Paper short abstract:

The paper explores the ways in which old popular beliefs in witches, werewolves and fairies are used for audiovisual entertainment at open festivals in today's Croatia. The main social function of supernatural beings to invoke fear has been reused to amuse and attract modern visitors.

Paper long abstract:

Today we are witnessing the abundance of open festivals and gatherings that celebrate mythical/supernatural heritage of certain places and regions in Croatia. The basis for such gatherings is some historical or ethnographical information that can connect certain places with mythical/supernatural past. Some newer festivals invent mythical heritage and offer themes related to fairies, werewolves, witches, shamans, and other creatures that allegedly lived in the region. Furthermore, visitors are offered to spend some time in the dungeons where alleged witches were kept and tortured; they can close themselves in the coffins to experience "material aspects" of afterlife; children are introduced to morbid figures of monsters in nearby forests, and every corner of the festival's surrounding is covered with scary images and sounds. I want to argue that the concept of fear plays a significant role in the entire process. According to Lauri Honko (1966), the main function of supernatural beings from popular beliefs was to invoke fear among the people and thus help them fit in desirable social norms. Today visitors also face the fear invoked by audiovisual concepts inspired by supernatural beings, but within the monitored and controllable festival environment. In this manner visitors are attracted by audiovisual representations of supernatural beings but at the same time, throughout entertaining themselves, they learn how to confront fears "caused" by supernatural beings.