kindertrauma

Month: June 2010

Traumafessions :: Reader Carol McM. on The Gluts from "Fun With the Environment"

Posted on By aunt john

I'm probably gonna drive you guys crazy – but I just can't stop!

O.K. – here is a book trauma from my youth. There was this environment coloring and activity book that was handed out to grade school kids in the '70s – "Fun With the Environment." If I remember right the publication date was 1974. I grew up in Portland, OR – so I don't know if they had it all over the country or just on the west coast.

As you can see I took full advantage of the coloring action. Anyway – it was all about how we can do all these things to help the environment like not litter and conserve water and ride bikes – but then there was this whole comic strip type thing with a family called "The Gluts." Their freaky green blob heads totally creeped me out, and the creepiest part was the freakishly weird angle their heads were at. Like their heads were chopped off and then placed back on at a different degree – not unlike THE EXORCIST head-turn dealie.

These freaky glut people didn't really stick in my mind as I grew up – but I found this book in some old school stuff and it all came rushing back! Maybe that's why I am so good about recycling now-a-days – it's 'cuz I'm afraid I'm gonna see one of those freaky-headed gluts rummaging around in my trash can.

Name That Trauma :: Reader Alicia K. on a Terrible Totem & a Witch Crushing Wheel

Posted on By aunt john

Oh how thankful I am to have stumbled upon your site! These two movies have been in the back of my mind for years! Yahoo Answers couldn't help me, so I'm really hoping you can.

Both of these I saw around 1977-79, but I'm not sure when they were made. It is possible they were made-for-T.V. movies/shows since I saw them via hiding behind my mom's lazy-boy when I wasn't supposed to be up.

The first movie featured an evil totem pole or carved Indian statue (not huge, probably 2-4' tall.) It was a round, wooden thing with a carved face and it seemed to glide around. I remember it sneaking down a hallway because it was going to kill someone. There was a good guy who was trying to save the lady and they had to make a protective circle to keep the evil totem out. I think at one point he had to protect someone in a hospital bed and was trying to beat the totem there.

The other movie was about witches – maybe Salem trials, since it was portraying 1600-1700s. I remember it showed a woman strapped to a big wheel or huge wooden spool and people rolling it to crush and kill her.

Any ideas are appreciated!!!

Happy Father's Day :: Where's My Brood At?

Posted on By unkle lancifer

Just when I was about to hit the hay on Friday I caught THE SHINING on cable and naturally I was trapped watching it until it was over. At some point I was miraculously brought back to the first time I ever saw it in the theater. I was under age at the time but my father was somehow able to get my brothers and I in. Did he slip the ticket taker a Washington or two? No, this story takes place in the good old days when nobody gave a crap. To be honest, the movie disturbs me much more now as an adult than it did when I was a kid. As a kid, it kind of disappointed me and here's why…

Flipping through some magazine, perhaps FANGO or STARLOG, I caught a picture from DAVID CRONENBERG's THE BROOD. The picture was of a bunch of the little brood brats coming through a doorway or something. Later, I saw the yellow poster for THE SHINING with the distorted face in it and I wrongly thought, "That's the movie with those creepy mutant kids in it that I saw in that magazine!" The trailer for THE SHINING with the elevator piqued my interest even further. I knew that when the elevator door opened all those creepy kids would jump out and wreck havoc! So when I finally got to see THE SHINING this is exactly what I was waiting for with doe-eyed, clammy anticipation. When the elevator scene finally did occur and NOBODY came out of the elevator, I was flattened like Silly Putty on a comic strip.

Poor confused me, I had built something up so big in my head and it was never meant to be. It was all my fault, my imagination whipped up this impossible coolness that no movie could ever possibly live up to. I mean really, if THE BROOD kids came out of that elevator in THE SHINING the sheer awesomeness of that event would probably tear the universe in half.

I learned a valuable lesson that day and I've only made that same mistake of forging impossible expectations out of shear obliviousness a couple thousand more times over the years. By the way, THE SHINING, I should give you some credit for freaking me out with the guy in the dog costume bit, I certainly wasn't anticipating that. Oh, and the old lady, mission accomplished with that one too. O.K. SHINING, I'll admit it, you were really scary but you would have been even scarier with some BROOD kids thrown into the mix.

What I really wanted to say is how cool was my Dad for taking me to see THE SHINING? I'm sure some might tsk tsk such a thing but look how well adjusted I turned out! O.K., well maybe I'm not the best example but look at how well adjusted my brothers turned out. Uh, maybe that's not such a good idea either. Well, actually screw the well adjusted! Can anyone really stand those people anyway? I just want to push them down a flight of stairs.

So thanks DAD! Thanks for taking me to see THE SHINING. That movie is not exactly the best commercial for Dads but you took me anyway. Now that I mention it, I kind of remember having a new found fear of you after seeing NICHOLSON go bonkers, so if that was the idea all along, all I have to say is, "Well played sir, well played."

Thanks for taking me to see GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER, JAWS and PROPHECY too. Those are some of the strongest memories from my youth. It may not be traditional family fare but I also recognize that you taught me how to BEHAVE in a theater and I think that was more important than anything MARY POPPINS could teach me. Really, I think all of those horror and sci-fi movies trained me to approach the world with a bit of awe and respect and I'm glad I wasn't force fed the, "It's all about ME!" dreck that is considered so appropriate for kids.

Thanks for telling me ghost stories too and for not throwing away my FANGOS. I know I wasn't the most normal kid in the world but as the saying goes, "I learned it by watching you!"

Traumafessions :: Reader Carol McM. on Terrifying Trailers

Posted on By aunt john

Hello there –

This is my first traumafession (of many to come as my obsession with horror as a child was only slightly overshadowed by my intense fear of the dark) and I thought I'd start with perhaps the scariest of all entries into the horror genre – for me as a child, that is. That would be the commercial. I have always found the scary commercial to have a rather epic horror feel – because you just never know when it's coming. They sneak up on you right and left and the only warning you usually have is some alarming music or a deep warning voice – and sometimes that's just not enough – especially if you find yourself unable to look away.

At the age of 5, the first commercial that scared the pants off me (where I was actually aware of the title of the movie) was IT'S ALIVE. I don't remember anything other than the image of the baby carriage with the claw hanging from it and maybe some crying and a voice telling me about the impending terror – and it scared me so much that I would avoid all commercials before bedtime just to be on the safe side – only to go to bed with the radio on and have to radio spot for the movie send me careening into a pit of fear. Great.

The next movie to cause a premature heart attack/aneurysm combo in my 6-year-old psyche was THE REINCARNATION OF PETER PROUD. I had no idea what the hell was going on with the title or any of the images from the commercial when I was a kid, and the only vague image that I have of it to this day is what seemed to be the cross section of two legs – as if they were sawed off. I don't know if that image is even in the movie (I just found it on You Tube and plan on watching it soon) but something about the whole feel of the commercial just scared me to death.

AUNT JOHN SEZ: No trailer available on this one, but here's a clip:

Next we have AUDREY ROSE. As most of you who had this scare as a wee child and then saw the movie later know – this is really not a scary movie at all. It was the damn commercial! I think all of us who survived those dark days remember the scenes of her up against the window (both inside and outside) – and nothing really happens. Just a little girl who herself is really scared.

And last but not least – the piece de resistance – MAGIC. Another movie that, as it turns out, isn't really all that scary. But man oh man; I couldn't get that freaking dummy face image out of my head for years! Every time the lights went out that image would be there -burned in my brain – keeping me awake.

I never saw any of these movies as a kid (and still haven't seen whether or not Peter Proud's legs are sawed off or what), and they were all pretty humorous and/or tame when I did see them as an adult. Pretty funny.

Thanks you guys so much for this site – I am officially addicted!

Carol

Name That Trauma :: Reader Carol McM. on a Killer Crossdresser

Posted on By aunt john

Dear Kindertrauma,

When I was very small, in the late ‘70s, I watched a movie on T.V. that seems to me was in color and made in the late ‘60s or early ‘70s. I think there was a "woman" who invited a few, select, people over for an extended stay in her huge mansion and I think they start dying.

Two parts I kind of remember are: a person wakes up in the middle of the night with a man standing at the foot of their bed in the shadows (but I also kind of remember that he goes back to that room twice and the second time gets hit on the head with something; and at one point we see the "woman" go into a room way, way in the back of her huge mansion house and see her take off her make-up – to show us that she is really a super creepy man (who snuck into people's rooms in the dark)!

That freaked the freak right out of me.

Does this rambling sound familiar to anyone?

Thank you so much for creating this amazing site!

Traumafessions :: Reader Mike on David: The David Rothenberg Story & The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima

Posted on By aunt john

I love your website even though I have not watched most of the films you have there. Turns out I was (maybe still am) the most scared little girl out there. I was scared of "IT" which a lot of people have talked about & of THE EXORCIST add to that the fact that I'm Catholic so it just gets worse for me. But here are two things that I remember that scared the crap out of me:

1 – There was a movie called DAVID: THE DAVID ROTHENBERG STORY about a kid whose parents divorced & his dad takes him to Disneyland then proceeds to burn him while he sleeps in a waterbed in their motel room. David does live after this happens though. This terrified me because (here's where my imagination took off & I scared myself) I used to live in a house 4 houses away from the local drug point (as in drug dealers hung out) & it also happened to be the park which they would in turn shoot the light posts so if the cops came no one could see their faces. Well I was terrified cause my parents would park their cars in our driveway & I would think that the drug dealers in their way to the park would be smoking, throw away their cigarette which would then get lit up & cause a spark from the oil that our cars leaked. This would then cause my house to explode into fire & I would die. Needless to say my mom never let me watch many scary movies. Another part that was creepy was the weird song he sang at the end of the movie or in the beginning I don't remember but I think it was "It's A Small World."

2. This one is for Catholic kids though… There was a movie that the used to show us as kids in Catholic school about the miracle of the Fatima virgin. The Virgin Mary appeared to these 3 kids in Fatima & what not & at the end of the movie it would tell you that if you were good enough you'd just might get visited by Mary like the kids. I don't know if any other kid was like me but I was scared as hell that Mary would appear to me at the end of my bed or something. I don't know why because it's supposed to be good if that does happen but if I still think about Mary appearing to me I still get that creepy/scary feeling I got as a kid just not so intensely. Ironic though cause if I think Jesus would appear to me I wouldn't be scared at all.

There's Something NOT in The Fog

Posted on By unkle lancifer

Oh THE FOG, even when I don't feel like watching anything I can still watch THE FOG. As soon as JOHN CARPENTER's haunting score begins, forget it, I know I'm going to be transfixed until the closing credits float by. It's just such a splendid ghost story and the atmosphere is so convincingly dank I can actually smell the salty air. (In fact, I feel like if my air conditioner should ever break down I could just put in my FOG disc and it could cool the room with comparable results.) CARPENTER wisely calls forth two of the great gods of ghostly storytelling here, both H.P. LOVECRAFT and ARTHUR MACHEN are given nods, and you can almost sense them looking down upon the proceedings with approval. CARPENTER's impeccable use of shadow and the widescreen frame are present throughout and there's a keen sense of place that is uncanny and rare. If it only existed, who amongst you wouldn't want to take a trip to Antonio Bay?

To me, THE FOG shimmers and glows on all fronts but during a recent viewing, I was particularly impressed by the respectful way it treats its multitude of characters. As written by one of the greatest collaborative horror teams of all time, JOHN CARPENTER and the late great DEBRA HILL, we are shown a symbiotic multi-generational community of equals who all play a believable part in overthrowing a supernatural menace. No character is ever shown as being of lesser value than another and even though one might want to automatically cram TOM ATKINS into the role of "hero," the truth is, his actions and screen time are comparable to nearly everybody else around him.

If you think about it, this approach is rather unusual in the world of horror. Usually you'll find some kind of forced drama or conflict between the characters and almost always some folks are presented as "good" and other folks (usually those who are killed) are presented as "bad." In 1980, while everyone was busy trying to duplicate CARPENTER and HILL's previous theatrical horror effort HALLOWEEN, JOHN and DEBRA seemed to have been making a great effort to work against their earlier, now more common design. Hell, we're even given some elbow room to sympathize with the vengeful zombie ghosts causing all the ruckus. You have to admit, the betrayed, leprous crew of the "Elizabeth Dane" do have a valid, honest to goodness beef. Yes, they mean to kill six people but from what we're shown in the movie, it's nothing personal.

There is much to be found in THE FOG, I notice new things every time I watch it but what impresses me the most is what's NOT in THE FOG, how it smoothly twists and snakes itself around genre clichés. This is my favorite type of film, its creators know what they are doing and are committed to telling a story rather than randomly stitching together scenes designed to appeal to its target audience's base expectations. Let's say we turn on the lighthouse and take a closer look at what's NOT in THE FOG:

Young Andy is NOT shown as a precocious brat with his head hypnotized by the latest gadget. He is NOT shown as incapable of sitting still long enough to listen to a story.

Mr. Machen, an older gentleman, is NOT shown as an object of ridicule and scorn. He is NOT presented as crazy or suffering from dementia.

Stevie Wayne is a single mother who is NOT shown as harried or incomplete. She is NOT shown longing for a male suitor.

Dan has a thing for Stevie. He is NOT depicted as a sleazy stalker just because he knows a good thing when he hears one.

Elizabeth Solley is NOT judged for having sex. She is NOT depicted as someone without aspirations or an inner life. The camera does NOT linger on her famous boobage.

Nick is NOT in his early twenties. We are NOT awarded gratuitous visuals of his wash board abs. He is NOT wearing designer jeans. He is NOT a douche.

Kathy Williams is a woman of a certain age in a position of power. Miraculously, great effort is NOT made to depict her as a bitch.

Nancy is Kathy's assistant, she is NOT shown as an incompetent moron.

Father Malone is a religious man who is NOT painted as corrupt, mustache twirling hypocrite.

Nick is NOT seen as soft just because he cares about the well being of his friends. Elizabeth is NOT shown to be unaffected by death.

This black guy is NOT used for comic relief.

Mrs. Kobritz is a babysitter, she is NOT sixteen years old.

These people are NOT shown to suddenly have incredible fighting skills when encountering zombie ghosts.

Our heroes are NOT depicted as unfazed by supernatural attack.

Blake does NOT talk your ear off.

Father Malone does NOT say things like, "Leper me entertain you bitch!" or, "Church is in session Blake, first sermon is your ass on the collection plate!" during the film's finale.

The ending is NOT happy. (But it sure is awesome!)

People are NOT always important in horror movies but they're always important in GOOD horror movies. Am I bonkers for thinking there is a correlation between a filmmaker's understanding of the people they depict on screen and their level of understanding of those filling the chairs in the audience? THE FOG is laudable for its high regard towards its characters, regardless of age or sex. (Please notice that regard is NOT born from political correctness but from genuine interest.) I don't mean to oversell you here. in a way, the characterizations I've mentioned are merely sketches but they are sketches without condescension or disdain and as far as I can see, that's menthol fresh.

This FOG also pulsates with an exemplary awareness and reverence toward the past that is NOT hip by today's standards. This FOG is also NOT too butch to ask its literary influences for directions.

I've heard some describe THE FOG as "dated" and perhaps they're right. It certainly brings to my mind an approach to horror storytelling sadly left far behind (you need only watch the 2005 remake to get a crystal clear view of just how far we have NOT come.) Speaking for myself, I will never NOT love JOHN CARPENTER's THE FOG, and it will never NOT rank high on my list of all time favorites. What's in it is amazing and what's NOT in it is even more so.

Traumafessions :: Joshua Grannell (a.k.a. Peaches Christ), Writer/Director of ALL ABOUT EVIL on the Charms of Leatherface and Freddy!

Posted on By unkle lancifer

I think my earliest memory of truly being traumatized by a movie experience had to be seeing a VHS rental of the original TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE at an elementary school birthday party. I have a distinct memory of this kiddie party being held in a finished basement where the parents were upstairs while fourth-graders played party games below, like pin the tail on the donkey and seven minutes in heaven. Anyhow, we stuck in this tape and I knew right away that this was something very adult, that we shouldn't be watching. The opening flashing images felt gritty and real in a way that movies hadn't before. It was exhilarating. The corpse shot at the end of the credits sequence terrified and fascinated me. As the movie continued to play the other kids got bored and ran around doing other things. I sat and watched the movie. The whole thing. It was the most upsetting, horrific thing I'd ever experienced and I loved it so much. All of it! I couldn't stop thinking about Leatherface, his mask, his family, his chainsaw. I drew pictures of him in class, thought about what (or who) he and his father were having for dinner, and if they'd ever get caught. I don't think I was truly convinced it wasn't real. I think it may have changed my life.

Shortly thereafter a trip to the video shop took on new meaning. How could I convince my mom to allow me to rent completely inappropriate things? She'd protest and not let me get what I wanted, but I launched a campaign. One weekend, my little brother and I stayed with our aunt and she took us to the video store where I was able to pull the wool over her eyes and convince her that we'd seen THE EXORCIST and CUJO before, even though we hadn't. I think I picked movies based on their cover art and these two looked real good, especially CUJO. Shortly after THE EXORCIST began my aunt went to bed and my brother and I stayed up and watched both movies. Again, captivated and terrified. They were effective and I loved that feeling of being so effectively frightened by something. I soon became obsessed with these films as well and knew I had to seek out more STEPHEN KING, and movies about Catholic scary shit.

I came back from that weekend at my aunt's and proudly boasted to my mother that my brother and I watched R-rated movies. This seemed to piss her off, but also worked to wear her down. The next time we were at the video store and I begged and begged for A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and she relented. It had just come out on video and I knew it involved a killer with finger-knives. I HAD TO SEE IT! Well, we got home and popped it in that night and I worked myself up into a frenzy of fear from the very start. The opening titles alone! I can now see why title designs are so important to me. They set the whole tone. I almost had to turn it off. Later on, at the point where those razor fingers come up slowly out of the water in the bathtub, I thought I was having a heart attack. No lie! I thought I might die. Finishing the film felt like a triumph and my love affair with Leatherface sorta ended and Freddy became my new long-time childhood mistress. I was obsessed with Freddy. I wanted to hang out with Freddy. I was in love with Freddy. All these years later, I look back on those formative traumas and can see how important they were. I'm still in love with Freddy, the ROBERT ENGLUND one.

UNK SEZ: Thanks JOSHUA/PEACHES, for the super excellent traumafession! I should also thank you for creating ALL ABOUT EVIL; I swear this may be the first time in my and Aunt John's four hundred year old marriage where we are both equally enthusiastic about seeing the same movie!

Kids, make sure you check out ALL ABOUT EVIL's official site HERE so that you can see when it's coming to your neck of the woods! This fantastic flick not only stars the incomparable NATASHA LYONNE but also showcases our heroes CASSANDRA PETERSON (ELVIRA, of course!) and MINK STOLE (Who, once upon a time, I saw on Philadelphia's South street. I asked her for her autograph and she was sweet as hell and gave it to me and didn't even punch me like some celebrities might!)

Above all else check out the trailer for ALL ABOUT EVIL below; if it doesn't stroke your appetite for hilarity fueled mayhem then you really need to reevaluate your existence… pronto! Seriously silly rabbits, GO SEE THIS MOVIE, otherwise it means you're just trying not to have fun on purpose!

STOP THE PRESSES! Need more PEACHES in your diet? Allow me to recommend PEACHES' super fine horror and cult themed blog which you can stumble into HERE! You guys are going to love the four-part article on Italian horror by ROBERT BARBER and you'll also find insightful film reviews and updates on PEACHES' actions and whereabouts! Go PEACHES!

Traumafessions :: Reader Count Otto Black on Un Chien Andalou & "The New Mother"

Posted on By aunt john

Dear Curator of Nursery Terata –

Since you seem to like this sort of thing, here's a merry tale of something that made a ghastly impression on my impressionable young mind. Luckily few children are likely to be exposed to this particular bogey by mistake (and hopefully none at all on purpose), but those unlucky few have my deepest sympathies.

When I was about 10, I was surfing the then-available British T.V. channels (all 3 of them) in search of random mid-morning diversion when I happened upon an Open University programme about the history of art just in time to be treated to a clip from LUIS BUNUEL and SALVADOR DALI's film UN CHIEN ANDALOU. It was the eye-slashing scene…

Not having a clue where such a thing could possibly have come from (obviously I switched off before anything worse could happen), for about 15 years I honestly thought I'd hallucinated that image until I finally saw the whole film. Beat that for nightmare fodder!

Talking of which, I'm surprised that you don't seem to be aware of Lucy Lane Clifford's "Anyhow Stories," undoubtedly an all-time pre-school trauma classic which makes "Struwwelpeter" seem almost tame by comparison. To appreciate the full horror of this kiddies' bedtime favourite of yesteryear to which many, many helpless infants were exposed on purpose, you need to hear it read aloud. Which, happily, you can do HERE.

I particularly recommend "The New Mother," a story so utterly terrifying that it has been included in horror anthologies for adults! And award yourself a pinch of fairy dust if you can work out the moral. If you ask me, it's "don't trust evil mom," but surely that can't be right…?

Yours archetypally –

Count Otto Black (deceased)