Bite-Sized Frights: The Legend of Stingy Jack

Jack o' lanterns are now synonymous with Halloween, but the origins of this simple gourd are much different, and far more sinister than you might imagine. It involves tales of ancient rituals, evil spirits and pacts with Satan himself.

Join us for a story of a man cursed by the devil to wander the plane between the worlds of the living and the dead, as well as the ominous origins of petrifying pumpkins, as we dive into the haunting legend of Stingy Jack....

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Jack o' lanterns were traditionally carved turnips in Ireland, rather than the pumpkins we mostly carve these days

 

Jack Pumpkinhead, from the 1985 film "Return to Oz"

 
Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, from the 1993 animated film "The Nightmare Before Christmas"


The iconic jack o' lantern seen in the opening credits of John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic "Halloween"

Sam, the mysterious trick or treater who appears to enforce "the rules of Halloween" in the 2007 film "Trick 'r Treat"