How Can I Celebrate Halloween? (2004)

How Can I Celebrate Halloween? is a cute and cogent discussion about Halloween as the Christian holiday Hallow(ed) E(v)en(ing) to help kids accept the fun of the holiday and discount its scary themes as well as fundamentalist fearmongering about the devil, evil spirits, etc. Since every society has seasonal festivals, pagans needn't snipe "we had Samhain first"; this film in fact credits Halloween's origins as such (though not by name) and is perfectly entitled to focus on how the Church celebrates in its own way (All Saints' Eve). Even though the widemouth puppets remind me of Pac-Man or the baby in South Park (and the boy sounds like Cartman), their discussion is very clear, educational, and witty. Their conversations are interwoven with illustrated scenes from the Bible about God's protection and Christ's salvation and a very catchy pumpkin song. For children aged 4-8, this film should aptly serve families or Sunday school classrooms where Halloween is seen with rainbow colors instead of only black and white. 3 stars.