Five questions asked over a glowing Jack o’Lantern, under an Autumn moon obscured by passing clouds…in between mouthfuls of candy corn…Slammed and Damned’s Theron tells us what just is his childhood. And it starts with the letter “H.”
Why is Halloween important to you?
Whoa, how to answer this? Halloween epitomizes everything I love. It’s monsters and autumn and childhood memories and scary movies and jack-o’-lanterns and candy and Ben Cooper costumes, and the joy and wonder in the eyes of my children. It’s everything that’s good about living, I suppose. To me, Halloween is about being a kid—being hopeful, alive and in awe. Sure, adults have co-opted it, but that’s why. Halloween allows us to get back in touch with those feelings, if only for a night.
Describe your ideal Halloween.
I suppose it begins before Halloween, because the atmosphere must be created. There are decorations to arrange and pumpkins to carve. Then, Halloween evening, the air fills with a palpable excitement as the kids put on their costumes and prepare for the night’s festivities. The candy is put into a bowl by the door in anticipation of the ghouls and goblins to come. We take our littlest out for a quick tour of the neighborhood while the older one goes out with friends, but we have to make it back with plenty of time to hand out some treats. Then, when the trick-or-treaters have slowed down, we all gather and unwind by eating gobs of candy and watching some classic Universal horror until the little monster is asleep, at which point we ramp it up and watch something that’s more fun for the big kids—Kevin Tenney’s Night of the Demons is always a Halloween fave.
What Halloween collectibles do you cherish, or hate, or both?
All I have of consequence are those memories, which are more than precious.
When was your very first Halloween, the one where you really knew it was Halloween, and how was it?
I’m not exactly sure, but what comes to mind is a Halloween when I was around 8 years old. This was back in “the age of innocence,” when young kids could roam the neighborhood without adult supervision. It was a cool, dark night and my friends and I were running from house to house, not paying attention to anything but the next score. We were whipping through yards without thought and had given up using walkways and sidewalks—they just slowed us down. As I raced through one unfamiliar yard, I ran face-first into a virtually invisible chain link fence…which answers that age-old question: What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? Answer: An 8-year-old kid with a sugar rush ends up flat on his back, sporting a bloody nose and surrounded by scattered candy. Good times…
What’s the one Halloween question you want to be asked, and what’s your answer?
Question: What is the best Halloween-themed entertainment?
Answer: There is but one answer. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is the alpha and the omega.