Despite our scary times, Halloween is a great escape

Kimberly Hayes Taylor / The Detroit News

As he made his way through Erebus, a four-story haunted house in Pontiac, Dave Jenkinson's feet sank into the floor while the walls caved in, squeezing his sides.

While he was in this foggy abyss with a glowing green light, a mummy scurried toward Jenkinson and reached out to grab him -- or anyone else nearby. When he finally emerged from the darkness, the 45-year-old Davison resident called the $22 experience "a release."

"We love the idea of being taken to the edge," says the telecommunications engineer, "and you love the idea that it's not real."

This is the age of scary, as folks continue to lose their homes and vehicles at record numbers. Companies continue to lay off employees and offer buyouts, and life is generally uncertain for people attempting to navigate new terrain.

Yet, at the same time, haunted houses, hayrides and corn mazes are still very popular. In the age of some of the nation's most terrifying times, why do people continue to pay to be scared?

"Some people can enjoy the escape, knowing it's a fantasy, and they love the rush. And besides, you pretty much know what's coming," says Nancy Irwin, a Los Angeles-based doctor of psychology and clinical hypnotherapist. "Underneath it all, it's safer than real life, and it's preparing us for real life. If you can face a headless man in the dark, you can face the IRS guy or your boss firing you."

The need for scariness and excitement is an age-old habit.

"People don't want to be scared by real things; they want to be scared by paranormal things," says John Hafnor, a historian who digs up real-life scary stories and author of the new book "Strange but True America: Weird Tales From All 50 States" (Lone Pine Productions, $16.95).

"It's that natural human curiosity. When there's a big car crash, we can't help but look because we're pleased it's not us. We like to be scared at Halloween; we like to watch other people being dismembered by a chain saw, but we're comforted it's not us. It's weird how people have a need to do this."

Because life has become so scary and unpredictable, says Kim Manning, a Bloomfield Hills-based medical hypnotherapist, people need the escape that haunted houses and Halloween parties provide.

"It's a form of distraction more than anything else," says Manning, who helps people rid themselves of fears, phobias and anxieties through hypnosis. "It helps take away the tension."

Life has never been so uncertain, says Carol Kryder, a marriage and family therapist and JustAnswer.com expert. Two years ago, depression was the No. 1 diagnosis, she says. Now, many of her clients are diagnosed with anxiety-related disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders due to life's circumstances. Even if they have survived layoffs, they are left with the scars of seeing so many beloved colleagues getting the ax, and they continually live with the fear they are going to be next. They constantly wait for the other shoe to drop, she says.

So people need the outlets that Halloween offers, she says.

"Halloween is bigger than ever, because things are scarier then ever," she says. "We have wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that's very scary for people. We know intuitively, the war is not going as well as it could, and the economy is not going as well as it could. People are concerned about the new health care reform policies because there is so much misinformation and nobody really understands it.

"We're at a time of real uncertainty in all areas of life, all at the same time. In baseball, there's a home plate where you are safe. In life, there's no home plate for anybody right now. Every plate is a little bit shaky.

"It used to be that no matter what was going on you could say, 'At least, I'll have my job tomorrow,' Well, maybe not. At least my son is safe. If he's in Iraq, maybe not."

Then again, maybe haunted houses and hayrides are a way to return to the days of youth. Scott Gohl, 16, of Clarkston recently took in the Erebus haunted house for the opportunity to break out of the norm of life and experience some terror.

"We don't have scary things in our everyday lives," he explains.

Trick-or-treating safety tips

• Costumes need to be made safe. They should be made of fire-retardant material and should not be too long to avoid falls.

• Wearing makeup, instead of masks, is best so as not to impair vision. Any props used with costumes should not have sharp ends or sides that could cause injury in a fall.

• Have children carry flashlights or glow sticks, or wear some reflective clothing to make them more visible.

• Don't allow kids to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by an adult.

• Following pedestrian/motor vehicle safety tips is of utmost importance on this evening due to the high risk of injuries related to pedestrians on the street after dark. Children, especially, forget safety in the excitement of the evening.

• In preparation for Halloween, use safe practices when carving pumpkins to prevent cuts and burns. It is safest for adults to do the carving, while having children draw faces and clean the pumpkins.

• Review stranger safety. Instruct children to never to go into a home or into the car of a stranger.

Source: Patti Kunkel, R.N., Trauma Injury Prevention/Outreach Coordinator at Henry Ford Hospital

ktaylor@detnews.com (313) 222-2058