A recent contribution to My Head Is Huge post happens to have come at a perfect moment. And in the very likely event you don’t follow that link, the context is The Shining, one of the best scary movies ever made. (For an excellent parody trailer, hit Play above.) Here’s why that post and that parody are so wonderfully aligned:

I took yesterday off, and I’ll do the same for much of today. Because really, if you don’t take time off to celebrate Halloween, what holiday are you going to take time off for? Valentine’s Day? Get real.

So anyway, I’m hanging out with my youngest, Sammy, who at 6 is intrigued with all things scary. We believe it’s his way of confronting what frightens him. One day, something scares him. The next, he makes that thing his own. It’s quite inspiring, actually, and we try to live by his example.

This being Halloween and all, he asks me:

“Was there ever a little boy who gets scared in a movie?” I tell him, yes, there was. His name is Danny.

“Why was he scared?” He’s in a big house that’s supposed to be empty. But he’s surprised to meet twins who want him to play with him.

“Why was that scary?” Because the twins are dead.

“But that’s not real.” No, that’s not real. Dead people do not talk to us. They are fine where they are because they are safe. And besides, Danny has a friend. A boy named Tony who lives in his mouth and talks through his finger. (I demonstrate: “redrum redrum”)

“He was imaginary.” Yes, he’s imaginary.

“What else was Danny scared of?” His father. His father went insane.

“Like crazy? Why?” He was a writer and his book wasn’t going so well.

“A writer? Like you?” Yes, like me. By the way, when you see your mother, tell her now would be a good time to lock herself in the walk-in freezer. Now what in the world did I do with my axe?

Okay, those last three exchanges didn’t actually happen.

Instead, we watched the feel-good trailer above. When it was done, Sammy said, “The dad is funny. He’s kind of like you, Dad.”

And that, quite happily, did happen.

And then Sam put on his Jason costume.

Have a holly jolly Halloween.