Free Halloween Screensavers Recapture Traditional Halloween Fear Factor

By Randi Kucala

It is hard to believe that Halloween actually began in the U.S. as an autumn harvest festival and celebration of the Celtic New Year. For the Celts, October 31 was the beginning of their new year; a time when the harvest was complete and nature was going into a season of death and darkness. This was the night when Samhain, lord of the dead, would let loose the spirits of the dead upon the world. These souls, trapped in the bodies of animals upon death, were free to roam, and not all of them were friendly. Some accounts of the Halloween tradition claim that the Celts believed these evil spirits could claim a new body on this night when the veil to the Otherworld was crossable. In their terror of possession by an evil spirit, they set out treats and took steps to ward off these wicked wraiths.

As new immigrants and varying religions made their way onto American soil, Halloween lost much of its original horror and evolved into the less terrifying, kid-friendly version we see today. However, many of the original references to creepy and sinister creatures such as witches, ghosts, and ghouls still pervade the holiday.

This time of year, there are tons of people who thrill over being scared. These fear fanatics really get in to the Halloween spirit and try to keep the traditional Celtic fear factor alive. That is why two of the free Halloween screensavers at Screensaver.com have been so popular throughout the years.

Halloween Screensaver is a chilling 3D animated graveyard complete with the sounds of pouring rain, crackling lightning, and owls hooting in the distance. The menacing dark clouds, swarming bats, and floating apparitions are ominous enough, but the blood red faces that scream and fly at you are terrifying.

Haunted House Screensaver tells the tale of the haunted Garrison home and the horrifying happenings that occurred there. Attic, bedroom, graveyard, basement, and other haunting scenes are truly disturbing. Spooky church bells ring and doors creak while macabre blood drips, lights flash, and threatening red eyes glow in dark corners. The sounds, story, and animations are spectacularly spine-tingling.