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Pellegrini (2007) and Fletcher (2007) examine the rising phenomenon of hell houses, evangelical alternatives to haunted houses, in reaction to the perceived occult and pagan nature of Halloween. Religious feelings are communicated by the medium of theater presented in these hell houses. Evangelicals such as Rev. [[Pat Robertson]] have decried the celebration of Halloween as 'performing Satanic rituals' since the 1970s, but they decided to present alternative educational devices for children. Beginning with [[Jerry Falwell]]'s ScareMare in 1972, an increasing number of evangelical churches have turned to performances in order to missionize younger generations. In the 2001 documentary 'Hell House' that such evangelical tools became well known. The theater of the houses also offers an opportunity for the church members to face their fears rather than avoid them, and it offers participants the 'fun' of being evil without engaging in pagan rituals.<ref>Ann Pellegrini, "'Signaling Through the Flames': Hell House Performance and Structures of Religious Feeling,"  ''American Quarterly'' 2007 59(3): 911-935; John Fletcher, "Tasteless as Hell: Community Performance, Distinction, and Countertaste in Hell House, ''Theatre Survey'' 2007 48(2): 313-330. </ref>  

Pellegrini (2007) and Fletcher (2007) examine the rising phenomenon of hell houses, evangelical alternatives to haunted houses, in reaction to the perceived occult and pagan nature of Halloween. Religious feelings are communicated by the medium of theater presented in these hell houses. Evangelicals such as Rev. [[Pat Robertson]] have decried the celebration of Halloween as 'performing Satanic rituals' since the 1970s, but they decided to present alternative educational devices for children. Beginning with [[Jerry Falwell]]'s ScareMare in 1972, an increasing number of evangelical churches have turned to performances in order to missionize younger generations. In the 2001 documentary 'Hell House' that such evangelical tools became well known. The theater of the houses also offers an opportunity for the church members to face their fears rather than avoid them, and it offers participants the 'fun' of being evil without engaging in pagan rituals.<ref>Ann Pellegrini, "'Signaling Through the Flames': Hell House Performance and Structures of Religious Feeling,"  ''American Quarterly'' 2007 59(3): 911-935; John Fletcher, "Tasteless as Hell: Community Performance, Distinction, and Countertaste in Hell House, ''Theatre Survey'' 2007 48(2): 313-330. </ref>  

==Further reading==

==Further reading==

* Hybertsen, Karen Sue. "'The Return of Chaos': The Uses and Interpretations of Halloween in the United States from the Victorian Era to the Present", ''Dissertation Abstracts International'' PhD dissertation Drew University 1993 54(6): 2185-A. DA9331586, 286p. [[File:Halloween.jpg|200px]]

* Santino, Jack.  "Halloween in America: Contemporary Customs and Peformances," ''Western Folklore'' 1983 42(1): 1-20, [ http://www.jstor.org/stable/1499461  in JSTOR]

* Hybertsen, Karen Sue. "'The Return of Chaos': The Uses and Interpretations of Halloween in the United States from the Victorian Era to the Present", ''Dissertation Abstracts International'' PhD dissertation Drew University 1993 54(6): 2185-A. DA9331586, 286p.  

* Santino, Jack.  "Halloween in America: Contemporary Customs and Peformances," ''Western Folklore'' 1983 42(1): 1-20, [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1499461  in JSTOR]

* Santino, Jack, ed. ''Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life,'' (U. of Tennessee Press, 1993). 280 pp. academic study

* Santino, Jack, ed. ''Halloween and Other Festivals of Death and Life,'' (U. of Tennessee Press, 1993). 280 pp. academic study