Underground Halloween
For 20 years, Seymour Licht went out every October 31st to take pictures of strangers on the New York subway. His fascinating collection of images of partygoers in costumes is now compiled in his first book Undergound Halloween – a piece of New York history like no other. We spoke to Seymour in an exclusive interview about his passion for the scariest time of the year and what kind of people he’s meeting on the subway.
Interview ZERO.NINE Photography Seymour Licht
You started 20 years ago and went out every year to add more images to the collection. Did you ever feel like missing out on Halloween parties while riding the subway with your camera?
That is a very good question! When my children were little, I went trick or treating with them in the evening, but I often cut it short to get on the subway. I attended Halloween parties at clubs or friend’s houses, however, soon I would think about what great subway images I may be missing, and I would not linger indoors that long.
“On Halloween, you can be who you want to be, and that is liberating!”
Where does your interest in Halloween stem from – do you like dressing up yourself?
Growing up in Germany, my mother dressed us up every year for carnival. She was an artist and sewed the costumes herself. As a boy I performed puppet theatre for our neighbours. My sister is a stage designer, and my daughter is an actor. Something theatrical runs in my family. After the Berlin Wall came down, on one Halloween I dressed up as an East German border guard in full regalia. That was a hit in New York clubs back then. On Halloween, you can be who you want to be, and that is liberating!
October 31st is definitely a great day to ask strangers for their portrait. Did people still say no? What’s the biggest challenge of shooting on the subway? The light, timings, fellow commuters, drunk people?
On occasion people would not want to have their picture taken, but that is the exception. The light is challenging in the subway. Some of the older cars are dim, the newer ones are brightly lit. There can be camera shake and motion blur, especially when the train rumbles around. The subway is often packed, suddenly a giant appears and blocks your view, or someone else’s elbow enters in the frame. There is a party atmosphere, some folks are drunk, but inebriation usually results in silly pictures.
Do you still shoot with your Contax T2 – why film?
In the 1970s, my father gave slide presentations of our family vacations, so I grew up with transparency film, and I used it. It’s actually the worst type of film for the subway! I used Fuji chrome for the first ten years. The Contax T2 is a small point and shoot camera. It has a very sharp lens, the best! I believe Walker Evans used it back in the 1930s. When Fujifilm became more difficult to obtain, I switched to a digital Sony RX1 100. Sometimes I brought my Nikon SLR.
“It is important for adults to be able to express themselves, to try on different roles and be creative.”
The characters people decide to dress up as are a mirror of our current time and cultural moment. Did you notice that costumes change over time? Are there any trends, classics?
There are always people who make political statements or try to emulate cultural icons, pop and movie stars. In my book there are Michael Jackson, Gadhafi, and I have Kim Jong Un. The classics are She-Devils, witches, horror movie characters, various clowns, zombies, vampires. As a trend, I have noticed more face paint lately.
Why did you decide to publish the book this year?
2023 was the 50th anniversary of the annual Greenwich Village Halloween parade. Having worked on my project for twenty years, I wanted to release of the book during that anniversary. I told myself, if I do not finish this now, I will never do it. I needed that self-imposed deadline.
“Halloween Underground is not purely a documentary. I would like for people to consider that we are all on this train together. We are all passengers on a journey, and our time is limited. We do not know the conductor, nor when we will reach our stop.”
What do you want people to take away from your book and the images?
My wish is to take people on a visual journey and to stir their imagination. Halloween Underground is not purely a documentary. I would like for people to consider that we are all on this train together. We are all passengers on a journey, and our time is limited. We do not know the conductor, nor when we will reach our stop. Apart from that, every adult has an inner child in them. In my opinion, we ‘grown-ups’ do not play enough. It is important for adults to be able to express themselves, to try on different roles and be creative. It’s called healthy self-expression, and it’s fun! Why can’t we all just inspire each other and get along?
What’s next – are you still going to shoot every year or do you work on a new project?
The book is completed, and I am working on a few other projects. But I probably will continue to photograph on the subway for a few more years. It’s exciting, and I love doing it.
About Seymour
When not in the subway amid fellow Halloween denizens, Seymour Licht is a physician who assists patients to cope with masks of a more interior nature. A fifth-generation photographer, he hails from a province in Germany that was the setting for many a Brothers Grimm tale. He moved to New York City from Berlin in 1989 and currently lives and works in Manhattan.
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