Taking Back the Night

Gather ‘round, friends, for this is a tale of mystery and magic. It is about how the adults took back Halloween for themselves. It didn’t happen overnight. But pumpkin martinis and Elvira’s cleavage signaled that a shift in Halloween practice was in the air.

Apparently there is enough dark side in adults to keep a holiday like Halloween around for centuries. Two thousand years ago, Halloween began as a Celtic festival called Samhain. To celebrate the eve of the new year, the Celts sacrificed animals in front of huge bonfires and wore the animal skins. Not exactly kids’ stuff.

Enter the Christian missionaries. In the 800s, Pope Boniface IV declared Nov. 1 as All Saints’ Day or Allhallows. The night before became Allhallows Eve-an official church-sanctioned holiday. The Celts were told their pagan gods were evil and from the devil, putting a bad connotation on the gods that festered for hundreds of years. Hence that nasty witch-burning business in Salem, Mass.

Irish and English immigrants brought a rowdier and more mischievous Halloween to urban America in the mid-1800s. A hundred years later, it all became about the candy as kids took over Halloween, relegating adults to escort and costume design status.

Youngsters in Los Angeles had some stiff competition for Halloween. In 1940s L.A., some seriously spooky adult stuff was going on. A few satanic cults and witchcraft groups sprang up in the area. A sect of the Order of Oriental Templars (Ordo Templi Orientis), which was based on the writings of Aleister Crowley, appeared in Hollywood at this time. Public interest in the sect grew out of the infamous Elizabeth Short (Black Dahlia) murder case, when police looked to occult ritualistic practices for clues to the bizarre murder.

Suddenly, devil worship and witchcraft were back in the news, and the Hollywood entertainment machine seized the opportunity to cater to the public’s craving for all things frightening.

Children made a feeble attempt to get a gory Halloween back in the 1980s, but it was just too weird to see teeny tiny Freddy Kruegers darting around the neighborhood. Now, in this kinder and gentler time, L.A. schoolchildren have classroom parties and organized events. That’s even more the case this year: With many children planning to dress in fireman and hero costumes, it’ll be up to the adults to cover the scary stuff. Even in 2001, Halloween is a time to dress up, act silly and attend art and cultural events that visit the dark side of human existence.

Let’s start with the dressing up and acting silly part. If you want spooky, you may have to do it yourself this year. Howard Beige is executive vice president of Rubie’s Costume Co., one of the world’s largest costume and accessory companies. According to Beige, the trend in adult costumes is veering away from horror.

“People have become more lighthearted,” Beige says. “‘Wizard of Oz’s’ Dorothy is a big seller, as are Batman and Superman. We expect ‘Lord of the Rings’ and Harry Potter costumes to sell well, too, this year. We don’t have an adult Harry Potter costume, but we have other characters from the movie. And Uncle Sam and red, white and blue cheerleader costumes will do well. People are not as interested in rubber gore masks any more. Too hard to eat at parties with one of those masks.”

Although Beige anticipates a run on child fireman, police and military costumes, the company does not sell adult versions. “Too much confusion with real public service workers,” he says, “especially after the Sept. 11 tragedy.”

The company’s biggest-selling adult costume?

“Scooby-Doo,” Beige says, laughing. “I don’t know why. Something about his voice.”

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For adults interested in personal costume creativity, there’s nothing like the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval on Wednesday. According to the WeHo Chamber of Commerce Web site, “if you own a roll of duct tape, 1,000 jars of Clamato and an angry herd of chinchillas, then you have all you need for this over-the-top event.” Traditionally, the gay and lesbian community of West Hollywood goes all out in the costume department, often veering toward the explicit; the city even suspends permit parking for the night.

Many area clubs will be staging Halloween parties and serving those pumpkin martinis. Look for the Black Magic drink at Voda, Los Palmas Latin Supper Club and Rebecca’s. This visually appealing cocktail is made with Merlin’s Energy Source (an herbal-based drink) and Blavod Black Vodka. Under a black light, this concoction turns blood red.

For those looking for a more sophisticated Halloween, a trip to the La Jolla Playhouse might be in order for the world premiere of “Dracula, the Musical.” Rather than base the musical on the familiar movie versions about the vampire, director Des McAnuff has chosen Bram Stoker’s classic novel for inspiration. Expect some eroticism in this production.

The Goldman Theater at Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills has an outdoor production of “A Cult of Isis.” Writer-director Stephen Legawiec’s Ziggurat Theatre Ensemble bills itself as “L.A.’s mythic theater.” (See review, Page 38.)

“This play is a little spooky,” Legawiec says. “It’s not for preteens. There is a particularly graphic description of a rape in the play. The structure is ancient Egypt, but we’re released from the burden of being historically accurate. A goddess ritual is shown through three different participants’ eyes. The audience is meant to be part of the ritual’s audience of cult. The mission of our theater is to explore myth and ritual. But don’t worry. We’re not out to covert anyone. And don’t forget to dress warmly.”

Think puppets are only for children? Think again and be prepared to be scared.

Puppeteer Steven Meltzer, proprietor of the somewhat creepy Santa Monica Puppet and Magic Center, has cooked up an adults-only show featuring a replica of the dummy Fats from the 1978 Anthony Hopkins film “Magic.” While waiting for the show to begin, check out the collection of famous puppets and press clippings in the lobby. It’s spooky, even with daylight streaming through the place.

Cabaret mistress Lili Barsha brings her eighth annual Haunted Cabaret to Club Blue this year. More fun than scary, the cabaret offers an odd collection of performers, poets and musicians and expects the audience to dress up and play along. Plan to use your brain.

An all-star cast of character actors will read works from Edgar Allan Poe at UCLA on Halloween night. Bud Cort, Catherine O’Hara, Will Patton, Amanda Plummer, Syd Straw and others join the list of actors and musicians in “Hal Willner’s Halloween Show.” If the show is as haunting as the Ralph Steadman poster, you’ll lose some sleep.

Edgar Allan Poe IV, a direct descendant of the original master of the macabre, has made a career for himself performing “Possessed,” a humorous look at the author of “The Telltale Heart” and “The Raven.”

Poe portrayed his famous relative in an episode of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” Poe’s show will happen at the Fremont Centre Theatre in South Pasadena.

In Santa Barbara, Anne Bogart’s SITI Company will perform a staged dramatization of Orson Welles’ 1936 Mercury Theatre radio production of H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds” (yes, the one that frightened radio listeners when it originally aired).

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For those who love odd and/or scary movies, this is your weekend.

Tod Browning directed the Bela Lugosi “Dracula” in 1931, but it was his “Freaks,” made the following year, that pretty much ended his career.

In retrospect, the film is politically incorrect by today’s standards, as Browning cast real human oddities in his film. Filmgoers were horrified by the realism and fled the theater in droves.

But the characters actually had endearing, childlike qualities that shine through in the film, which screens at the Silent Movie Theater.

Seen on a big screen, George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” will scare the living daylights out of most adults. Catch it on Saturday night at the Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro.

Animation buffs may want to check out Japan’s first fully digital animated feature, “Blood: The Last Vampire,” at the Egyptian. The film was created by anime genius Mamoru Oshii.

Lauren Bon’s eerie digital photography show, “Invisible and Free: Conjuring Worlds in the Mind’s Eye,” is at the Robert Berman Gallery. Peering into Bon’s photo of a hand holding a silver ball reveals an image that draws the viewer into an odd reflected world that might not be what it appears to be.

Those overwhelmed by Halloween choices may just decide to stay home and rent some scary DVDs for the night.

“Scary films transport us,” says Blake Thomas, executive vice president of MGM Home Entertainment worldwide marketing.

“It’s funny, but frightening movies can be scary and comforting at the same time, because all the horror is contained in that little box.” Blake says the company’s Midnite Movie titles, “especially the Roger Corman films of Poe’s works like ‘Twice Told Tales,’ are particularly popular.”

“I don’t think people actually say, ‘It’s Halloween, let’s go out and rent a scary movie,”’ Thomas says, laughing. “But the retailers put the displays up front and really market to the consumer. So, yes, sales and rentals of horror titles go up at Halloween.”

Other popular Halloween rentals include “Pumpkinhead,” “Child’s Play” and “The Howling.” Fox recently released “Young Frankenstein” on DVD, and for those who feel like a marathon session, all four “Omen” films have been released in a boxed set.

Scary costumes and horror films don’t show a significant rise in sales in other countries although, according to Beige, the European market is starting to come around.

“It’s weird, but the rest of the world looks at Halloween as an American holiday, even though it didn’t start in America,” Beige says. “Anything goes here on Halloween. The rest of the year doesn’t matter.

“Nobody’s gonna be judgmental just because an adult dresses up in a silly costume.”

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Frightful Fare for Adults

* “Invisible and Free: Conjuring Worlds in the Mind’s Eye,” continuing through Nov. 21 at Robert Berman Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., D-5, Santa Monica. (310) 315-1937.* Tod Browning’s “Freaks,” Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 655-2520.

* “War of the Worlds” radio play, Friday, 8 p.m., UC Santa Barbara’s Campbell Hall, Santa Barbara, (805) 893-3535.

* Steve Meltzer’s “Magic” Puppet Show, Friday, Saturday and Wednesday, Puppet and Magic Center, 1255 2nd St., Santa Monica, (310) 655-0483.

* “A Cult of Isis,” Ziggurat Theatre Ensemble, Friday, Sunday, 7 p.m., Goldman Theater, Franklin Canyon Park, Franklin Canyon Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 842-5737.

* “Night of the Living Dead,” Saturday, 8 p.m., Warner Grand Theatre, 478 W. 6th St., San Pedro. (310) 548-7672.

* “Blood: The Last Vampire,” Sunday, 8:30 p.m., Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 466-3456.

* “Possessed,” an Edgar Allen Poe evening, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., Fremont Centre Theatre, 1000 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena, 626) 441-5977.

* Hal Willner’s Halloween Show, Wednesday, 8 p.m. at Royce Hall, UCLA. (310) 825-2101.

* Haunted Cabaret, Wednesday and next Thursday, 8 p.m., Club Blue, 1642 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood, (213) 487-8250.

* West Hollywood Halloween Costume Carnaval, Wednesday, 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., Santa Monica Boulevard between La Cienega and Doheny Drive, (323) 848-6503.

* “Dracula, The Musical,” Tuesdays-Sundays, 8 p.m., Saturdays-Sundays, 2 p.m., through Nov. 25, La Jolla Playhouse, UC San Diego (at La Jolla Village Drive and Expedition Boulevard), La Jolla, (858) 550-1010.