Halloween Movies

     All right, I think we're late enough into October that this post is now pretty relevant.
     I really like Halloween, but only up to a point.  I like fun Halloween, not disturbing Halloween.  Dancing skeleton decorations in the window?  Wonderful.  Skeletons with bloody teeth and horrifying grimaces?  Not wonderful.  Little kids dressed as characters from action movies?  Love it.  Little kids with fake gash wounds?  Not so much.
     That being said, that doesn't mean that I don't like scary things.  I just don't like murder being glamorized is all.
     By far, my favorite part of Halloween is watching scary movies.  Unfortunately, I also have a very low tolerance for scary movies.
     A year and a half ago, my parents, my sister, and I watched The Visit.  None of us had ever seen it before, but we're fans of M. Night Shyamalan movies, so we figured it was worth a shot.
     By the end, I think I would've liked to have been shot.
     If you're really into horror movies, you're probably thinking, "The Visit is nothing!  That's hardly scary at all!"
     Well, for me, it was the most traumatic experience of my life.  At one point in the climax, it pans over to a crazy woman looking straight into the camera.  It wasn't a jump scare or anything, but I screamed and then proceeded to cry for pretty much the rest of the movie.
     I don't know, I just could not handle watching it.
     I should probably tell you now that if you're absolutely in love with horror movies and are completely unfazed by the content in them, you should probably stop reading now because my repertoire of scary movies is significantly less than that, and I can already feel your judgment emanating through the computer screen.
     So, what scary movies do I like?
     Just a bit of backstory: In my family, there are certain Halloween movies that we watch every year, and you get introduced to one more each year.  At some point around age twelve (or earlier), it starts with Something Wicked This Way Comes.  I know, I know, it's not that scary of a movie.  But it's preparation.  There are creepy people who like to do creepy things, and there are often some disturbing circumstances.
     Then, it really starts at age thirteen, when we're shown The Sixth Sense.  And if you don't think that's a scary movie, there is something seriously wrong with you.  Yeah, it's not as scary as other movies, but it's definitely not a movie you can just laugh off.
     I remember the first time I watched it--little thirteen-year-old Odessa, sitting on the floor of my parents' room, watching this movie that was unlike anything I'd ever seen before.  And I liked it.  I really, really liked it.  I still do to this day.  When I was fourteen, we didn't watch it for some reason or another.  When I was fifteen, I ended up watching it three times (once with my parents and sister for her first time, once with the same sister and her friend, and then once at my friend's house).  And then last year, I watched it once with my sister.  Now, my brother is thirteen, so we'll probably be watching it with him either this weekend or next.
     So, yeah...The Sixth Sense.  I highly recommend it.  It doesn't scare me as much now, but there's still that suspense that I love.
     When I was fourteen, my parents showed me Signs.  Again, it's probably not considered that scary of a movie, but the first time I watched it, the suspense was almost overwhelming.
     Again, the first time I watched it, I was sitting on the floor of my parents' bedroom, and I was a little more freaked out (I really don't know why).  At one point, during a very quiet part of the film, the suspense was kind of building, but not too badly.  I looked down at my popcorn bowl for a moment, and as soon as I looked up, there was a jump scare.  It wasn't even that bad of one, but just the timing of it made me jump about a mile high.
     We didn't watch it when I was fifteen, and then last year, we watched it for my sister's first time (but we watched it in July for some weird reason).  In case you were worried, the jump scare didn't get me the second time around.  I love Signs even more than The Sixth Sense.
     Like I said, we watched it in July last year, which I was kind of confused about, but I ended up not minding too much when I realized that the date on the plaque of Merrill's baseball bat was the date we were watching it.
     Coincidence?  Probably.
     When I was fifteen, my parents showed me The Village, which did not freak me out as much as I was expecting.  Oh, it had its moments for sure, I will not deny that.  We didn't watch it last year.  (Are you sensing a trend here?)  My parents, my sister, and I watched this one a couple weeks ago for my sister's first time.
     I absolutely love The Village.  Love it, love it, love it.  I love the story, and I absolutely adore the characters.  I don't know, it just really strikes a chord with me.
     Last April was when we watched The Visit, but I don't count that because I try to forget that that movie exists.  So, the new Halloween movie that I watched last year was Poltergeist, which I watched at a friend's house for a Halloween party.  My parents have seen it previously, but they've kind of distanced themselves from it since having kids because it kind of hits a little too close to home.
     Poltergeist was not my favorite, mostly because the little girl reminds me too much of my youngest sister.  Overall, I liked it.  There was one scene, though, that really disturbed me, and has kind of ruined me from ever wanting to watch it again.  (If you have seen it, it's the scene at the bathroom sink.)  While watching it, I wanted to look away, but I was completely frozen in terror, and once it ended, I don't think I could form coherent sentences.  It is probably the most disturbing movie scene I've ever watched before in my life.
     Then, last night we watched Shaun of the Dead.  I actually rather enjoyed it, and I think I laughed harder than I should have.  (If you're terribly concerned, we watched it edited.  If the fact that it was edited concerns you, sucks to suck.)  I don't know, I think it was too funny for me to take seriously, which is probably a good thing, as we've seen from my experiences with movies.
     Well, there you go.  I hope that was enlightening.
     "So count your blessings every day.  It makes the monsters go away.  And everything will be okay.
     "You are not alone.  You are right at home.  Goodnight."

If It Ever Gets Too Dark to See

     Listen up.
     I know that there's a lot of bad in the world.  Trust me, I know.  I read and see all the terrible things that people do on a daily basis.  And I'm only reading about a small portion of it, I'm sure.
     It's really easy to look around and say that life kinda sucks.
     And maybe we're perfectly justified in saying so.  It almost seems insensitive to not admit that there are some serious issues in this world.
     What makes it worse is that there's no agreed way to fix any of it.  Any of it.  So we're just stuck on some sort of psychotic, disgusting merry-go-round, spinning at dizzying speeds in horrendous directions, doomed to be glued to our seats for the rest of our lives, right?
     Wrong.  Very, very wrong.
     I'm not going to say what I think we need to do to change, because I've already mentioned that I don't write about that sort of stuff.  This is a safe place, remember?  This is a place where I don't care what gender, race, religion, or whatever you are.  What good does that do?  We all read the same.
     So, set down whatever burden you're carrying right now.  Go ahead, put it down.  Kick it away if you need to.  I don't want you to think about it.  I don't care what it is, just let go of it for a few minutes.  Don't think about everything going wrong in your life.  Don't worry about what might happen to you within the next few days, weeks, months, or years.  Just focus on what you're doing right now, which is reading this blog.
     I want you to think about your favorite song.  Just pick one.  One song that has struck a chord in your heart every time you've listened to it.  If it has lyrics, think about them.  Hum the tune.  If you can, think about the first time you heard it.  How did you feel?  Why did you like it?  What made you go out and find it again?  Did it just happen by pure happenstance?
     Now think of your best friends in the world.  I don't care how many you come up with.  Think of them smiling and laughing.  Remember all the little habits they have, all those little things they do that make you so grateful for their friendship.  Think of how you met each of them, and what made you come back for more.
     If you're by a window, look outside.  What do you see?  Do you see trees, as I do, with their green leaves slowly giving way to yellow in the autumn air, with the houses of the neighborhood in a solid line that covers the distant land?  Do you see tall grass, swaying gently in an October breeze, the ripples brushing across in a tantalizing pattern?  Do you see mountains in the distance, standing stronger than even the most well-built house?  Do you see a bustling city, with cars going to and fro, people continuously moving?  Do you see a quiet street, with the occasional stray cat roaming about on the dim streets?  Is it something else entirely?
     In a moment, I want you to go outside.  I mean it!  Once this paragraph is done, go outside!  Leave your computer or phone or whatever you're reading this off of right where it is, then stand up and head out the door.  Bring shoes if you must, but no jackets (even if it's freezing).  Go outside, look up at the sky (but please don't look right at the sun if it's out), and lift your arms.  (Please, just trust me.)  Taste the air.  Notice each sound.  Close your eyes, if you'd like.  Imagine flying right up into that beautiful sky--whether it's blue, grey, black, or otherwise.  Imagine leaving all your cares and worries and frustrations right there on the ground.  Don't worry about other people seeing you--nothing they think matters.  They're worried about life, but you're taking a break from it.  Get going!
     Welcome back.  Chances are, there are several of you that didn't even move from your seat.  Fine by me, but just keep quiet while I talk to those who followed directions for a moment, okay?
     How did you feel?  Foolish?  Calm?  Did you feel anything different at all?
     If not, it's fine.  If you were expecting heavenly reassurance, you severely overestimate what I'm able to do through my words.  Was it cold?  Was it hot?  Was the weather less than satisfactory, or was it absolutely perfect?  Did you notice if there was wind?
     You are going to be just fine.  I know that life sometimes seems like more than we could ever handle alone--but that's exactly why we did this rather strange exercise.  You're not alone.  You are never alone.  You have your friends.  And if there's no person whom you can feel you can turn to, then there's a song that you can find strength and comfort in.  There's an entire world out there, and you can only see so much of it.  But no matter where you are, you're looking at the same sky I am--it's just a different part.
     There is no end to the amount of good that's in this world.  What's more, there's no end to the amount of good that's in you.  Don't you know that you're the most wonderful human being there is?  I can say that with full confidence because it's completely true.  Don't you ever sell yourself short.  You have a wealth of potential and power within you, and if you ever truly tapped into it, the very earth itself would tremble at your being.
     You are loved.  You are so loved.  Even if it doesn't come from the people who should be showing you the utmost love, it comes from someone.  If you can't think of anyone on this planet who cares about you, think of me.  I promise that I do.
     You are priceless.  There is no amount of money that could pay for everything that you have to offer.  Don't ever put a discount on that price, and don't ever accept anything less for payment.  Ever, ever, ever.
     You have talent.  You have infinite worth.  You are worth walking through a storm for.  You are worth fighting down to the last breath for.
     And you have the power to change the world.
     There is nothing--nothing--that can truly stop you from doing whatever it takes to make this world that much more bearable to live in.
     And I'm not saying that you have to eradicate diseases or anything of the sort--all I'm saying is that you have the complete capability to add drops of light to this increasingly dark world.
     So, look over at your burden, right where you left it.  Does it still daunt you to pick it up?  It shouldn't.  If you weren't strong enough to carry it, you would not be asked to.  I know that with all my heart.
     All right.  Pick up your burden again, but don't let its weight bother you.  Let's a deep breath of fresh, renewed air, and together step out into the wonders that this world has to offer us.  Just promise me that you'll keep holding on.
     "So count your blessings every day.  It makes the monsters go away.  And everything will be okay.
     "You are not alone.  You are right at home.  Goodnight."