Excellent work, YA. A solid framing for the larger investigation into exactly what the electronic media has been summoning, lo these many years. A couple of notes:
1. Though based on an old boomer comic that was likely consumed by many adolescents, the "Tales From the Crypt" series wasn't actually made or marketed for children. It was a cable exclusive show packed to the gills with profanity, nudity, sex and hardcore violence (I should know, being one of its inappropriately young fans at the time). But in the early-90's, something interesting happened. Which leads me to note #2.
2. Starting in the late 80's, R-rated films began to find their way onto toy shelves and TV cartoon blocks. I'm talking ultra-violent action schlock like "Rambo," "Aliens," and "Robocop" (still one of the most violent mainstream hits I've ever seen on the big screen). Then in '88, horror icon Freddy Krueger took a stab at network TV with "Freddy's Nightmares." It was another anthology in which, much like the Cryptkeeper, the monster played host to the stories, appearing only in comical bumper segments. Around the same time, this grotesque, demonic child-murderer-and-molester *also* began appearing on toy shelves...
What we saw in that era -- including with the Cryptkeeper's appearance in campaigns marketed to kids -- was a great crossover, and the attempt to graft violent and prurient adult tastes onto the undeveloped palates of the young. But perhaps that's a rabbit hole of a different kind, owing to our different ages.
That's why I'm looking forward to the rest of this series. Creepypasta is slightly out of my wheelhouse (I was aware of its existence, but was busy trying to build a career at the time). I think a dialogue between the millennials and the X'ers on these subjects will be very revealing, and help us develop the critical tools and weapons we'll need to fight and win the spiritual war.
Thanks for the input, Mark. I actually had no idea the Tales for the Crypt was for an older audience. I was aware it was broadcast on HBO, but so was Fraggle Rock, so I had always assumed it was part of their early attempts at children's programming. I probably should have looked more at it, but, knowing that now, I'm only more puzzled as to why the Crypt Keeper was wheeled out every Halloween on Kids WB when the show was A) never broadcast on the channel, to my knowledge, and, more importantly B) several years to damn near a decade after Tales from the Crypt ended its run. It looks like the character did star in an animated spin-off that was intended for children and toned down the graphic content, but, again - this was well before Kids WB was ever a thing.
I've also never connected how suspect it is that franchises like Rambo, Aliens, and RoboCop ended up as animated series and toys. RoboCop is definitely one of the most violent and lurid films of the era, but I see how the idea of a cop who's also a robot can be appealing to kids in the right light. Of course, they could have just made an original show about an original robot who is also a cop, but then it wouldn't have the easy brand recognition. And we know how Hollywood loves their easy brand recognition. It's easy to chalk it up to plain corporate greed but at the same time, with companies trying to cash in on the immense success of the Star Wars toyline (I've seen some videos on the Alien toyline, and if I remember correctly, it seems like the Kenner toy company was attempting to catch lightning in a bottle repeatedly with any IP they could secure), if it was that simple, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
That all being said, if you have anymore insight into the Gen X experience with these matters, I'd be interested in hearing them. There is something almost generationally tectonic about these things, by which I mean, you're describing one violent shift in the culture of children's media from your generation, I'm describing one in mine, and, if a representative of Gen Z were here, they might speak to the current shift that either happened or is happening with things like the explosion of "Mascot Horror" (Five Nights at Freddy's) and SCP-ization (the Backrooms) - they're all distinct, clearly defined, and constantly in this state of slow, gradual drifting from one to another, where one leads into the next, so on and so forth. Is it a similar phenomenon repeating with different generations as they come of age? Is it getting more severe with each iteration? How much of it is fueled by organic interest and creativity, and how much of it is driven by the calculations of a corporate boardroom or the YouTube algorithm? I'm not sure if there's definite answers to any of those questions, but I think they're important to consider.
Brilliant as usual. You've hit the nail on the head right here: "I think that a lot of the rampant sexual paraphilia we see in modernity stems from so many parent’s fear of educating their children - at an appropriate age, of course - on sex, both candidly and honestly." If kids can't see adults discussing and interpreting things like sex, death, scary stuff, etc., then for kids those parts of life become weird things that even the adults don't know about — and then the kids feel like they have to deal with those things completely on their own. As a parent I'm struggling through all of this myself, and I don't have any sure answers. I once caught my 12-year-old up at one in the morning reading about Slenderman online. I told her it was time to go to bed and put some parental controls on the computer. Now she's 15, and we were talking about the episode recently. She said "If you had talked with me about Slenderman during the day I wouldn't have had to read about him at night!" Fair point. I remember that "Scary Stories to tell in the Dark" book from my own childhood. Maybe I should hunt up a copy for my kids.
Thank you William, the kind words are appreciated. Honestly, I think you just very succinctly and very neatly summed up the entire essence of what I was saying yourself.
"If kids can't see adults discussing and interpreting things like sex, death, scary stuff, etc., then for kids those parts of life become weird things that even the adults don't know about" - not the entire point of the essay, but damn near it. For better or worse, I'm too verbose to ever distill a point down that clearly.
That being said, there really is a fine line between over and underparenting, isn't there? I don't have children of my own to speak from experience, but the careful balancing act between exposing them to certain things at appropriate ages and protecting them from decidedly age inappropriate material seems like a very difficult. You have to trust that they won't encounter these things while exploring on their own, because you can't hold their hand all the time, and can only hope that if they do, they're mature or smart enough to deal with it accordingly. It's one of the things that, as much as I'd like to have kids, makes me glad I don't have to deal with issues like that at the moment.
Also, apparently, they've re-released those books without the Stephen Gammell drawings, with new illustrations from Brett Helquist. On one hand, Helquist has a really great art style, but on the other hand... I can't imagine those stories pack as much of a punch without Gammell's nightmarish, surreal illustrations. They really did make those books.
Perhaps with less freakish drawings they might serve as a better introduction to horror for younger kids, without also bringing in the "I'm only going to have nightmares now" qualities.
I don't remember the original thread, but I do remember finding the video series Marble Hornets very shortly afterwards, which I don't remember starting just days after the original pictures were posted. It's all appeared increasingly bizarre the more I looked back at the whole thing.
Haha, you're really gonna dig the next part. I've done a lot of research on Slenderman and yeah, the Tall Man from Phantasm was one of the direct inspirations the creator of Slenderman quoted. The whole thing is an amagalm of tropes that have been around in pop culture and folklore for a long time, reimagined for a modern setting, I think. Really fascinating stuff to trace the lineage of the character like that, when, to the untrained eye of people like me when the character first appeared, seemed to original and new.
It's interesting seeing where our interests overlap.
One of those "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" books changed my sleeping patterns as a kid. Like, I couldn't sleep with my back to the door because the fucking -shadow people- might show up and I had to be ready to bail out.
Also, I had not yet heard of Elsagate, and now I feel like I'm plunging into a brand new level of hell. The internet must be destroyed.
Honestly? I always slept with my door locked for similar reasons. If anything was coming down the hallway, it wasn't getting into my room. I'd get so paranoid I'd literally push my bed in front of the door, just for extra security.
Also, don't even bother going down that rabbit hole. It's not worth it. I'm tempted to feature it in a future installment, but it's so revolting and weird that it just feels wrong to even look at, let alone research.
I never made the connection between Killer Klowns and a Hyakki Yagyo (which, to be fair, I didn't even know there was a proper name for, but I'm enough of a weeaboo to have seen the trope in various manga and anime before), but... I definitely see it. That being said, it is fascinating how universal clowns seem to be. I read something on the topic a while back that even gave examples of clown-like figures in various Native American cultures, not just in behavior and actions, but similar even in appearance. And if there is some connection with clowns and Nephilim or some other incorporeal and most likely sinister intelligences... really only makes me more convinced there's something not quite right with the "sexy clown" phenomenon.
I'll also put that on my list of things to read. It's not really "horror" per say but I've read books on the philosophy of horror and the psychology behind it before. Fascinating stuff.
Excellent work, YA. A solid framing for the larger investigation into exactly what the electronic media has been summoning, lo these many years. A couple of notes:
1. Though based on an old boomer comic that was likely consumed by many adolescents, the "Tales From the Crypt" series wasn't actually made or marketed for children. It was a cable exclusive show packed to the gills with profanity, nudity, sex and hardcore violence (I should know, being one of its inappropriately young fans at the time). But in the early-90's, something interesting happened. Which leads me to note #2.
2. Starting in the late 80's, R-rated films began to find their way onto toy shelves and TV cartoon blocks. I'm talking ultra-violent action schlock like "Rambo," "Aliens," and "Robocop" (still one of the most violent mainstream hits I've ever seen on the big screen). Then in '88, horror icon Freddy Krueger took a stab at network TV with "Freddy's Nightmares." It was another anthology in which, much like the Cryptkeeper, the monster played host to the stories, appearing only in comical bumper segments. Around the same time, this grotesque, demonic child-murderer-and-molester *also* began appearing on toy shelves...
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/21744010673507064/
He even had one of those 1-900 "Hotline" numbers that gave parents actual (financial) nightmares...
https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3370320/what-happened-when-you-called-freddy-kruegers-hotline/
What we saw in that era -- including with the Cryptkeeper's appearance in campaigns marketed to kids -- was a great crossover, and the attempt to graft violent and prurient adult tastes onto the undeveloped palates of the young. But perhaps that's a rabbit hole of a different kind, owing to our different ages.
That's why I'm looking forward to the rest of this series. Creepypasta is slightly out of my wheelhouse (I was aware of its existence, but was busy trying to build a career at the time). I think a dialogue between the millennials and the X'ers on these subjects will be very revealing, and help us develop the critical tools and weapons we'll need to fight and win the spiritual war.
Thanks for the input, Mark. I actually had no idea the Tales for the Crypt was for an older audience. I was aware it was broadcast on HBO, but so was Fraggle Rock, so I had always assumed it was part of their early attempts at children's programming. I probably should have looked more at it, but, knowing that now, I'm only more puzzled as to why the Crypt Keeper was wheeled out every Halloween on Kids WB when the show was A) never broadcast on the channel, to my knowledge, and, more importantly B) several years to damn near a decade after Tales from the Crypt ended its run. It looks like the character did star in an animated spin-off that was intended for children and toned down the graphic content, but, again - this was well before Kids WB was ever a thing.
I've also never connected how suspect it is that franchises like Rambo, Aliens, and RoboCop ended up as animated series and toys. RoboCop is definitely one of the most violent and lurid films of the era, but I see how the idea of a cop who's also a robot can be appealing to kids in the right light. Of course, they could have just made an original show about an original robot who is also a cop, but then it wouldn't have the easy brand recognition. And we know how Hollywood loves their easy brand recognition. It's easy to chalk it up to plain corporate greed but at the same time, with companies trying to cash in on the immense success of the Star Wars toyline (I've seen some videos on the Alien toyline, and if I remember correctly, it seems like the Kenner toy company was attempting to catch lightning in a bottle repeatedly with any IP they could secure), if it was that simple, we wouldn't be having this conversation.
That all being said, if you have anymore insight into the Gen X experience with these matters, I'd be interested in hearing them. There is something almost generationally tectonic about these things, by which I mean, you're describing one violent shift in the culture of children's media from your generation, I'm describing one in mine, and, if a representative of Gen Z were here, they might speak to the current shift that either happened or is happening with things like the explosion of "Mascot Horror" (Five Nights at Freddy's) and SCP-ization (the Backrooms) - they're all distinct, clearly defined, and constantly in this state of slow, gradual drifting from one to another, where one leads into the next, so on and so forth. Is it a similar phenomenon repeating with different generations as they come of age? Is it getting more severe with each iteration? How much of it is fueled by organic interest and creativity, and how much of it is driven by the calculations of a corporate boardroom or the YouTube algorithm? I'm not sure if there's definite answers to any of those questions, but I think they're important to consider.
Brilliant as usual. You've hit the nail on the head right here: "I think that a lot of the rampant sexual paraphilia we see in modernity stems from so many parent’s fear of educating their children - at an appropriate age, of course - on sex, both candidly and honestly." If kids can't see adults discussing and interpreting things like sex, death, scary stuff, etc., then for kids those parts of life become weird things that even the adults don't know about — and then the kids feel like they have to deal with those things completely on their own. As a parent I'm struggling through all of this myself, and I don't have any sure answers. I once caught my 12-year-old up at one in the morning reading about Slenderman online. I told her it was time to go to bed and put some parental controls on the computer. Now she's 15, and we were talking about the episode recently. She said "If you had talked with me about Slenderman during the day I wouldn't have had to read about him at night!" Fair point. I remember that "Scary Stories to tell in the Dark" book from my own childhood. Maybe I should hunt up a copy for my kids.
Thank you William, the kind words are appreciated. Honestly, I think you just very succinctly and very neatly summed up the entire essence of what I was saying yourself.
"If kids can't see adults discussing and interpreting things like sex, death, scary stuff, etc., then for kids those parts of life become weird things that even the adults don't know about" - not the entire point of the essay, but damn near it. For better or worse, I'm too verbose to ever distill a point down that clearly.
That being said, there really is a fine line between over and underparenting, isn't there? I don't have children of my own to speak from experience, but the careful balancing act between exposing them to certain things at appropriate ages and protecting them from decidedly age inappropriate material seems like a very difficult. You have to trust that they won't encounter these things while exploring on their own, because you can't hold their hand all the time, and can only hope that if they do, they're mature or smart enough to deal with it accordingly. It's one of the things that, as much as I'd like to have kids, makes me glad I don't have to deal with issues like that at the moment.
Also, apparently, they've re-released those books without the Stephen Gammell drawings, with new illustrations from Brett Helquist. On one hand, Helquist has a really great art style, but on the other hand... I can't imagine those stories pack as much of a punch without Gammell's nightmarish, surreal illustrations. They really did make those books.
Perhaps with less freakish drawings they might serve as a better introduction to horror for younger kids, without also bringing in the "I'm only going to have nightmares now" qualities.
When you put it that way, maybe it's a bit of an improvement!
I don't remember the original thread, but I do remember finding the video series Marble Hornets very shortly afterwards, which I don't remember starting just days after the original pictures were posted. It's all appeared increasingly bizarre the more I looked back at the whole thing.
Haha, you're really gonna dig the next part. I've done a lot of research on Slenderman and yeah, the Tall Man from Phantasm was one of the direct inspirations the creator of Slenderman quoted. The whole thing is an amagalm of tropes that have been around in pop culture and folklore for a long time, reimagined for a modern setting, I think. Really fascinating stuff to trace the lineage of the character like that, when, to the untrained eye of people like me when the character first appeared, seemed to original and new.
It's interesting seeing where our interests overlap.
One of those "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" books changed my sleeping patterns as a kid. Like, I couldn't sleep with my back to the door because the fucking -shadow people- might show up and I had to be ready to bail out.
Also, I had not yet heard of Elsagate, and now I feel like I'm plunging into a brand new level of hell. The internet must be destroyed.
Honestly? I always slept with my door locked for similar reasons. If anything was coming down the hallway, it wasn't getting into my room. I'd get so paranoid I'd literally push my bed in front of the door, just for extra security.
Also, don't even bother going down that rabbit hole. It's not worth it. I'm tempted to feature it in a future installment, but it's so revolting and weird that it just feels wrong to even look at, let alone research.
Agreed on Elsagate. You can post it, but I won't read it.
I never made the connection between Killer Klowns and a Hyakki Yagyo (which, to be fair, I didn't even know there was a proper name for, but I'm enough of a weeaboo to have seen the trope in various manga and anime before), but... I definitely see it. That being said, it is fascinating how universal clowns seem to be. I read something on the topic a while back that even gave examples of clown-like figures in various Native American cultures, not just in behavior and actions, but similar even in appearance. And if there is some connection with clowns and Nephilim or some other incorporeal and most likely sinister intelligences... really only makes me more convinced there's something not quite right with the "sexy clown" phenomenon.
I'll also put that on my list of things to read. It's not really "horror" per say but I've read books on the philosophy of horror and the psychology behind it before. Fascinating stuff.