Fresh from the crypt: our latest Halloween articles
As Halloween approaches, many parents and homeowners wonder what the legal position is on trick-or-treating in the UK. From age limits to antisocial behaviour, Marc Cornock explores what’s allowed and where the line is drawn. From ancient Samhain rituals to the words of medium Doris Stokes, this article explores how Halloween reflects our enduring fascination with death, the afterlife, and what lies beyond the veil. Halloween is often filled with spooky costumes and scary decorations, but for children it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. By focusing on fun, inclusivity and safety, you can create celebrations that are age-appropriate, welcoming and full of positive memories – whether at home or in the classroom. The tradition of carving faces into pumpkins can serve as a way of mastering our fear of death – this article explains why. Halloween is all fun and games until the skeletons decide to stay. UK Legal expert Marc Cornock explores what the law says when the spooky season’s guests don’t return to their graves and why even the undead can be trespassers. What is it about Gothic stories that captures our imagination? And why do so many of its tropes and motifs lead to Ireland?
Is trick-or-treating legal or not?
Between life and death: what Halloween reveals about our fear of the afterlife
How to celebrate Halloween with young children
Mastering our fear of death with the Jack-o’-lantern
When the skeletons won’t go home: what the law says after Halloween
The Irish Gothic collection on OpenLearn
The origins of Halloween and what it means now
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The history of Halloween
Read now to access more details of The history of HalloweenWhen it comes to Halloween, do Christians and Pagans have anything in common?
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Halloween: What’s the devil got to do with it?
Read now to access more details of Halloween: What’s the devil got to do with it?Why is Halloween, an evening traditionally used to honour the deceased, now associated with all things spooky and gruesome?
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Nos Galan Gaeaf: the traditional Welsh celebration being eclipsed by modern Halloween
Read now to access more details of Nos Galan Gaeaf: the traditional Welsh celebration being eclipsed by modern HalloweenFrom bonfires to bobbing apples, explore how Welsh people have celebrated Nos Galan Gaeaf through the centuries and how it is linked to Halloween.
Discover zombie psychology and the apocalypse
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What are your chances during a zombie apocalypse?
Read now to access more details of What are your chances during a zombie apocalypse?According to mathematics we'd all die in a zombie apocalypse but nature and computer science offer us more optimistic outcomes.
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Can you resist zombification?
Read now to access more details of Can you resist zombification?From The Walking Dead to Call Of Duty WWII, zombies are everywhere. Join us on an exploration of the undead amongst us...
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Hallowain't III: Kilifish - the zombie fish
Watch now to access more details of Hallowain't III: Kilifish - the zombie fishSwimming around without any self-control, the better to spread infection. Are killifish zombies, raised from the dead? No.
Although we all die, how we mark the end of a life varies between places and cultures. This article and associated animation explores different customs and traditions that people around the world perform in relation to death. Most people haven't heard of advance care plans or may avoid planning for end-of-life care. Dr Erica Borgstrom tells us why... Check out the FREE content from Open Thanatology, The Open University’s interdisciplinary research group for the study and education of death, dying, loss and grief.
Death around the world
Let’s not talk about dying: Five reasons why people avoid planning for their end-of-life care
Centre for Open Thanatology Hub
Unearth project fear and the science behind it
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Project Fear: Order your free graphic novel
Take part now to access more details of Project Fear: Order your free graphic novelAn uncertain world. Can systems thinking free us from fear? Simon Bell & Charles Cutting's graphic novel asks the question.
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What happens to our brains when we're afraid - and can that help us overcome fear?
Read now to access more details of What happens to our brains when we're afraid - and can that help us overcome fear?Research into brain activity when we're scared may point the way to overcoming fear.
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The Science of Fear
Read now to access more details of The Science of FearRecoil at the number 13? Scream at spiders? At some point, we all get scared. But why, and how? This article explores the science behind fear.
Delve into witchcraft, wizards and clowns
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Magical Modernity in a Muggle World? Witchcraft, Spirituality and Everyday Enchantment
Read now to access more details of Magical Modernity in a Muggle World? Witchcraft, Spirituality and Everyday EnchantmentDoes magic only exist in the wizarding world for the likes of Harry Potter? Dr Sara MacKian explores all the enchantment and spiritualities of our muggle-filled land.
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Witches in popular culture
Watch now to access more details of Witches in popular cultureWestern culture can't seem to shake off portraying women as witches. Dr Chloé Germaine Buckley wonders why.
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The real reason clowns scare us
Read now to access more details of The real reason clowns scare usWith the release of Stephen King's 'It' and the terrifying character Pennywise we look back on this article, published last year, questioning why we are scared by the faces clowns pull.
Gothic and supernatural themes in art and literature
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Mary Shelley: the expert view
Read now to access more details of Mary Shelley: the expert viewStephanie Forward outlines the life and legacy of the author of 'Frankenstein', Mary Shelley.
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‘There Were Four of Us’
Read now to access more details of ‘There Were Four of Us’How Ken Russell’s Gothic reinstates the missing woman at the Villa Diodati.
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Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus
Learn more to access more details of Christopher Marlowe, Doctor FaustusWhat does Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus tell us about the author and the time at which the play was written? This free course, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, will help you to discover the intricacies of the play and recognise how a knowledge of the historical and political background of the time can lead to a very different ...
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Horror and politics
Read now to access more details of Horror and politicsHow Ken Russell’s Gothic foregoes radical politics in favour of sex and necromancy.
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Delacroix
Learn more to access more details of DelacroixIn this free course, Delacroix, you will be introduced to a variety of Delacroix's work and will see how his paintings relate to the cultural transition from Enlightenment to Romanticism. You will study Delacroix's early career, his classical background, the development of Romantic ideas and their incorporation into his work. You will have the ...
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Art in Renaissance Venice
Learn more to access more details of Art in Renaissance VeniceThis free course, Art in Renaissance Venice, considers the art of Renaissance Venice and how such art was determined in many ways by the city's geographical location and ethnically diverse population. Studying Venice and its art offers a challenge to the conventional notion of Renaissance art as an entirely Italian phenomenon.
Sink your teeth into our spooky free courses
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Introducing the psychology of our relationships with fictional villains
Learn more to access more details of Introducing the psychology of our relationships with fictional villainsThis free course, featuring interviews with famous crime fiction authors, explores psychological theory and research on the relationships we form with fictional characters.
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A spiritual revolution? Wicca and religious change in the 1960s
Learn more to access more details of A spiritual revolution? Wicca and religious change in the 1960sThis free course, A spiritual revolution? Wicca and religious change in the 1960s looks at the ‘crisis’ of traditional religion in the Sixties in the Western world. It explores the process of religious renewal, looking at the development of Wicca, the prototypical form of modern Paganism. Originally presented as a Goddess religion of great ...
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The Moon
Learn more to access more details of The MoonAs the only planetary body everyone is familiar with seeing in the sky, the Moon has long been an object of fascination and speculation. This free course will teach you about the nearest planetary body to Earth: the missions to the Moon, the basic facts of its composition, the cratering on its surface, and the ancient eruptions that flooded many...
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