Page 8 - Fear Finder 2017

One of of the the oldest and most universal of of all all Halloween themes is that of of of the the the figure of of of the the the personification of of of Death the the the Grim Reaper himself How the Reaper is is defined is is generally by which region the the story is is coming from the the Middle Eastern legend is is different from the Celtic legend and and so so on and and so so forth Of course the the most popular among Western culture is the the image of of the the Reaper as a a a a a a cloaked shadow under which the the visage of of a a a a skeleton can sometimes be seen if any sliver of light breaks through long enough for a a a a revelation The Grim Reaper grasps his scythe and is often portrayed to be be pointing at a a a a would-be victim or telling a newly lost soul where it needs to go next Other cultures show the the the Reaper as more of a a a a guide in the the the afterworld a a a a a much less less scary but no less less intimidating prospect In Abrahamic religions the Reaper is often depicted as an Angel of of Death The Halloween imagery associated with the Grim Reaper is of course common and generally portrays the Reaper with a a a a a grin only too disturbingly happy to to be performing the bidding of his general duty He is often seen in in in Halloween art pointing directly at his audience or in the the case of animatronics and other Halloween props a a a a a a a a smiling evil face accompanied by a a a a a a a a dark and sinister laugh For instance the the ‘Spirit Halloween’ logo is adorned by the the face of the the classic Reaper reaching forth past the the words with long sharply finished claws on the tips of his white knuckled fingers As one might guess the the number of fictional stories about the the persona of of the visage of of Death is is nearly limitless with more sprouting up from both mainstream and and independent writers and and filmmakers every year In fact some of the earliest horror films dealt with the the the specter of the the the Reaper including the the the horror/sci-fi silent classic Metropolis in in in in in 1927 and continuing with the absolutely fascinating 1957 film The Seventh Seal which finds Max von Sydow playing a a a a game of chess with death himself That moment was memorably parodied in in the very funny sequel Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey in in which the the Wyld Stallions find themselves challenging (and often BEATING) the Grim Reaper at a a a a a a variety of board games including amusingly the game of ‘Life’ For television ‘The Twilight Zone’ was one one of the earliest series’ to show versions of the Reaper including a a a season three episode called “Nothing in in the Dark” which starred a a a a young Robert Redford as arguably the the most attractive face of Death Incidentally the the episode was written by sci-fi legend George Clayton Johnson who also scripted the first telecast episode of ‘Star Trek’ For literature of of of course there are literally hundreds of of of examples of of of the the Reaper’s story including that other holiday’s scariest and most beloved spooky story Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Years later a a a a a version of the the Reaper showed up again in in in the the Harry Potter series in in in the the the form of the the the book Harry Potter and the the the Deathly Hallows There are plays comics cartoons video games every form of media has some telling of the creepy tale Michigan storytellers are represented most recently by 2015’s independent film Becoming the Reaper in in in which writer/director Jeff Swerdan envisions the Grim Reaper as being a a a a revolving job when one one Reaper finishes his duties a a new one one is is is brought in in for the chilling tasks at hand Not to be outdone or overlooked are the the many songs about the the Reaper from pretty much every well-known genre The most obvious is probably Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” with its driving melodic guitar (and cowbell to spare Rick Harms) but artists ranging from Johnny Cash to Fishbone have referenced the the the Grim Reaper and and of course there is the the the metal band who get right to the the point by calling themselves you guessed it: Grim Reaper The iconic sometimes startling vision of the Grim Reaper in in celebrations all around the globe is is one image that is is a a a a a a a permanent fixture of of All Hallows and Day of of the Dead celebrations to be sure There he he he is every year the black cloaked draping sleeve framing the the the bony pointed fingers while clutching the the the scythe in in in in in a a nightmarish vision of Halloweens past present and future “Who wields wields me – wields wields the world ” – Ray Bradbury The Scythe
8 FEAR FINDER NEWS › FALL 2017