Halloween in Movies

Hollywood loves Halloween!

You are going to watch three segments of three very popular movies:

ET. The Extraterrestrial, Mean Girl and The Nightmare Before Christmas

You'll see how Halloween is celebrated. Then you are going to do the activities designed by Claudio Azevedo.


I. Discuss these questions in pairs.

1. What's your opinion about Halloween? Explain it.

2. Do you celebrate it? What about the other people in your country?

3. Do you think Halloween is an American tradition they want to export to other cultures? Explain it.

4. Have you ever gone to a Halloween party? What was it like?

5. How do you think children, teens and adults celebrate Halloween? Is it actually a celebration?


II. Work in pairs. Decide if these statements are true or false.


http://facts.randomhistory.com/halloween-facts.html  

( ) The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips.  

( ) Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday after Christmas in America.

( ) Samhainophobia  is the fear of Halloween.

( ) The first known mention of trick-or-treating in print in North America was in 1927.

( ) There is a tradition that says that, if a person wears his clothes inside out and walks backwards on Halloween, he will see  a witch at midnight.

( ) Halloween has been around 6,000 years.

( ) Black and orange are typically associated with Halloween. Black is the symbol of death and darkness, and orange stands for the harvest of autumn and its falling leaves


III. Watch the segment from the movie E.T.

Answer the following questions:

1. How does the family, especially the children,  celebrate Halloween?

2. How excited are they?

3. What costumes are they wearing. How do their clothes change, according to their ages?

4. How similar is it to the way you celebrate it?


IV. Watch the segment from the movie Mean Girls. Here the scene shows how teenagers celebrate it.

1. How do teenagers celebrate Halloween?

2. What kind of costumes do they wear? How different are they from children's?

3. What was the biggest mistake the main character made?

4. Have you ever been to a similar party?


V. Watch the segment from the movie The Nightmare before Christmas and answer the questions:

 1. What are the Halloween symbols that you saw in the segment? 

2. Read the lyrics and watch the segment.
[SHADOW]
Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

[SIAMESE SHADOW]
Come with us and you will see
This, our town of Halloween

[PUMPKIN PATCH CHORUS]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night

[GHOSTS]
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween

[CREATURE UNDER THE BED]
I am the one hiding under your bed
Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red

[MAN UNDER THE STAIRS]
I am the one hiding under yours stairs
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair

[CORPSE CHORUS]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween

[VAMPIRES]
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

[MAYOR]
In this town, don't we love it now?
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise

[CORPSE CHORUS]
Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can
Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll...

[HARLEQUIN DEMON, WEREWOLF & MELTING MAN]
Scream! This is Halloween
Red 'n' black, slimy green

[WEREWOLF]
Aren't you scared?

[WITCHES]
Well, that's just fine
Say it once, say it twice
Take a chance and roll the dice
Ride with the moon in the dead of night

[HANGING TREE]
Everybody scream, everybody scream

[HANGED MEN]
In our town of Halloween!

[CLOWN]
I am the clown with the tear-away face
Here in a flash and gone without a trace

[SECOND GHOUL]
I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?"
I am the wind blowing through your hair

[OOGIE BOOGIE SHADOW]
I am the shadow on the moon at night
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright

[CORPSE CHORUS]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
Halloween! Halloween! 

[CHILD CORPSE TRIO]
Tender lumplings everywhere
Life's no fun without a good scare

[PARENT CORPSES]
That's our job, but we're not mean
In our town of Halloween

[CORPSE CHORUS]
In this town

[MAYOR]
Don't we love it now?
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise 

[CORPSE CHORUS]
Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
And scream like a banshee
Make you jump out of your skin
This is Halloween, everyone scream
Wont' ya please make way for a very special guy

Our man jack is King of the Pumpkin patch
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now!

[EVERYONE]
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

[CORPSE CHILD TRIO]
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

[EVERYONE]
La la la la-la la [Repeat]