’t talk about the makeup side of things. Of course, Halloween is the best time to try out new crazy looks and be a bit more out there with your makeup. Some of the looks that people do can be really cool, but I have an issue with the injury side of makeup. 

Why at this time of year is it suddenly ‘spooky’ or ‘cute’ to be sporting a black eye and a cut lip? Why is it suddenly fine to have a bloody gash across your face and rope bruises around your neck? 

Surely that could hit a little too close to home for some people and make violence – especially the obvious non-zombie inflicted but real human on human violence – glamorous or pretty. 

Let’s be clear: violence is not pretty nor spooky and I don’t see why we have to use it as a way of showing that we’re in the Halloween spirit.

• gore
• halloween
• horror
• spooky