S3E9 Halloween: Lisa Morton delivers a ghoulish history lesson

Halloween is nearly upon us, a holiday rich in folklore, cultural adaptation and religious propaganda. To delve deep into its history we’ve called in the expert of all experts. Lisa Morton has written many, many books on the subject, including Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween, and is a six-time winner of the Bram Stoker award. In this episode we learn the origins of Halloween as a Celtic festival, we find out how Hollywood turned the holiday into the gorefest we see today, and we hear the legend of Stingy Jack, a devilish man who we can thank for the creation of the Jack-o'-lantern. Behind The Spine is the audio accompaniment to The Writing Salon - you can sign up to the newsletter here.