Mischief Night

Mischief Night is an informal holiday on which children and teens engage in pranks and minor vandalism. It is most commonly held on November 4th, just before Guy Fawkes Night.

Historical background

The earliest reference to Mischief Night is from 1790 when a headmaster encouraged a school play which ended in "an Ode to Fun which praises children's tricks on Mischief Night in most approving terms". In the United Kingdom, these pranks were originally carried out as part of May Day celebrations, but shifted to November 4, the night before Guy Fawkes Night. According to one historian, "May Day and the Green Man had little resonance for children in grimy cities. They looked at the opposite end of the year and found the ideal time, the night before the gunpowder plot." However, the shift only happened in the late nineteenth century and is described by the Opies as "one of the mysteries of the folklore calendar". In Germany, Mischief Night is still celebrated on May 1.

Naming variations

Mischief Night (2006 film)

Mischief Night is a 2006 British comedy-drama film. It is the third installment of the Tina Trilogy following on from Tina Goes Shopping (1999) and Tina Takes a Break (2001). However, unlike the previous two Channel 4 films Mischief Night broadens its scope to consider the wider community that Tina lives in and address issues of racial segregation. Tina is played by Kelli Hollis in all three films.

Synopsis

The film is set on a deprived Leeds estate where Asian and white residents have segregated. Tensions between the two communities come to a head on the unruly Mischief Night. The film shows several people's involvement in this.

Characters

Mischief Night (2014 Baker film)

Mischief Night is an American slasher film written and directed by Travis Baker. It stars Brooke Anne Smith, Marc Valera, Nikki Limo, Matt Angel, Erika Palladino, and Malcolm McDowell. The film was produced by Richard Tanne.

The film had its worldwide premiere at the 2013 New York City Horror Film Festival and was released in the United States on May 20, 2014 by Lionsgate Films.

Plot

Baker's film takes a much more sinister approach to the holiday, when a young babysitter named Kaylie is stalked throughout the night by a murderer. The film takes on a slasher film approach, meaning the night is much more violent than the normal minor vandalism that normally occurs. Early in the film she is warned by the night watchman not to answer the door, due to what normally happens on Mischief Night.

To her surprise Brooke Anne Smith who plays Kaylie, witnesses the other youths roaming the streets and causing all sorts of havoc on the neighbourhood. Little known to her at the time, an knife-wielding masked maniac played by Marc Valera is stalking her every move. Malcolm McDowell plays the watchman who warns Kaylie, who states not all is as it seems on Mischief Night.