For centuries the supernatural, and Halloween in particular, have been contested territory. Folklorists have interpreted Halloween as a relic of pre-Christian Celtic beliefs, when the turn of the seasons was thought to weaken the membrane separating the living and the dead. Some Christian evangelicals, especially in the US, view it as a sinister and sinful celebration of the occult. There’s also the perennial complaint that it’s nothing more than a recent, brash American import.

None of these claims is quite true. There may once have been an ancient festival at this time of year, but the evidence is from centuries later and doesn’t support the assertions that any celebrations had a supernatural dimension. Evangelicals’ fear reveals more about their own brand of Christianity than about why Halloween has its ghoulish associations.