by Fanthagiro Michelle D’silva

Halloween isn’t widely celebrated here in Malaysia, so we don’t get much exposure to the fascinating folklore associated with it. Despite its roots in other cultures, it’s still fun to learn about these traditions.

From the eerie idea of ghosts appearing in photographs to the tales of vampires roaming the Earth, these stories offer an intriguing glimpse into the spooky side of Halloween that captures the imagination. 

Photography has evolved significantly since its invention in 1816. William Mumler, a Boston photographer, became known for “spirit photography” after a self-portrait revealed an unexplained figure—a girl “made of light.” He claimed to be alone when the photo was taken and began selling spirit photos for $10, allowing people to “reunite” with deceased loved ones.

Sceptics accused Mumler of fraud, and evidence mounted. In one case, a woman received a spirit photo of her brother, but he later returned alive. Instead of blaming Mumler, she blamed an “evil spirit” that was trying to deceive her. 

With the vast technology that we are exposed to now, a group of people tried to figure out and recreate one of Mumler’s greatest works–Mary Todd Lincoln with President Licoln’s spirit.

 Mumler printed his photos using albumen, a treated paper exposed to light with a glass negative. Experts like Mark Osterman believe that Mumler secretly layered a ghost negative beneath the portrait negative, creating his eerie photos.

During the 19th century, in a place called New England, many people got very sick with a disease called tuberculosis, which was also called “consumption.” Because doctors didn’t know much about how tuberculosis spread, people got really scared.

Before the germ theory, physicians were unable to explain how certain infectious diseases were spreading. They had believed that the sick people were turning into vampires – which they referred to as microbes or “bacterium with fangs” after they died and came back to eat their family members. To try to stop the vampires, the townspeople dug up the bodies of those who died and burned their organs. They thought this would keep the vampires from coming back.

Eventually, doctors learned more about how tuberculosis actually spreads and how to treat it. This also helped people to stop believing that vampires were the cause. These strange beliefs about vampires and disease also inspired spooky stories, like the famous book Dracula.

Remember to sit back, relax, trick-or-TREAT yourself to some candy and or a stick of ice-SCREAM this Halloween! 🍬 Or maybe a plate or two of EERIE-sistible idli and mutton curry since Deepavali falls on the same day! 🍛