By Grace McDermott
Halloween is the time of year where most people have fond memories of their childhood. Dressing up in fun costumes, trick or treating with their families or staying up late watching scary movies with their family, it’s all a fun and classic part of the holiday. And, when it comes to fond memories of the holiday, the teachers and staff here at Salem have a lot to share.
Dean Vinson in particular enjoyed reminiscing about his best memories of Halloween with his family. One of his favorites, was the time a neighbor gave them a massive pumpkin that they carved into a Jack-o-Lantern for their porch. The neighborhood they lived in back then had a lot of trick or treaters, sometimes well into the hundreds on a nice night, and Vinson’s family had the idea for their son to crawl inside the pumpkin and give children candy as they passed. According to Vinson, his son stayed in that pumpkin well after dark, enjoying the surprise of the trick or treaters as he held out candy. Supposedly, Vinson’s favorite memories from Halloween are all wrapped up in that neighborhood.
However, to some, like Dr. Kimya N. Dennis, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminal Studies, Halloween means something quite different.
“Halloween reminds me of my love for horror movies” she stated. “I have loved horror movies since I was a kid. Some of my earliest memories as a child are watching horror movies with my parents and brothers.”
Dennis discussed her love for the horror genre, her favorite genre, claiming that “Since one of the origins of Halloween is remembrance of the deceased and various manifestations of the afterlife, it is also relevant that my favorite movies are the original ‘The Exorcist’, the original ‘Night of the Living Dead’ and the original ‘The Entity.’ I also love zombie movies. Halloween reminds me of how I love horror and zombie movies.”
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