Halloween is a time when we celebrate what scares us but for some reason the other-worldly and supernatural are the main objects of our fear. There was a time when communism, with all of its dreary proletarian symbolism, was the scariest thing grown men and women in positions of power could imagine. Some might argue that they were not scared of ideological communism but an epic scale of repression marketed as Soviet or Stalinist communism. But in all honesty, to the bourgeois even ideological socialism is pretty terrifying.
By Zurab Andronikashvili
Halloween is a time when we celebrate what scares us but for some reason the other-worldly and supernatural are the main objects of our fear. There was a time when communism, with all of its dreary proletarian symbolism, was the scariest thing grown men and women in positions of power could imagine. Some might argue that they were not scared of ideological communism but an epic scale of repression marketed as Soviet or Stalinist communism. But in all honesty, to the bourgeois even ideological socialism is pretty terrifying. By Anders Douglas-Svensson
October is the time for watching the leaves die; but we don’t just relish the autumn foliage, we also remember the great times; like when Kanye West dubbed his shoes Red October – classic Kanye Cold War reference. So in honour of Halloween and Red October here is a list of our favourite Halloween and Communist movies, TV specials, or books. By Kamran Dadi
A story about someone going insane while they are snowed in at an isolated hotel sounds like a typical horror movie affair. However, The Shining is so much more. If it was just that, then the film would not have the kind of iconic reputation that it is has in film history. From Jack Nicholson’s haunting performance as Jack Torrance to John Alcot’s masterful cinematography, The Shining fits comfortably among director Stanley Kubrick’s best work. It delves into the subject of human psychosis with the right amount of ambiguity and theatrics while the mise-en-scene of the Overlook Hotel becomes the subject of mythology. By Madeleine Caprosz
The Simpsons’ annual special Treehouse of Horror does Halloween like no one else does any other holiday. Ever since their second season in 1990, The Simpsons have championed fun and scary Halloween themes. From the opening couch gag to the cameos by our alien friends Kang and Kodos, and even the spooky end credits, The Simpsons’ know how to get in that Halloween spirit. They began with several interconnected disturbingly entertaining short segments contained in one episode (the first Treehouse of Horror episode was actually in a treehouse). |
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