…But I’m Not WEARING a Mask!!!

Just a nod , in our blog title, to the ever-popular Halloween insult: “When are you going to take your mask off?” Yes, it’s finally here- Halloween! If you get to this REALLY early, you can catch me on WCIU this morning- on “You and Me This Morning!” between 7 and 8 pm. And, as I said, you may see me in downtown Chicago, as I join some of our sales reps to “trick or treat” at a few ad agencies! My love of Halloween goes back to childhood, long before my professional days-there was nothing I liked better than choosing a costume, carving pumpkins , and trick or treating. I remember even coming up with a backstory for the holiday- that, as Halloween approached, the spirits of the dead and skeletons rose slowly up from the depths of the earth where they were buried, and finally surfaced on Halloween night. I always wanted Halloween to be like it was in movies and on TV- a big full moon, bare trees, the wind blowing fallen leaves around- and an old creepy house down the block. We actually had to go several blocks away to encounter an older creepy house-pretty much further than our parents would allows us. I recall one year when the whole neighborhood staged a Halloween parade after dark, and we all strode down the street with flashlights. (Nowadays, would we just be walking with lit-up cell phone screens?) We used to laugh when certain kids would always opt to be “a bum” for Halloween- it wasn’t like they couldn’t afford a costume, they were just lazy. Today, is it politically incorrect to be a bum or hobo- is it considered making fun of the homeless? We always hoped for a scary movie on TV that night- and only got one occasionally. Back then, some of the TV series on air would opt for a Halloween plot in their show, which always seemed pretty cool. We also hoped that something really authentically spooky might happen…but I don’t think it ever did. The closest we came was some teenage goofballs smashing our pumpkin on the front sidewalk. Now, with Halloween such a big event for both adults and kids, it’s a lot of fun to see the costumes that people come up with- and interesting to see how many of the kids have been raised to be polite when they come to your door. (Hint: have some patience-ringing the doorbell, and then immediately banging endlessly on the front door will only aggravate the homeowner, and guarantee you the smallest, least flavorful treat they have available… or possibly a packet of dental floss.) Now, on to our “Halloween Horror of the Day”- and I thought, on Halloween, the best choice would be the horrific star of “Halloween”- Michael Meyers! In that adapted William Shatner mask, the seemingly undying murderer seems far removed from his original persona- as a six year old who murdered his sister on a Halloween night. Institutionalized, he suddenly escapes from the mental hospital seventeen years later, to return to the hometown of Haddonfield, IL, to stalk and kill teenagers, his final target being young Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) as she babysits! Dr. Loomis, Michael’s psychiatrist (played by Donald Pleasence), figures out where he’s going, and attempts to apprehend him. Things get more and more bizarre and supernatural as it becomes apparent that-somehow, the silent Michael Meyers- referred to in the end credits as “the Shape”- cannot be killed (the whole idea being- you cannot kill evil)! Many sequels and remakes seem to support this theory- and so, our final “Halloween Horror of the Day” -on Halloween itself- has “shaped “up to be- Michael Meyers! I hope your Halloween is whatever you want it to be, fun, funny, scary, or peaceful! Happy Halloween!