Popular culture has changed

You might what to think twice before donning that scary vampire, zombie, or whatever horrific character costume this Halloween. According to the executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Fr. Francis Lucas, dressing up or portraying any of the known denizens of the dark or victims thereof only attracts evil, even the head honcho Satan himself. In other words, you get to be closer to the prince of darkness, possibly joined by his minions of the underworld. Such is the warning from the Church, as Halloween, or All Saints/Souls day is upon us. But what about those who already look like monsters, devils, ghouls even without the make-up and costumes? Are they always in the company of the devil as well, because I know some who actually look like creatures from hell!

But really, popular culture that define these creatures of horror have changed, even evolved through the years. We have vampires who no longer melt into primordial ooze or burst into flames when exposed to sunlight, but sparkle like diamonds instead. We have some who live on synthetic blood and even try to love alongside humans, fighting off the bad blood, pun intended, within their species. Some don't even fear the usual religious symbols but actually scoff at them, stating that faith is required to make them work. There are zombies who have learned to fall in love and slowly "warm up" back to being human. Same is true of werewolves who devote their supernatural lives to the ones they love, who also happen to be pretty as hell. The whole scary part of this subculture has effectively been exorcised by commercialism, just like Holy Week and Christmas. Halloween or All Saints/Souls day is just another excuse for a long weekend and party-going, dressed up in the scariest creature you can muster. It is no wonder even children embrace the horrors of the night with relish, even histrionics. Gone were the days of my childhood, when me and my brothers would be scared out of our wits during Halloween. When vampires the likes of Christopher Lee were the stuff of nightmares, and zombies didn't dance with their victims but ate them.

I do know where the Church is coming from. Still deeply rooted in tradition, it is only fulfilling its obligation of giving guidance to its faithful, in a time when the Church is very much struggling to remain relevant. Fr. Lucas goes on to say that for a change, people should dress up like the saints or angels, to encourage a more positive image and flow, and ward off evil. I don't know, bit I think I would be more scared of a saint walking the streets than a zombie. That porcelain skin with those glass eyes…I still believe that if one is strong in faith, then one has nothing to worry about, no matter what one chooses to be this Halloween. I would think that the devil has more friends in politics, their henchmen and minions than anywhere else in this country. Those are the ones everyone should be scared of, lest they bleed the country dry.