Here’s a PSA from 1977 put out by Centron Educational Films called “Halloween Safety” that literally drains all the joy out of Halloween in about eleven minutes. The video is a copy of the original 16mm film that a blogger by the name of Jason Willis, who appeared in the film when he was seven, spent some time tracking down in order to see his fourteen-second cameo. Jason also provides some cool backstory on the loopy PSA on his blog, Scar Stuff. (It’s probably worth mentioning that Herk Harvey, the principal director at Centron, also directed cult classic Carnival of Souls.)
The long list of no-no’s on this vintage reel include not wearing black clothing, not wearing a mask, not eating candy (it’s going to be tainted anyway so why bother), no running, no pranks and for the love of god DON’T dress up like a traditional witch! It’s dangerous.
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Herk Harvey’s ‘Carnival of Souls’