Friday, April 13, 2007

Monster Madness

As a child, I loved scary movies. I loved being scared. From the time I was in pre-school, I would sit on my father’s lap (for protection) and watch New York's Chiller Theatre on Channel 11 and Creature Feature on Channel 5. I loved those old horror movies.

My big brother would watch too, from the safety of the area behind the couch.

Chiller Theater began with a claymation hand rising up out of a swamp. I remember my father saying to me, “You know there are six fingers on that hand?”

“Really???”

“Yup, count ‘em.”

So every time that show came on, I would count the fingers. He was right. And somehow, knowing that the hand had six fingers made it all the more creepy.

Here’s a link to the video on youtube: Chiller Theater

The only thing missing is the creepy voice that says “CHILLERRRRR!” after the hand gobbles up all the letters. It set just the right tone for the start of the “monster movies,” as I use to call them.

Sometimes we watched the movies while eating Swanson’s TV Dinners. Being able to eat in the living room was such a treat! My mother would get out the tray tables, and we would have Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, peas and carrots and a gooey dessert out of little crinkly tin trays. What fun!

Then my mother would pop some popcorn in a pot on the stove, shaking it the whole time so it didn’t burn. Later they came out with popcorn machines that turned the kernels and the oil for you. Microwave popcorn wasn’t around yet. Actually, neither were microwaves.

So with our TV dinners and our popcorn, we would sit on the couch, watching our little black and white television. We would eventually upgrade to a big console color television by the late 70’s. But of course, for those old black and white movies it didn’t really matter so much.

I remember watching the The Blob, The Crawling Hand, and Day of the Triffids, which was about an alien plant race I think. Monster movies like Godzilla, King Kong, and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.

And those abnormally large critter flicks like the one with the giant ants, or the one with the gargantuan spider.

That one with the spider haunted me, because just as the massive monster arrived in the town, and started crushing houses with each step of his giant spider legs, our antenna went out and the television screen went to gray noise. So I never knew if they got him or not. That made me feel quite unsettled. He could still be out there, you know.

But it wasn’t just the monster movies. I also loved The Twilight Zone. And ghost stories. And the Nancy Drew mysteries that had phantoms or haunted castles.

Even the comedy creature features like Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein. I liked Abbott and Costello to begin with – throw in a monster and I was enthralled.

Same with Bugs Bunny cartoons. My two favorites of all time were the ones with the evil scientist and Gossamer in the big castle.

I used to go around quoting the line, "Did you ever have the feeling you were being watched?" from Hare Raising Rabbit.

And I just loved the idea of vanishing cream in Water Water Every Hare, and that slow motion chase when the evil scientist and Bugs are both floating high on ether: “Coooooome baaaaack raaaaaabit.”

My favorite TV show was Land of the Lost.

I ate Frankenberry and Boo Berry cereals. My brother ate Count Chocula.

My favorite ride at Disney World (at age 7) was the Haunted Mansion.

I even favored monster vitamins.


As I entered my pre-teen and teenage years, I still had a love of horror films: The Howling, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween.

The Exorcist. Scariest movie ever.

The Shining. Well, that runs a close second for me. It's not just the bloody stuff - it's the creepy stuff. It's the freaky little twins. Man, they were creepy.

Even Salem’s Lot scared the heck out of me. I can vividly recall the vampire nightmare I had, with a little child vampire floating outside my window, tapping on the glass for me to let him in.

Once I became a mom, horror movies lost their appeal. I don’t like to be scared anymore – real life can be scary enough. I don’t like to see blood and guts. I turn my head away at yucky scenes, or change the channel, or even leave the movie theater.

But then again, those old movies were different. They were more about the suspense than the gore.

I wouldn’t mind munching on a bowl of Frankenberry cereal and catching Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy.

Or one of those Bugs Bunny cartoons with Gossamer.

Actually, that sounds like the makings of a good Saturday morning.



Happy Friday the 13th!

18 comments:

Nikki Neurotic said...

Hey, did you hear that there's a Nancy Drew movie coming out this summer?

I don't care much for scary movies...though I like reading horror books on occassion. Strange.

Scott from Oregon said...

Holy Crap! You are as old as I am!

My brother and I watched all of those old black and whites on a little B and w tv we had in his room when we were supposed to be sleeping.

The Exorcist and the original The Omen.

Scawy...

Tammie Jean said...

Hi Silverneurotic! No, I didn’t hear about the movie - very interesting! I’ve never read a horror book, and I don’t like horror movies anymore, so I look back in wonder at how much I used to like them.

Hi Scott! LOL, as old as you, huh? That made me laugh out loud! I'll be 37 next month... totally a child of the 70's. Oh, I forgot about the original Omen. I had nightmares about that too!

robkroese said...

I love that Bugs Bunny cartoon.

I actually read the book on which Day of the Triffids was based. It was called, uh, Day of the Triffids. Never saw the movie, but it was actually quite a good book. It was about this meteor shower that made everyone blind and then these alien plants started taking over. Creepy.

Tammie Jean said...

Hi Diesel!
I didn't know the Triffids movie was based on a book. And I haven't seen the movie since I was very young, but it must have made an impression on me since I still remember it.
So you're a fellow Bugs Bunny fan? Cool :)

Scott from Oregon said...

Holy Crap! I am way older than you!

Kiyotoe said...

wow, you took me back with the Franken berry cereal. Mom would NEVER let me get that kind of cereal.

I was the classic little boy hen it came to horror movies. I would beg and beg my dad to let me watch them, promising not to be too afraid to go to bed and just like clockwork, when bedtime came around, I would beg again, but this time, i was begging to sleep with my parents.

But now I'm okay. ;)

Tammie Jean said...

Hi Scott! Way older? You don't look it ;)

Hi Kiyotoe! No Frankenberry??? What about Captain Crunch?
Yes, I remember making those promises too. "It will go you nightmares," they'd say. "No it won't!" (yes it did, but I still loved it).

Travis Cody said...

I was never a fan of scary movies. I think it comes from peeking around the corner as a child while my mom or gran was watching Dark Shadows.

But I do remember Land of the Lost...and thank you very much, now I have the theme song from that show in my head. That's gonna stick.

Jeff Roberts said...

Good Stuff! Used to watch Dark Shadows with my mom, and those old horror movies on Sunday afternoons. And I could hear Night Stalker from bed when Mom & Dad watched it. But I never liked the REALLY scary stuff like "It's Alive" - we used to creep each other out just talking about that one but none of us ever saw it. Later I saw Nightmare on Elm Street and that's about the only slasher movie I ever sorta liked.

Land of the Lost! Bwahahaha! Sa-leesa-taka! Sa-leesa-taka!

JHS, Esq. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
JHS, Esq. said...

Congratulations! Your post from February 7th has been selected as our “Post of the Day” on “The Rising Blogger”. It is a brand new site that awards posts, not blogs.

To receive your badge and more info see your comments for that date! Our URL is http://therisingblogger.com

Thanks!

Judd

Frank Marcopolos said...

some of those pics are hysterical.

Tammie Jean said...

Hi Travis! How are you? I hope the move is going well :)
LOL I forgot about the Land of the Lost theme song. Now that you've mentioned it, and I thought about it, it's stuck in my head too!


Hi Jeff! I only saw parts of Nightmare on Elm Street. I think that was out during the time I was starting to dislike being scared. The whole dream thing is really creepy too. Did you ever see Dreamscape? It was only PG-13, but that one creeped me out too. Darn two-headed dog...


Hi Judd! Nice to meet you :) And thank you very much for the consideration and recognition - I appreciate it! I'll come check out your site and be in touch...


Hi Brooklyn Frank! LOL glad you like the pics. I've been loving your tales of a "Brooklyn Smallshot" and I'll be stopping by to check out Monday's installment...

Erica Ann Putis said...

Oh my god - the Twilight Zone where there is a monster under the bed who will eat you if you leave your hand or leg hanging over the edge... I still make sure my extremities are all wrapped up tightly to me before falling asleep. Haha...

Tammie Jean said...

Hi Erica! LOL I think I must have seen that one too. I never let anything dangle off the bed...

velvet said...

Oh, memories! Land of the Lost was a fave, anything on the Bugs Bunny Road Runner show, but I loved Hare Raising Rabbit, too. And the Omen and The Shining... gotta love it!

What a, um, "monsterous childhood", in only the best of ways! ;)

Tammie Jean said...

Hi Velvet! Hee hee... monsterous child! It's funny - I don't know where the obsession originated, and I definitely outgrew it. I wonder if those old shows would be as good if we saw them now?