Monday, September 5, 2011

The '60's, the 70's and the Crappy, but Fantastical, Made-For-TV Movies


 Look, it's not like I've ever made a movie, so who am I to judge?  Still, I think it's fair to say that the made-for-tv movies of the 60's and 70's were kind of a cheese-ball fest. It's hard to take anyone wearing that much polyester seriously. On the other hand, whether you first saw these movies in reruns, or caught them on a first run back in the day, your childhood memory was indelibly imprinted with what might have been your first SCARY image ( and I am not referring to powder blue pants, although, obviously those send a shudder up your spine). Which brings me to this weekend.

I finally broke down and bought a new computer. Horrible experience. However, the newfound ease of watching videos, movies, and tv, without annoying stalls and buffering, makes it all worthwhile. So, I hit You Tube for some childhood reminiscence.

Picture Mommy Dead

Is that a great movie title or what?
Imprinted image from the movie: Some vague scary picture of a fancy house, a dead lady, a fire, and a grossly creepy song.
Memory of my childhood: Teaching said song to my little sister, and singing said song during a lengthy car ride with my parents. The worms crawl in the worms crawl out , through your stomach and out your mouth.
Until my mom said, "That's enough. Sing something else."

"Mommy" was portrayed by Zsa Zsa Gabor, which should tell you something right there. Something awesome, DUH.  As corny as it was, that movie made a big impression on me. It seems that, as a kid, most of my favorite movies were the ones that kind of got me spooked.

On the plus side with this film, it did not have one of those tv-movie endings which clearly identified the good guy and left things appropriately resolved.  It remained unnerving from start to finish.

Last night at midnight, I called my sister to sing to her. She was alone in a hotel room. Too perfect. She said something about us having watched things we shouldn't have been watching at that age. I disagree. Those scary stories were fun. Not much different than telling scary stories by the campfire. Not all kids enjoy being a little scared. Some kids get too scared. But for some of us? Goosebumps=Goodtimes.

Check out Crowhaven Farm. Features a super-creepy kid. Really. 



2 comments:

  1. Never experienced that, growing up in the Philippines of the 1960s. What I did, however, was equivalently great -- horror dramas on the radio! I think that's an even more effective medium with which to scare impressionable young minds... since a lot of the work is in your mind after all, and not looking at moving images. And THAT's a scarier place. haha

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    1. Agreed. I remember Stevie and I sitting in the dark and listening to a spooky radio show program she'd come across while at Davis. Fun stuff!

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