kindertrauma

Name That Trauma :: Reader Karol L. on a Nail in a Noggin

Posted on By aunt john

Hey there,

I remember watching some B-horror flick when I was little and I can't for the life of me remember the title or much of the plot. I remember two scenes however:

The first one involved a young couple camping somewhere at night, messing around, playing hide-and-seek (possibly near a lake?) The chick runs off to hide in some shed, but there's something in there that drives a huge nail through her head.

The second scene I remember was some CCTV footage from a security camera in a hospital, where this creature walked between the staff yet nobody seemed to notice it.

Any ideas?

KAROL LASIA

UNK SEZ:: Karol, I'm not completely sure about this but the first scene you describe sounds a lot like 1981's THE INCUBUS. If memory serves there is a young couple hanging out by a quarry and at some point they hide from each other in a shed. I think the guy ends up with the nail in his head though. I don't recall the CCV bit so I might be wrong. If anyone has another idea let us know!

Name That Trauma :: Reader Paul B. on Ghastly Golden Girls

Posted on By aunt john

Hi there,

Wondering if you could help me identify a film that's been haunting me since I was a kid. This must have been the mid-‘70s and I saw a trailer and movie poster for a film that involved a bunch of seniors living in a house who killed people. All I remember is the trailer announcer saying, "There's nothing wrong with this house… it's the people in the house…"

The poster I think had some seniors on it and a woman's leg sticking out of a grocery bag. Oh – also – in the trailer, there's two old people standing next to a young woman with a bag over her head who is sitting on a building roof ledge and they push her off.

I've searched the internet forever and can't find hide no hair of what this film was and it bugs the hell out of me.

Anyway – thanks for the great site and wonderful memories.

— Paul

UNK SEZ: Paul, let me put an end to your agony as quickly as possible. We've gotten a "Name That Trauma" on that movie before (HERE)! You must be talking about 1974's HOMEBODIES! Check out the trailer (in Spanish) below!

Name That Trauma :: Reader Adam N. on a Horrifying Halloween LP

Posted on By aunt john

Hey Kindertrauma, this is Adam N. wanting to share a creepy memory from the bygone days of the late ‘70s.

Someone in my family (definitely not my Mom or Dad – likely a crazy AUNT!) bought my siblings and me a horror sound effects record that we listened to with abandon. This was likely around 1977-78, when I'd have been 7 or 8 years old, the oldest of the rugrats. We'd turn all the lights off, put a sheet over the dining room table, pile underneath and listen to this intensely creepy record.

Here's where my memory and reality might diverge. See, I remember this record being not a collection of sound effects strung together semi-randomly but long SOUNDSCAPES that, through only sounds and no dialog, really told simple, ultra creepy journeys through horror. The one I can almost still hear was called (something like) "The Haunted House."

You heard footsteps on a sidewalk, wind in the trees, then a shutter banging on a house in the near distance. Footsteps continue. A gate creaks open, and the sound of footsteps on old wooden stairs. Door opening with a deafening creak, then BANG! It's shut and the wind is gone.

I remember this tinkling sound, like wind through broken glass and maybe the sound of a GHOSTLY CHILD crying. It went on, the listener following these footsteps through this haunted house until it ended with – I dunno, must have been shrieks of terror or something. I can't remember.

In the past few days I've been searching for it, and thought I found it – an A&M record from 1977 called "Halloween Horrors" but when I listened to it on Amazon, it didn't seem right.

I would love to listen to it again to see if this horrific audio triptych still holds up!

Traumafessions :: Reader Ariel on Are You Afraid of the Dark? ep. "The Tale of the Crimson Clown"

Posted on By aunt john

Okay, so I have a fear of clown dolls. Not clowns (I respect that some of them may actually be funny), but clown DOLLS. I blame ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?

I never watched this show as a kid, but my older brother did. One evening, I thought I'd be brave and watch an episode with him. Turns out I should have went to bed instead. The episode in question is called "The Tale of the Crimson Clown," and it has terrified me ever since I saw it as a child.

The episode starts with two brothers trying to find a present for their mom's birthday. The younger brother (Sam) is a snot-nosed brat who bumps into people without apologizing and steals money from his older brother (Mike) to spend on a video game. In the store, they both see a creepy clown doll. Mike tells Sam to smarten up or…or…or the Crimson Clown will come get him! He just scoffs and heads out to get into more trouble.

When they get home, Sam goes up to his room to find the creepy clown doll sitting on his desk! He calls Mike in, but the clown has disappeared. As they head down to dinner, and with the strings section screeching in the background, the camera pans under the bed to see the clown doll there, complete with glowing eyes and maniacal laughter.

I just about wet my pants.

I screamed and my brother being the kind soul he is, switched the channel. After that, I never watched another episode of that show. I had a clown doll that I used to love and think it was so pretty. I chucked it in my closet and closed the door (because monsters are trapped in closets if the door is closed) determined never to look at it again. Years later I was able to display it in my room, but it definitely was NOT my favourite doll.

Just recently, I watched that episode again just to find out what happens in the end. Well lo and behold, there is a terrifying dream sequence in which the clown ties Sam up, moves around under his covers, and disappears when Sam gets free and pulls back the sheets. Sam tries to get away and warn his brother, but instead of Mike being in the bed, it's the clown and his head blows up like a balloon and explodes scattering glitter everywhere. The clown is at the window and the door, and Sam can't get away, so he cowers in bed. Then he wakes up and he's learned his lesson and the mom gets a wonderful present for her birthday.

Years later (and knowing what to expect) I still freaked out when the camera panned under the bed… I am so going to have nightmares tonight.

Cheers,

Ariel