The Tale of the Jack O'Lantern | Halloween Watch List

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It’s that time of year again when showing off your artistic carving skills on a pumpkin is a thing. But where did the tradition first come from? 

Originating in Ireland, the Jack o' lantern has a long history with Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, although they haven’t always been carved out of pumpkins.  Ancient Celtic cultures carved turnips on All Hallow's Eve, and placed an ember in them, to ward off evil spirits.

The Irish Folks Tale goes something like this....There was a man nick named "Stingy Jack" who invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks.... Who knew that? To find out more visit here.

When Irish immigrants moved to the America due to the potato famine they were introduced to the pumpkin and quickly discovered that this hollow, softer vegetable was much easier to carve and so Jack-o’-lanterns was generally made from pumpkins then on...

UW. Stay Indoors Halloween Watch List:

Most of us will be staying indoors this year so some of the UW team put together a stay at home halloween watch list. So tuck into your homemade pumpkin soup, sit back and watch something spooky....

1. Dracula Movie - 1992 (Available on Netflix) - [18]

 A Halloween classic, Dracula 1992 is one of the most popular adaptation from stoker's Dracula. Praised for its costume and theatrics, costume designer Eiko Ishioka (who won an Oscar for this movie) had never seen a Dracula movie prior to being hired for this one. 

2. Apostle,  2018 (Available on Netflix) - [18]

Apostle is a bonkers horror film about a man who tries to rescue his sister from a 19th-century utopian cult, only to discover that the situation is much, much more complicated than he expected.

Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen. If you think you know this story, think again....

4. American Psycho - 2000 (Rent on Youtube) - [18]

Sharp suits, sharp axe... Patrick Bateman, a wealthy investment banker, hides his psychopathic ego from his friends. Later, his illogical fantasies escalate and he submits to an uncontrollable bloodlust.

5. Carrie - 1976 (If it's not showing at your local cinema Amazon Prime or Netflix)  - [18]

On the day of her prom night, seventeen-year-old Carrie discovers that she possesses telekinetic powers. She puts her powers to use when she is humiliated after a prank.

6. Parasite -2019 (Amazon Prime) [15]

Parasite is  a thought provoking, South Korean black comedy thriller, and won the Academy Award for Best Picture earlier this year. Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the poverty-stricken Kim clan, it is as gloriously entertaining as it is deeply sardonic.