Halloween's favourite monsters

Lore behind spooky season's Gothic costumes

KARACHI:

The spooky season has reached its peak as the big day is finally here! The streets are overrun with creative costumes, but we all know that the preparation commences months in advance for some. A filmgoer might set eyes on the latest rendition of a creepy doll and become intent on imitating its sinister style for Halloween.

Another person might already have a list of favourite fictional figures to reference. Point is, people often pick costumes they are familiar with, such as Pennywise from IT or Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th. These are still modern picks with traceable sources. Have you ever wondered about the stories behind the more accessible, Gothic costumes you've seen roaming the dark streets on October 31? Well, wonder no more.

Vampires

Let's start with an easy one. When you think of vampires, one prominent name comes to mind. We've all heard of the fang-bearing, blood-sucking Dracula from the renowned eponymous novel by Bram Stoker. Aside from this general awareness, you must've come across a variety of depictions, from the animated, smooth-faced Hotel Transylvania father to the dark-haired, loving husband in Castlevania.

You might be disappointed to learn that originally Dracula is neither a black-haired beauty or a lover for the ages. A devil-dealer human before being subjected to damnation, the Count is described to have not a speck of colour on his body, and he sports a thin, white moustache. Blood is his fountain of youth and survival.

As for his motives, he means to bring disorder to society by exercising his vast supernatural prowess - from creating vampires to commanding nature, he can do all. To put it plainly, he is a monster. Don't let pop culture tell you otherwise!

Frankenstein

Amongst the monsters that have been granted the salvation of species and community, this one stands alone, and that is its primary tragedy in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel. You might feel compelled to say, "It's Frankenstein's monster actually, not Frankenstein!" But let me play the know-it-all geek by suggesting that either works.

The "monster" desires acceptance from his creator - and essentially parent - Victor Frankenstein. To deny him the name is to side with the evil scientist, whose redemptive acts the novel wants you to desperately accept instead. But aside from being an accidental, socially outcasted monster, what makes Frankenstein so special?

Unlike most monsters, especially male ones, this multi-skin antagonist is not as "hideous" as he is asserted to be. Safe for the watery eyes and uneven patches of skin that his creator has sewn on him, the junior Frankenstein's appearance parallels the average human being.

His hair is "lustrous black, and flowing" and he has a good set of teeth. He is also well-read and self-taught, though the cosplayers you'll see might attempt a sluggish trudge. Even though the many interpretations of his canonic appearance are at odds with each other, here is your reminder that even monsters can be disguised as the most well-meaning person you might know.

Witches

Some monsters are best enjoyed through a holistic lens. From religious to mythical, the origins of this community of women stretch as far back as you can think and across various texts. Generally, witches are viewed as practitioners of magic who use their curse-ridden craft to bend nature to their will.

Elements that often accompany witches include arcane spells, bubbling cauldrons, flying broomsticks, and ill omens. The Wizard of Oz (1939) also popularised green skin, which is associated with the species due to their brewing of herbal concoctions. Due to their ominous aesthetic, witches are closer to Halloween than others on this list.

The holiday emerged sometime after the notorious Salem witch trials as a means to ward off evil spirits, reactive to the witch hysteria of the 1690s. The jack-o-lanterns and trick-or-treating rituals are reminiscent of Gaelic festival Samhain, which originated around the same time period and included divination practices.

Witches then became symbolic of black magic and were feared due to the belief that they could influence whatever they wished. Aside from Irish and English history, they were observed as pre-existing figures such as the Greek deity Hecate, who inspired the the authority figure in Macbeth.

True to form, the Shakespearean Hecate served the purpose of leading the male protagonist astray, due to isolated feminine power being viewed as an ill omen. From Disney's wicked antagonists to the enchantresses of live action, these women are known for their cunning schemes and evil cackles, though contemporary media is beginning to explore feminist nuances.

Ghosts

With the discrete monsters out of the way, it only seems fair to end the list with a kind whose origin and physical appearance are both hazy. Although not meant to be seen, or at most seen on occasion, a friendly ghost would be lurking the streets shrouded in a white sheet on Halloween.

As kids, no matter what culture we belong to, we have been exposed to oral stories of ghosts - or in the Pakistani context, jinn. We grew up hearing these tales, telling them, fearing them, disbelieving them, and still adoring them. This community practice transcends generational differences and even personal beliefs.

There are multiple interpretations for the existence of ghosts. In certain contexts, they are believed to be spirits of dead individuals who might have unfinished business or are naturally conditioned to wandering the world after death. Some believe ghosts to be uninterested, silent observers; others allege experiences with being haunted by a furniture-rattling environment.

You might be more familiar with the concept of creatures made of scorching wind who exist on a plane different to ours. Other than the dead spirits featured in Homer's Odyssey and Pliny the Younger's letters, a 3500-year-old Babylonian clay tablet is believed to have depicted the earliest ghost of a human being, as per Smithsonian Magazine.

Fiction has taken many creative liberties with ghastly portrayals, ranging from the friendly Casper to the heroic and very-alive Danny Phantom to the vengeful Manjulika. Airy as they are, ghosts have even permeated social media trends and popular rituals like the Bloody Mary recitation and the Ouija board trend from a few years ago.

No matter what your beliefs regarding the translucent lurkers might be, they are an easy go-to for a last-minute costume. If a total shroud is not your thing, wearing whatever layers of clothes your hands find first and a careless ruffle of the hair will do just the trick. One can even amp things up with messy splotches of makeup. The effort level is low but the variety is endless!