Hallowe’en is the one day of the year when gods and superheros walk among ordinary mortals as equals. Batmen and pirates, witches and magicians, stolling down the sidewalks beside us with an air of nonchalance. Charlie Chaplin takes a day job as a teller at the Royal Bank; a murder victim smiles and makes small talk behind the checkout at London Drugs. The boundaries between species are eradicated for a single day as cats and dogs of astonishing size walk upright along Hastings Street, twitching their mascaraed whiskers while they wait patiently at crosswalks for the Walk sign to appear. Odin in his horned helmet makes conversation with a devil who carries his tail delicately over his left arm.

So we are elevated and immortals are humanized on All Hallow’s Eve.