into light and dark halves. Samhuinn was the equivalent of New Year. (‘eltic tribes held a feast on that day with places set out for their dead ancestors. using the event to tell stories abotit the dead and decide which cattle they would slaughter to eat during the winter.
Of course. all this has long been forgotten. In fact. even the (‘hristian festival of All llallow‘s live has been muscled out of the calendar. replaced by a hyper-commercialised import. Real pagans are derisive of the new festivals. as John Macintyre. president of the Scottish Pagan liederation. who is sceptical of the ‘American
party stuff‘ that now prevails in place of
Samhuinn. explains.
'1 have a strong prejudice against pumpkin lanterns. because as a child 1 had to carve turnips with my bare hands or bend all mother‘s spoons.~ he says. ‘After hours of work I would end tip with bleeding lingers and so 1 have a great worry that modern people have it easier.'
He continues: ‘Another obvious thing about pumpkins. unless they're grown under glass. is that they (10th come from this country. They are imported at some ecological cost of food miles to make lanterns out of. whereas you can get turnips from the field and land around you.’
While pagans do not actively recruit. .‘vlacintyre reckons that celebrating Samhain could be a way of re—establishing our link with the land. which has been severed by supermarket shopping. ‘We are a part of nature whether we acknowledge that or not. 1 think celebrating seasonal festivals give you a better sense of the link between yourself as a human being and the land you‘re standing on.”
Henry Northmore delves into the world of horror
movies and checks out what's on offer this Halloween
t's Halloween. so it must be time for the
latest instalment in the most extreme
survival horror series out there: Saw V. More than a simple gorefest. there‘s a cruel intelligence at play with its villain. Jigsaw. the latest in a long line of horror icons that stretch back to Dracula‘s first screen incarnation in 1922‘s Nosferatu.
Talking of which. the (‘ameo is screening the classic 1958 Dracula — starring perhaps the most enigmatic vampire to ever stalk the silver screen. (‘hristopher l.ee — battling his erstwhile nemesis l’eter (‘ushing lt's showing as a Hammer double bill with The Man Who ('otdd ('heat Death (also directed by 'l‘errance Fisher and again starring Lee).
Despite the enduring appeal of the liamous Monsters of liilm Land. the modern horror anti-hero‘s roots lie in Anthony Perkins‘ I’svt‘ho (1960). the ultimate madman with ‘mother issues’. and Hitchcock’s film was pivotal in the world of shock cinema (not forgetting a curious shot for shot remake by (ius Van Sant screening at the (irosvenot‘).
Some years later. Michael Myers in Halloween (1978) set the blueprint for the slasher film as we know it today.
L‘nsurprisingly. the slasher genre exploded. leading to several misfires (April Foo/'5‘ Day and The Sororifv House tl/Iassat‘t‘e). as well as gruesome classics like My Bloody Valentine (the 1981 original is to be screened at the (‘ameo before a 31) remake coming in 2009). As body counts increased. horror fell out of favour with the mainstream until the self referential Scream in 1996. Now horror is big business again. with Mirrors and Midnight Meat Train. the latest gorefest from the mind of (‘live Hellt‘aiser Barker. also on the big screen this Halloween. In fact Saw If Midning Meat Train. Sean of the Dead (the greatest comedy horror since Evil Dead II). and classic monster movie Tremors make up a horror marathon that‘s hard to beat at the ()deon at the
Quay.
Saw V is on general release 24 Oct; Psycho, Grosvenor, Glasgow, Fri 31 Oct; The Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow host their horror quintuple bill on Sat 1 Nov; My Bloody Valentine is showing Fri 31 Oct & Sat 1 Nov and a double bill of Dracula and The Man Who Could Cheat Death, Sun 2 Nov at the Cameo.
I Ghostly Goings On Camera Obscura and World of Illusions. Castlehill, Royal Mile. Edinburgh. 0131 226 3709. 10am—5pm. $27.95 ($26.50: children £5.50; under 53 free). As if the attractions at Camera Obscura aren't trippy enOugh. in addition to the regular exhibits. the tower will be transformed with terrifying tricks. treats and the
Pumpkin Trail. Face-painting by Annie D. Children admitted free in full costume.
I National Tell a Story Day: Halloween Tales Royal Botanic Garden. 20a Inverleith Row. Edinburgh, 0131552 7171. 1—4pm. Free. Be spooked out by some scary storytelling in the Haunted Forest. Come and share your own stories . . . if you dare! Part of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival.
I Halloween Myth and Magic Newhailes. Newhailes Road. Musselburgh, 0131 653 5595. 6—7.30pm. £2 (531). Don your scariest costumes for a spooky night walk on the estate. Throw your energies into a pumpkin competition and some
fantastical storytelling.
TOURS
I Supernatural History Tours Mary King‘s Close Tours, Meet at Mercat Cross (beside St Giles' Cathedral), Edinburgh, 0131 557 6464. 6—9pm. £10 (£9; 6 for children). See Tue 28.
I City of the Dead Hallowe’en Festival Parliament Square. High Street, 0131 225 9044. 7pm—midnight. £8.50 (ES—£6.50). See Thu 30.
I Samhulnn West Parliament Square. in front of St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh, 0131 558 8110. 8.30—11.30pm. Free. On the night when the veil between the worlds thins. join Beltane Fire Society for summer's last dance down the Royal Mile, before winter and darkness overcomes us.
ACTIVITIES 81 EVENTS
I Halloween Party National Museum of Rural Life. Wester Kittochside. Philipshill Road. East Kilbride, 0141 247 4377. 5—7pm. Free. Welcome in Halloween with traditional apple
16—30 Oct 2008 THE LIST 25