Scary Kid Stuff (with pictures!)
Paul the Spud at Shakespeare’s Sister asks the question “What creeped you out as a kid?” Here are my answers, many of which were from TV shows that I probably shouldn’t have been watching.
1. The Star Trek episode “Miri” where the crew beams down to a planet that at first seems deserted. But they soon find out it’s occupied only by children, because a strange leprosy-like disease attacks adults and kills them. The crew gets the disease, and has to find a cure. I still vividly remember the disease was like a strange blue-green mold growing on the crew — gross!
I couldn’t find the image that sticks out in my head – Kirk pulls back his sleeve and he’s got blue mold on his forearm. Ugh.
2. The Space 1999 episode “The Dragon’s Domain” – There’s a creepy-ass octopus-like monster with a glowing eye that sucks the characters in and spits back out their mutilated corpses. Until I started searching for it just now, I had no idea what the show or episode was. I found it by searching for “space creature glowing eye tentacles.”
Shudder. I’m going to have dreams about that. I had nightmares about this thing for YEARS.
2. The Towering Inferno — which we weren’t supposed to watch on TV, because we were too young, but the babysitter let us stay up. I don’t remember a thing about the movie, but I’ve hated disaster movies ever since.
Hmm. Why do I suspect this is a movie that will never get a remake?
3. The Wicked Witch popping into Munchkinland. (Although this was also my favorite part, because Dorothy backs up and Glinda puts her arms around her to protect her from the witch. “Rubbish. You have no power here! Begone, before someone drops a house on you, too!” Sigh.) Unlike some of the comments from other people, I was never scared of the flying monkeys, cause I thought they were prisoners. I was afraid of the castle guards. Apparently the witch surprise is pretty universal — my aunt Rosemary ran out of the theater and refused to see the rest of the movie.
Completely an excuse to post another picture of Glinda.
4. The original Twilight Zone episode “It’s a Good Life” – the creepy kid who can make any of his wishes come true — I vividly remember the image of his sister, who had no mouth.
I looked for a picture of that, but couldn’t find one, so here’s a picture of a flying monkey instead. I love their little cape/jackets. (2021 Update – found a pic. Still creepy.)
