We have a long tradition of tales, about ghouls and goblins, around campfires and in front of fireplaces. I still remember “Bloody Bones” and share it with the younger generation on occasion. I think it was harmless, I don’t remember any mutilated animals, decapitated corpse (okay maybe one, read about it for days so it was highly unusual) nor people particularly deranged.
I think the most disturbing part of Halloween now is the danger to the children who engage in the practice. It is very sad that one has to discard unpackaged goodie, look for needle marks and check “goodies” with a metal detector. That is why a lot of celebrations are confined to supervised carnivals. Some are advocating an alternative to Halloween, similar to first night for New years, which is also a good idea. It is all in good fun and kids (mostly) love it.
Of course the reality is those dangers while real are pretty rare. There’s always been some jerks out there (legends of poisoned/ trapped Halloween treats go back to the mid 60s) and there’s always going to be some jerks out there. But chances are you won’t encounter them. We’ve gotten pretty hyper paranoid, especially when it comes to kids, in the last few decades, but there really isn’t much evidence to back up that increased paranoia.
While there will be problems, there always are, on an individual kid basis they still have a better chance of winning the lottery than getting tampered Halloween treats.