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It’s spooky season, which I love, but sometimes I wonder about my proclivities toward horror, the supernatural, and true crime movies and books. I mean, I think I present as a fairly normal, churchgoing, mainstream, amiable, well-behaved, and reasonable person, so why do I gravitate toward the dark side for entertainment?

My parents are certainly not to blame. Our TV during my childhood was tuned to the likes of Andy Griffith, Leave It to Beaver, and I Love Lucy. But the first show I remember being absolutely hooked on was Dark Shadows. I would hurry home from school, get a snack, and plop down in front of the television at 4:00 for my daily dose of Barnabas, Angelique, and Quentin. The horror factor was high camp, for sure, so perhaps I was more enthralled with the anguished love stories and period costumes.

One of the first books I remember ordering from the monthly Scholastic flyers in elementary school was Terrifying Tales of Poe, which I’ve still got around here somewhere. The stories had to be abridged, because Poe’s prose is challenging for mature readers.

Around middle school age my neighborhood pals and I would put together “haunted houses” for each other in our basements. As a teenager I enjoyed commercial scary attractions. 

In high school I started to read intensely frightening novels, like The Exorcist. My friends and I went to see Carrie and The Omen when they came out in 1976. When I was a freshman in college, a group of us went to see 1978’s Halloween. My love of Stephen King’s books started in the 70s with ‘Salem’s Lot and The Shining.

I had to tamp down my zest for frightening stuff while raising children because I was fearful of scarring them for life. My restraint must have worked, for they didn’t turn out to be horror buffs. Yet I did manage to instill in them an affinity for true crime shows like Dateline and 48 Hours. 

As a teacher, I didn’t assign scary books but knew some good ones to recommend if that’s what a student wanted to read. I rejoiced at the advent of Harry Potter and even the Twilight series because they made voracious readers out of thousands of kids.

With no children in the house, I have loved watching shows like Dexter, American Horror Story, and The Walking Dead. 

So the question remains: Why? Should I worry about myself and my psyche? In pondering such matters, I’ve realized a couple of things. First, I have a strong sense of justice. I don’t like true crime cases that remain unsolved. I’m gratified when law enforcement solve cases and arrest perpetrators. I can’t stand the idea of wicked people getting away with hurting innocent folks. 

When it comes to horror, I always want to see good triumph over evil. That’s one reason Stephen King appeals to me. The good guy usually wins in the end. The best heroes for me are those who utilize courage and a strong faith to stand up to horrifying circumstances.

Also, I think my journeys into dark entertainment make me realize how blessed I am to live a safe and routine life in the light. Escapism can make us appreciate not having to endure real terrors.

I can’t sign off until I assure you that my reading and viewing habits are actually quite eclectic. But it looks as though my choices tonight (Monday) on network TV are Dancing with the Stars, The Voice, football or Antiques Roadshow. So, yeah, I’ll probably be scouting around my streaming services to find something scary. The options are plentiful right now, because it is indeed the spooky season.