The Monster Within - Happy Halloween

One of my favorite holidays as a child was always Halloween. A time to be anything I wanted to be, what I’d imagined for myself throughout the year, fulfilling those fantasy day dreams. Halloween is a time when a child can be anything he wants or anything that he can dream to be. And of course, all the free candy is every child’s dream. The resulting tooth decay and toothaches, well, that’s another issues.

Halloween is a time of being a child again for adults as well. We get to dress up in creative ways, maybe reenacting our childhood or being what we wish we could be, much like our child counterparts. For me as an adult, Halloween is a time to watch joy shining from the eyes of my children, entertaining the children of the neighborhood, contributing to the dental bills of their parents. Some in my neighborhood thrive on Halloween, decorating their homes showing their holiday spirit.

But of all the elements of Halloween, I have to say the most important for me, back as a child and still today, are the horror movies. I’m not talking about the blood and guts gross out movies as much as the classic horror movies of old. Watching Sammy Terry, staying up as late as possible, being "creeped" out, always was a good time. There appeared to be an underlying moral theme in many of those old movies. The battle between good and bad and the struggle to do the right thing. The villain, the evil, was not always what was expected, and often lurked within the hearts and minds of the common man.

Dracula was always cool, well dressed, quite the lady’s man, and very rich. There was something about him that drew men to trust him and women to lust after him. He presented what appeared to be the way to fame and fortune, an everlasting life of immortality. Yet, what he demanded was a true giving up of one’s soul, to embrace evil in a pure and complete manner, to inflict pain and sorrow onto the human race, through ones existence. How many humans walk the earth desiring what Dracula had to offer, not realizing the true totality of his will? And yet, in his power, Dracula also was weak, needing to rely on the help of the very people he would someday destroy. He is the classic hallow man inside, void of true devotion and value, whose focus is always on self.

Frankenstein was a creature who was never to be, who was created by a deranged scientist who desired to be god. He had strength beyond his understanding, and a heart that desired only to be loved and accepted. He did not ask to be hated, and only strived to be free, to be allowed to live as any other creature. Frankenstein is a monster that many of us misfits can identify with, judged and alienated because of our differences. The real monster in this story existed in the humanity and in the scientist who created him. Frankenstein is that lost inner child who always looks for acceptance and understanding.

The werewolf is another classic tale. One of my favorites is the 70’s remake, “American Werewolf in London”. Here is a creature who demonstrates the real conflict of a man possessed with an uncontrolled urge to become what he really never wants to be. Inside the well mannered Larry Talbot lured a pure animalistic creature waiting to be released, to fill his inner hungers with whatever he could sink his claws and teeth into. The werewolf is a creature that many of us humans can relate to, trying with all our might to hide and control that inner self of immorality and hungers that we do our best to keep at bay.

In all of these movies, we often see that an element of evil rests in mankind, in their fears and prejudice, in their souls, that for the most part is hidden, but escapes when fear sets in. These movies can provide us an opportunity to explore the beast that might reside inside of us, which we fight everyday to keep at bay. In all these movies, as well as other movies such as the mummy, the phantom, zombies, and the invisible man, the evil will not stop until the death of the monster. Life and redemption cannot be had until the Dracula, the Werewolf, and their like, are destroyed, and killed, finding peace in their deaths.

We are much like these monsters in that our peace and rebirth is also a result of our death from ourselves, from the sin that lures beneath the skin, from the lusts and desires of evil that is not from God. And being not from God, it is only God through our Savior Jesus Christ that this death can be accomplished. We all fight the demons within, the monsters that desire to overtake our beings, laying our souls to waste. Jesus is our bridge to salvation and everlasting life, laying our sin to waste, living forever, and immortal with God. Know your monsters, give them to God, and embrace freedom. It really is that easy.


(The writings in this post are random thoughts and observations and are NEVER intended as professional or personal advice. Take what works and leave the rest. For information on mental health and/or substance abuse help, visit http://www.rodneyvalandra.com and refer to the links page.)