What is it about horror movies and Halloween that gets me (and millions of other people) excited each fall? Is it the crisp autumn air or the candy corn that puts sparkles in our eyes? Is it classic horror movies, such as Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street, that get us excited? Not exactly. It is the sense of escape that Halloween brings that gets us excited.

I theorize that it is the idea of escaping our daily routines, playing dress up and becoming enthralled by spine-tingling thrillers that excites us each October. October is that time of year that adults can pretend to be children again and play make-believe. Of course, it all starts with a scary costume (or funny costume).

Around Halloween, we get to pretend we are playing dress-up. Throughout the month of October, we adults get to attend Halloween parties and be whomever or whatever we want to be. We don't have to be the guy in the next cubicle for a night. We can be a soldier, mummy, or all-powerful vampire. We get to leave our regular selves behind. When else can grown men put on latex masks and velvet capes? When can women dress up in gorilla suits and not think twice about it other than at Halloween? For many of us, Halloween is our time to be someone else. We can make or buy our capes and tights and parade around the parties like celebrities.

The Halloween props you see inside and outside of homes at Halloween add to the feeling of escape. My wife and I go all out at Halloween, decorating the driveway and sometimes even turning the garage into a haunted house. It is fun for us and the neighbors. Will haunting your home make you money or in any way add to your financial state? Not really. But, it is entertainment and, believe it or not, family entertainment. We love seeing area families come to trick or treat at our home and brave the haunted garage. The children squeal with glee and the parents leave with smiles on their faces. You have to have Halloween props to add to that sense of escapism.

Let's not forget about the movies that are on television and in the movie theaters at Halloween. I know some people do not like horror movies (or monster movies as some people call them) but they have a place in society. It all comes back to escaping reality. I do not watch horror movies to enjoy the violence. I love seeing Jason, Freddy or Leatherface get beaten in the end. But, the suspense of the movies and feeling that I am taken out of the regular world is exciting. Worrying about Leatherface or a group of evil space aliens for an hour and a half is more fun than worrying about bills or nuclear power plants exploding in Japan. I know Leatherface will remain trapped in the television at the end of the night.

I challenge those people who do not celebrate Halloween to step out of their comfort zones and enjoy the holiday this coming fall. Buy some Halloween candy, a festive costume and Halloween props. Even if all you do is hang some cobwebs, put on an alien mask and watch old Munsters episodes on television, give the holiday a try. We all need to escape our lives once in a while and Halloween is the perfect time.

By Scott Faubion, Halloween Hill Owner

Published 1/18/2011

Clowns are enigmas. The role of the clown exists to bring cheer to children, yet millions of people are scared of these painted-up actors. Let's delve into the frightening world of the clown and see why they strike terror in the hearts of some adults and children while bringing smiles to other people. We'll also see why clowns are perfect ghouls for haunted house owners.

It is interesting to note that the fear of clowns is a legitimate fear and even has a name - Coulrophobia. Coulrophobia is an abnormal or exaggerated fear of clowns. According to the Web site way2hope.org, "Coulrophobia is very common...one of the top 10 most common specific phobias. Symptoms can range from high anxiety to outright panic attacks around people in clown outfits or other bizarre attire and make-up...even Santa Claus." Yep, the fear of clowns is certainly real. This is the reason many haunted houses include clowns alongside the actors dressed as zombies, werewolves and witches.

Of course, it is not only adults who are fearful of clowns. Although clowns are meant to entertain children, many children are scared of them. As a former haunted house manager, I believe the fear of clowns comes from the fact the clown make-up obscures the wearer's face. Is Bozo really happy or is he only smiling because he has a painted-on grin? We do not know. Also, I think we instinctively realize that brightly colored outfits do not mean the clowns are always happy go lucky. What dark thoughts lurk inside the mind of a clown? No one except the clown knows.

Furthermore, I think as a society we can't help but remember John Wayne Gacy, Jr. He did nothing good for the professional clowns of the world who work hard to make us laugh. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was an American serial killer also known as the Killer Clown who committed the rape and murder of 33 teenage boys and young men between 1972 and 1978, according to Wikipedia. Twenty-six of Gacy's victims were buried in the crawlspace of his home, three others elsewhere on his property and four victims were discarded in a nearby river, the online database states.

Gacy was dubbed the Killer Clown because he entertained children as "Pogo The Clown." He was eventually sentenced to death, and on May 10, 1994, was executed by lethal injection. The world breathed a sigh of relief. But, many adults cannot help but remember photos of Gacy dressed as a clown. These images were published in newspapers and today are on the Internet. I am sure those images play a part into our fear of clowns.

Of course, it takes more than just one man to make us afraid of clowns. According to the site phobias.about.com, there are two main theories surrounding why some people are scared of clowns. The Web site states, "In a 2004 review article for Trinity University, Joseph Durwin postulates that there are two commonly accepted schools of thought. One is that the fear is based in a negative personal experience with a clown at a young age. The second theory is that mass media has created a hype surrounding evil clowns such that even children who are not personally exposed to clowns are trained to dislike or fear them."

Durwin's theory that society has created hype around evil clowns is fascinating to me. It is true that Stephen King scared us through the book and film version of It. The novel and film revolve around an evil alien-type creature that disguises itself as "Pennywise the Dancing Clown." Also, as I mentioned earlier, there are many haunted houses that feature killer clowns. There is Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988), the famous b-movie from the 1980s that brought clowns into our nightmares, as well.

So, has society brought this fear of clowns on itself? It becomes a chicken and the egg issue. Did books, movies, haunted houses, and the image of Gacy cause our fear of clowns? Or did movies and haunted houses start using clowns to strike terror because society was already afraid of them? Which came first? Sadly, there does not seem to be an answer yet.

All I can conclude with certainty is the fear of clowns seems here to stay and haunted house owners should take advantage of this fact!