Harry’s Missing Halloween: Nick’s Deathday Party
The eight Harry Potter films were great adaptations of the seven books. However, due to time constraints, certain scenes and elements were cut. The upcoming TV remake has more time to adapt the books fully and explore some of these deleted scenes – including Nearly Headless Nick’s Deathday Party in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This was a party held by the Gryffindor ghost to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the day he died, which fell on Halloween.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided to attend this party instead of the Halloween feast.
The smell was quite disgusting. Large, rotten fish were laid on handsome silver platters; cakes, burned charcoal-black, were heaped on salvers; there was a great maggoty haggis, a slab of cheese covered in furry green mold and, in pride of place, an enormous gray cake in the shape of a tombstone.” (CoS 133)
Although they found the food horrifying, especially compared to the delicious banquet in the Great Hall, it gave us a chance to glimpse more of the ghostly aspects of the wizarding world.
It was an incredible sight. The dungeon was full of hundreds of pearly-white, translucent people, mostly drifting around a crowded dance floor, waltzing to the dreadful, quavering sound of thirty musical saws, played by an orchestra on a raised, black-draped platform. A chandelier overhead blazed midnight-blue with a thousand more black candles. Their breath rose in a mist before them; it was like stepping into a freezer.” (CoS 132)
The music might not be the best, but a room full of ghosts would be great to see on screen. However, the visual and comedic highlight of the scene would be the Headless Hunt’s entrance, followed by one of their games. There’s a real opportunity here to show off some special effects as well as some of the lighthearted moments that the original films lacked.
Through the dungeon wall burst a dozen ghost horses, each ridden by a headless horseman. The assembly clapped wildly; Harry started to clap, too, but stopped quickly at the sight of Nick’s face. The horses galloped into the middle of the dance floor and halted, rearing and plunging. At the front of the pack was a large
ghost who held his bearded head under his arm, from which position he was blowing the horn. The ghost leapt down, lifted his head high in the air so he could see over the crowd (everyone laughed), and strode over to Nearly Headless Nick, squashing his head back onto his neck.” (CoS 135-136)Sir Patrick and the rest of the Headless Hunt had just started a game of Head Hockey and the crowd were turning to watch.” (CoS 136)
The upcoming Harry Potter TV show has more time to explore the intricacies of the books, including this scene. The extra time could also flesh out more of the secondary characters’ histories and stories briefly seen in the movies – so why not Nearly Headless Nick’s?
What else are you looking forward to seeing in the reboot? Are there any other scenes you want to see adapted? Let us know in the comments!
