Category: Name That Trauma!

Hello, Kindertrauma!

I was hoping you could help me name a primordial trauma from my youth.

I'm trying to track down an episode of a TV show, maybe a made-for-tv movie. This would be from the mid-to-late 1960s, in color. The gist of it was that there were these two kids of about 12 or 13, sort of cruel versions of Spin and Marty, who were pranking an old lady who lived in a remote area into believing that she was being attacked by aliens and/or flying saucers. They used speakers to make weird sound effects and projectors to make weird lights. The old lady went into utter hysterics, and at one point was filling roasting pans full of boiling water to hurl at the invaders. Ring a bell? I thought it was an episode of Suspense Theatre, but I can't find mention of it in any of the online episode guides. Any clues helping me resolve this trauma? Thanks!

-Mike

OK, I have two for you, if you're interested. I have had zero luck over the years figuring out what these are.

1. A man arrives at an inn that is (of course) in the middle of nowhere. He checks in alongside another new guest, a middle-aged woman. During the evening, the man meets a beautiful young woman, who is also staying at the inn. They eventually go back to his room for a romantic engagement and are in the midst of said engagement when the clock strikes midnight and the woman turns evil and attacks him. (I think maybe her eyes change somehow.) It turns out that everyone in the inn, except for the man and the middle-aged woman who checked in at the same time, are malevolent beings intent on killing the guests. In the mayhem, a fire erupts. The man tries to save the middle-aged woman but cannot, so he flees the burning building. The next morning, the man and a police officer he told his story to arrive at the site of the inn. But there's nothing there. No inn. No sign of fire. Just an empty field. But not entirely empty. The corpse of the middle-aged woman is there, among the tall grass. The end. … I'm pretty sure this was an episode of a horror anthology series, like Tales from the Darkside or Hammer House of Horror. And I think it was a British production. I saw it circa 1984.

2. There's very little to go by on this one. It's the ending of a horror movie from, I'm guessing, the late 1960s or early 1970s (based on my hazy memories of the production values and costumes). The "bad" guy, who is either a Frankenstein's monster type or a hunchback/Igor type, is trying to escape the police via a rooftop. But he is shot and falls to his death. Here's the part that stuck with me, though. He was carrying something bundled up in his clothes. As he lay dead on the ground, a few kittens emerge from his grasp and mew pitifully while walking around on his chest. That's it. That's all I have. I've long hoped that the moment involving the cats is specific enough to help lead me to answer. But, thus far, I've had no luck.

OK, sorry if I am cheating a bit here for the film I'm looking for probably traumatised my parents more than it did me. I distinctly remember when I was a child, my mom and dad took me to a local video store here in Holland. I come from a tiny village with its nearest city being a 20 min. car-drive away. As it was only worthwhile for us to rent films from the video store in that place for a week, my parents never exposed me to the shelves displaying the latest titles. Of course I didn't know that, so one day I rented a tape really hoping it was THREE MEN AND A BABY, only it turned out to be the original French film. I couldn't have been a day older than 10 years old, so imagine my confusion. It distinctly wasn't in the language my prepubescent ears were more or less familiar with, meaning it sounded a whole lot different than the language being spoken on my favourite show back then (PUNKY BREWSTER (The "The Perils of Punky" – episode must have popped up on this site SOME TIME), it definitely scared the bejesus out of me back then!) not to mention it lacked one very famous black mustache I was pretty acquainted with already. I never knew what was going on, because it clearly had three men and a baby on its cover, so how could have it been anything else than that Guttenberg/Danson/Selleck-masterpiece? Back then I always stuck to comedy-films, as my parents didn't let me rent anything else, and I just loved ‘funny things'. I ended up taking home loads of tapes, the titles of which I can't remember now, but more often than not turned out to be lousy European films I didn't enjoy a second of.

Now about the tape I've always wondered about and can't seem to find any information about. It was a compilation tape of sorts and featured a T. Rex in a director's chair on its sleeve. I thought it would be fun , because after tons of unfunny euro-sleaze, I probably ached for a comedy featuring an American (how could it possibly be from somewhere else with a T.rex in a director's chair??) Alas. I remember when I popped it in one day with my parents being present. It started with a reel of clips mostly featuring sex-scenes, some insipid humour, and then supposedly ‘funny' sex-scenes. And yet more sex-scenes. After watching 10 minutes of it my parents thought it best to yank it from the VHS player and to run off with it to the kitchen, where they probably hid it in the deep fryer. So that was that. I remember also that I was still of so ripe an age, that the sight of copious amounts of bare titties didn't make up for what I was really aching to see: a T.rex in a director's chair…

I'm really curious as to what the name of the tape is …and if I can now appreciate the tape's content for its ‘artistic worth' more than I could back then. Funny thing, a couple of years later a new video-rental store opened in a village much closer to ours. The first thing I grabbed back then was a copy of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART IV (my interest in film-taste received a firm jolt after seeing a picture of Freddy Krueger in a teen-science magazine). Being used to the system of our former video stores, we unwisely kept it for a week, costing my parents approximately 35 dollars worth of overdue expenses in the end (!)So that's two film-induced traumas I gave my parents before I had probably turned 12. Not bad, I hope someone can unveil the title of this life-changing piece of VHS-magic.

Rudy – a regular reader from the Netherlands

Hi! I've submitted a Name That Trauma once BEFORE and it took your readers only about 3 hours to solve that lifelong mystery. So I'm back with two more. I think these are gonna be pretty tough. I've tried everything to find them, but I can't. Let's see if your readers can come through again!

1. We'll start with the really difficult one. This was an anti-drug PSA that aired in the early 70s. I remember a man would go into his bathroom, and look at himself in the mirrored door of his bathroom medicine cabinet. He was in a robe, had messed up hair, and a 5 o'clock shadow. He opened the medicine cabinet, frantically swallowed some pills, and closed the medicine cabinet. But when he looked at his reflection after taking the pills, he was…gasp…a werewolf! Clearly, the message is that drug abuse causes lycanthropy. Anyway, it scared the crap outta me.

2. I think this one will be easier, because I am about 90% certain it was an episode of "Night Gallery". Again, this aired in the early 70s. The scene was set in the old west. There were horse and buggies, and everyone was wearing old west attire. I remember a man running through the streets screaming for someone to help him (I don't remember why he needed help). But everyone he ran to for help had ghostly white faces! They reminded me of mimes. Not see-through ghostly, just white clown paint. I specifically remember a man in a top hat with a ghostly white face, but there were many others ghost-faces also. The ghost-faced people would laugh at his cries for help, and mock him. I think I remember the scene ending with them surrounding him – pointing and laughing at him with their white ghost-faces, and closing in on him as he shrieked in terror. One last detail – I think I remember that the man did not belong in the old west. He had gotten there accidentally through some wacky time travel mishap. But I may be fuzzy on that detail.

I'd really appreciate it if you could share these two submissions with your readers. I'm hoping to finally confront these traumatic experiences as an adult!

Love your blog! Been reading it forever!

UNK SEZ: Thanks Gary! That first one sounds awfully familiar but I think I'll have more luck helping you with the second! The movie you just described sounds a whole heck of a lot like 1971's BLACK NOON! We've got a full review for that one back HERE! It's a western with the TWILIGHT ZONE vibe you described and a real knock your socks off revelation at the end! Let me know if I got it right and if so, thanks for giving us a chance to mention that creeptastic gem again!

I have grown up in the NYC area my whole life, but this was probably a nationwide PSA that I have only seen once and never again. Saw it before I turned 10.

I believe it was for some organization or institute: a featureless, unmoving mannequin head and neck in a dark room with faint lighting. In slow shots that faded from one scenario to the other there was the sound of some large noise (probably construction work); then a pair of headphones on the mannequin with audible music; then some other loud noise (probably trains in the subway).

The part that creeped me out was the final shot of the mannequin head, each ear having a glowing red spot and the shrill, deafening sound of what seems to be tinnitus from the exposure to all of those intense decibels. The high-pitched ringing seemed to go on forever but probably lasted for a few seconds at most. I do not recall if there was a narrator at any point in this, but I do believe this was from the late 80s.

I haven't a clue where to begin my search! I know the Kindertrauma family are super spies and I just know it can be figured out. Even without an answer, I think you guys are great besides!

– Carol

Hello fellow, Traumites, freaks, geeks, and all the ships at sea…TomB here with the latest…

Well a couple years ago I submitted a, Name that Trauma with some erroneous clues. Lucky for me those wizards at IMDB solved it within a day. Turns out I wasn't watching a Made for TV movie; it was a mid 50's drama called, "Bigger Than Life" starring James Mason, and directed by the great Nicholas Ray. For some reason my memory re-branded it as a made for TV… hmmmm!

Pretty good movie btw.

See a young Walter Matthau as a smoothie chuggin' Gym teacher… I do not lie. You can Reddit that.

Here's a new Name that Trauma. Pools always scared me as a child. I had an irrational fear of drowning, and always hated the deep end. Sometime in the 70's I saw a gritty 60's urban jungle type movie (ala Elia Kazan) with Peurto Rican or Italian gangs in NYC .. Anyway, in a crowded public pool a group of young teens jump in a pool and start dunking a rival teen. He pleads for them to stop, declaring "I'm not a good swimmer", then he's ultimately drowned. Now here's where my memory gets shaky; I don't know if he was knifed in the pool, or that was another scene. As stated, this movie had a gritty feel to it like Elia Kazan type films.

Thanks!

Hey all.

You've helped me before and I hope you can do it again. It was late 70's/early 80's I had a vinyl album of Star Wars music. However, it probably wasn't "official" as I'm pretty sure side A had some tunes from the original movie (main theme, cantina song, etc.), but side B was more generic "space" music and not from the movie at all. You know, the weird synthesizer drones, warbles, and chirps all combined musically that you would expect to hear as you travel through space in the 1970's! That gauzy 70's space music always sort of creeped me out and I'd like to find it again, so I can confront my trauma! Anybody remember such an album, or where can I find music that might fit the bill?

Thanks in advance.

I was traumatized as a kid by a film we were shown in 3rd grade. It was a family of 4 who you followed around for the day getting to know them. After work, dad drops a bit of ash behind the couch and it eventually starts a fire. The boy dies immediately as he is on the top bunk and inhales smoke. The girl fails to stay low as she leaves the room and dies. The parents both somehow die trying to go after the kids. Only the dog survives. I was on the top bunk. I would't sleep there again after that film. Dad had to call the school. Do you know where to find this if anyone knows what it is? Hoping to rewatch it in order to give it less fear power.

Thanks,

Rebecca T

UNK SEZ: Thanks Rebecca! We've got you covered as we've been getting submissions on this notorious trauma inducer for YEARS and YEARS! Our beloved SENSKI was able to finally identify its title as "Another Man's Family" and reader SIMMINY eventually found it on YouTube HERE. Sadly a better quality version has yet to appear but we'll be keeping our eyes open and sound the alarm if it does. One thing's for sure, you're not bunking alone!

Hello, this is Kevin from HouseofMysteriousSecrets.com; my girlfriend is trying to track down the title of a movie she saw when she was a young teen. Below is her memory of it, do you think your team of experts might be able to figure out what this one is? Thanks!!!

Okay, so the one memory I have from a movie I cannot identify is something I saw on VHS when I was about nine years old. I probably only saw ten minutes before my mom flipped out and we went to bed. It was a man being beaten to death with a hammer. The killer was a fully visible older male (not a faceless stone cold killer). He was verbally mocking his victim while he was trying to run away. The setting was outside. I think in the scene they show them exiting a house into a back yard (?). The kill happens outdoors in daylight. I remember it being ultra violent compared to anything else I had seen at the time. It is very possible they showed the hammer to head impact. It was super low budget and grainy. Could be 80's but it didn't look like typical 80's slasher style, more exploitation gore. It was a memory that stuck with me because it was one of the first times after I started watching horror that I actually closed my eyes and had not wanted to watch. Also the fact that my mom was so upset by it.

Hmm… since I was nine years old and only watched ten minutes it isn't a very clear memory, many details could be inaccurate. If I get at least one significant detail correct someone might be able to figure out the movie based on that… if they take into consideration that my memory might be off or blended with a memory of another movie I had seen. I felt like there was some obvious exploitation element to it… like the killer was a preacher or the guy he killed was mentally challenged or something super disturbing.

A few years ago I had come across the film on youtube in a gore compilation video. Somehow I managed to lose the title of it. I remember it having a striking title that I would probably recognize if I came across it again (perhaps multiple word title). Also in my research of the film I found that it had a small fan base and at the time they were excited that there was word about it getting a DVD release; I'm uncertain if this ever happened. It also seemed that rest of the film was a pretty extreme gorefest so the film may be know for it's low budget practical efx. I since spent hours on youtube trying to locate clips and doing google searches and I have not yet been able to identify. Most likely this film is underground and very obscure. Hope someone can help. I'd be very impressed and curious to see how much of my description is accurate.

Hey! It's me again, Tenshi. Living above the clouds, wearing flamboyant clothing, and seeing everything through a child's mind is fun, but it can also lead to some nightmare fuel. Here's one I can't remember.

It had to be around the late ‘70s, early ‘80s (1977-1982?). There was some show – a cartoon, live-action TV, I just cannot remember – where they had a torture device. I think (and I only THINK) it might have been an anime of some sort. There were these people that had someone strapped down Clockwork Orange-style with a laser beam pointed directly at her. She struggled to escape, but she couldn't since she was trapped laying down on the operating table. Then the table ROTATED UPSIDE DOWN and she let out this EAR-SPLITTING SCREECH (similar to Suneo/Sneech's scream when he got put into a coma after eating Gian/Big G's horrible pizza in that Doraemon episode). The people laughed uproariously as they injected something into her, and the beam fired. There was dark piano music backing up the entire thing that made it scarier.

Good God. That traumatized me. I was terrified of operating tables for YEARS, well into the early ‘90s. Seeing the after mentioned Doraemon episode last week made me think of her scream when I heard Sneech screaming.

I remember the woman was in her late teens-early twenties (I think), had pink hair (that's what makes me think it was an anime), and wore a black minidress (again, I THINK). I only remember what she looked like and what the music sounded like. It's been in my head for thirtysomething years.

Please tell me what this was. I want to end my childhood trauma for once and for all.

Speaking to you from Bhrava-Agra,
Tenshi "MOMMY! EEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!" Hinawani.