I am sorry to read that Halloween is no longer fun for you. However I don’t think your fears and claims are entirely accurate or rational. The narrative of ‘the scary modern world vs the idyllic leave it to beaver’ past is one that comes up over and over as people wrestle with social change. In fact many things such as crime, civil rights, and longevity have improved over the years.
Danger to children is a subject that has been scientifically researched. The NPR podcast Invisibilia introduced me to the work of Roger Hart. He mapped the distance children went from their homes over the years and compared that with other variables such as crime and social attitudes. He found that in the 70’s, children had much more freedom and independence than they do now, but the variable was not crime.
In fact, in the US crime is at its lowest levels since the 1950’s, but fear of crime is much higher. Accidents are happening at the same rate now as they were then, but now we hear much more about events that happen much further away, and the stories are often written in language designed to instil emotional reactions.
You are right that the ‘razor in the candy’ myth has been debunked, and you mention abduction, but are abduction rates actually significantly higher on halloween than on other days, and are those actually frequent events?
Also regarding mental illness, please don’t add to the stigma and shame these people face. People with mental illnesses are actually much more likely to be victims of violence then they are to be murders. Adding stigma to them only increases fear and puts more boundaries between them and the support/treatment they need from their communities. That helps no one and only adds to the problem.
Personally, I will be taking my future kids trick or treating. Halloween is a great folk holiday, it is a time when communities can pull together and gives neighbors a great ice breaker to get out and interact with each other. The solution to fear and lack of trust isn’t to skulk further into isolation and an illusion of safety. The solution is to get out there and build relationships, meet your neighbors, and interact your community. Staying at home reading horrific headlines and watching gory tv shows won’t help, getting out and spending time with other families will.