Stay and play with me ... forever ...
March 5, 2011 11:19 AM Subscribe
Spanish TV hidden camera prank with a fun twist -- Place a creepy, ghostly little girl in a hotel hallway.
Housekeeping's reaction is priceless.
Housekeeping's reaction is priceless.
Hello Danny. Come and play with us. Come and play with us, Danny. Forever... and ever... and ever.
posted by not_on_display at 11:29 AM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by not_on_display at 11:29 AM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
Housekeeping was just "Damnit, another spectral demon, if you throw any ectoplasm around I will fucking kill you again."
posted by The Whelk at 11:31 AM on March 5, 2011 [51 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 11:31 AM on March 5, 2011 [51 favorites]
I get the exact same reaction when I run into people in broad daylight, is that wrong?
posted by dbiedny at 11:33 AM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by dbiedny at 11:33 AM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
Also, the girl at the end has clearly seen enough movies to go "Unspeakable evil? CHARGE IT!"
posted by The Whelk at 11:33 AM on March 5, 2011 [18 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 11:33 AM on March 5, 2011 [18 favorites]
I thought it was hilarious until the last person ran towards the girl, which made me realize this is actually a pretty dangerous thing to do with a child.
posted by brain_drain at 11:34 AM on March 5, 2011
posted by brain_drain at 11:34 AM on March 5, 2011
I'm pretty sure my reaction would have been, "Honey, what are you doing here? Are you lost? Where's your mom and dad?"
posted by orange swan at 11:35 AM on March 5, 2011 [14 favorites]
posted by orange swan at 11:35 AM on March 5, 2011 [14 favorites]
I'm pretty sure my reaction would have been, "Honey, what are you doing here? Are you lost? Where's your mom and dad?"
Me too but it would have come out like "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHFUUUUUUCCKK WHAT IS THAT SHIT WHAT HOLY FUCK SHIT"
posted by ORthey at 11:37 AM on March 5, 2011 [39 favorites]
Me too but it would have come out like "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHFUUUUUUCCKK WHAT IS THAT SHIT WHAT HOLY FUCK SHIT"
posted by ORthey at 11:37 AM on March 5, 2011 [39 favorites]
wait wait wait, this is something where the actual solution to the situation is:
Ghostbusters.
posted by The Whelk at 11:39 AM on March 5, 2011 [7 favorites]
Ghostbusters.
posted by The Whelk at 11:39 AM on March 5, 2011 [7 favorites]
orange swan: yeah, I had the thought that the reaction people have is pretty much determined by what movies they've seen in the last decade or so (some examples may be earlier, I'm not sure). A small girl clad in white being considered creepy is rather new, at least outside Japan.
posted by lifeless at 11:39 AM on March 5, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by lifeless at 11:39 AM on March 5, 2011 [5 favorites]
Oh man, I would have loved to have played that little girl when I was a kid.
posted by Countess Elena at 11:41 AM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 11:41 AM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
Holy crow, that little girl is going to experience nightmares from that woman charging her in the hallway! Poor thing. I'm glad her mom jumped right out there to comfort her.
posted by jeanmari at 11:45 AM on March 5, 2011
posted by jeanmari at 11:45 AM on March 5, 2011
"It's a supernatural hell-child from the netherworld come to wreak vengeance on the living, and it's freaking me out a little. I can probably avoid its infernal wrath by sort of edging around it."
posted by mph at 11:50 AM on March 5, 2011 [90 favorites]
posted by mph at 11:50 AM on March 5, 2011 [90 favorites]
Needs more tricycle.
posted by phaedon at 11:56 AM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by phaedon at 11:56 AM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
So weird. I would have just gone "Woah. You look like the girl out of 'The Ring'! Why the hell are you standing in the corridor? Do you need any help, kid?"
People are so stupid.
posted by Decani at 12:02 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
People are so stupid.
posted by Decani at 12:02 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
those people don't get to be in edited compilations.
posted by The Whelk at 12:06 PM on March 5, 2011 [27 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 12:06 PM on March 5, 2011 [27 favorites]
That video is hyterical! Let's get some grant money to subsidize little girls just like that one to hang out in airports, airports and bus-stations across the country, just so we can shoot video of people flipping out when they see her.
I'm typically against reality tv, but I'd watch that for a half-hour or so.
(I miss Sadako -- DreamWorks and Verbinski really dropped the ball on that entire franchise.)
posted by vhsiv at 12:06 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm typically against reality tv, but I'd watch that for a half-hour or so.
(I miss Sadako -- DreamWorks and Verbinski really dropped the ball on that entire franchise.)
posted by vhsiv at 12:06 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
So weird. I would have just gone "Woah. You look like the girl out of 'The Ring'! Why the hell are you standing in the corridor? Do you need any help, kid?"
For some reason, I read this in a Mark-Wahlberg-talks-to-animals voice.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:15 PM on March 5, 2011 [37 favorites]
For some reason, I read this in a Mark-Wahlberg-talks-to-animals voice.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:15 PM on March 5, 2011 [37 favorites]
Honestly, I was really bothered by the fact that none of these people showed any concern for the kid's well-being.
posted by orange swan at 12:16 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by orange swan at 12:16 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Honestly, I was really bothered by the fact that none of these people showed any concern for the kid's well-being.
I'm sure some people did. It's an edited bit. They included the funny parts.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:23 PM on March 5, 2011 [6 favorites]
I'm sure some people did. It's an edited bit. They included the funny parts.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:23 PM on March 5, 2011 [6 favorites]
Honestly, isn't this "little girls standing perfectly still are scary" trope worn out by now? I'm surprised they didn't have her very slowly sing a perfectly innocuous nursery rhyme, too, though maybe their legal department nixed it out of fear of fatal heart attacks. Of course, we live in an age where there are discussion forums for people to talk about how the 1971 PBS logo interstitial traumatized them for life. Sheeesh.
I'll take motionless little girls over Karen Black being chased by a Zuni fetish doll with a knife any damn day.
posted by sonascope at 12:26 PM on March 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
I'll take motionless little girls over Karen Black being chased by a Zuni fetish doll with a knife any damn day.
posted by sonascope at 12:26 PM on March 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
I thought it was hilarious until the last person ran towards the girl, which made me realize this is actually a pretty dangerous thing to do with a child.
Yeah, I thought so too, but the fact that two adults immediately came out when that lady started screaming made me feel better about it. The girl knew she had some support.
posted by spiderskull at 12:30 PM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
Yeah, I thought so too, but the fact that two adults immediately came out when that lady started screaming made me feel better about it. The girl knew she had some support.
posted by spiderskull at 12:30 PM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
I'm sad that I never got to do this when I was a kid.
posted by cmyk at 12:42 PM on March 5, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by cmyk at 12:42 PM on March 5, 2011 [6 favorites]
Honestly, isn't this "little girls standing perfectly still are scary" trope worn out by now?
The problem is that they might start crawling toward you in a series of super-speed lurches at any moment.
posted by CaseyB at 12:55 PM on March 5, 2011 [7 favorites]
The problem is that they might start crawling toward you in a series of super-speed lurches at any moment.
posted by CaseyB at 12:55 PM on March 5, 2011 [7 favorites]
How many of those people were blind stinking drunk?
Because seriously, that would be the only excuse.
posted by winna at 12:57 PM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
Because seriously, that would be the only excuse.
posted by winna at 12:57 PM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
For some reason, I read this in a Mark-Wahlberg-talks-to-animals voice.
Hey kid, we should do a movie. Like the ring, huh kid? You see that movie? Ok. Say hi to your mother for me.
posted by nzero at 1:02 PM on March 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
Hey kid, we should do a movie. Like the ring, huh kid? You see that movie? Ok. Say hi to your mother for me.
posted by nzero at 1:02 PM on March 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
When you have ghost problems, call the custodial staff. Battle hardened - they've seen it all.
posted by Xezlec at 1:03 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Xezlec at 1:03 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
I came here to post the same video as doublehappy. If you think it's just more of the same, be sure to watch to the end.
I know one person who wasn't concerned for the child's safety...the child herself! Ask as many kids as you can find if they'd enjoy being dressed up like a ghost and scaring the bejesus out of random adults, and I guarantee you 100% of them are going to say "LET'S DO THIS" and 0% will say "Is that safe?"
posted by Ian A.T. at 1:12 PM on March 5, 2011 [18 favorites]
I know one person who wasn't concerned for the child's safety...the child herself! Ask as many kids as you can find if they'd enjoy being dressed up like a ghost and scaring the bejesus out of random adults, and I guarantee you 100% of them are going to say "LET'S DO THIS" and 0% will say "Is that safe?"
posted by Ian A.T. at 1:12 PM on March 5, 2011 [18 favorites]
How many of those people were blind stinking drunk?
Because seriously, that would be the only excuse.
I could easily do the same thing we see people do in some of these clips: turn the corner, jump and gasp with surprise --- not so much the OH NOES TERROR of the supposed apparition, just the small surprise of seeing an unexpectedly small figure standing unexpectedly stark-still in an unexpected place.
And then I'd laugh at myself for a split second* before asking if she's okay, is she lost, does she need help finding her parents? And I suspect that some or most of these people did, too, but that portion was edited out. All we really see is them jumping a bit, then a cut.
But that one person screaming and charging down the hall? That's just weird, weird enough to make it by far the scariest thing on the tape.
*On the other hand, if I had just spent the evening watching or reading ghost stories, I might need a minute to compose myself before making sure she was okay.
posted by Elsa at 1:31 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
This prank also needs the hall lights going out sequentially toward the victim.
posted by crapmatic at 1:38 PM on March 5, 2011 [12 favorites]
posted by crapmatic at 1:38 PM on March 5, 2011 [12 favorites]
That video was actually cuter and more fun than I expected it to be (except for the screaming charging lady at the end). The little girl seems to be enjoying herself.
"Scary girl with long hair hiding her face in a white nightgown" was almost my Halloween costume one year. I no longer have the right hair for it, though.
posted by darksong at 1:54 PM on March 5, 2011
"Scary girl with long hair hiding her face in a white nightgown" was almost my Halloween costume one year. I no longer have the right hair for it, though.
posted by darksong at 1:54 PM on March 5, 2011
gold with rubies and fat sapphire. This is why i love, this is why. THIS Papa, is clavs worst nightmare, yes, those twins scare me and i cannot watch that movie alone to this day and clowns are good with me. That and "lets scare jessica to death". OMG. dropping acid and Pryors' 'LOTSSS' then watching 'Poltergiest' circa 1983 is a close second to THE TWINS. (Ms. clav once made a copy of the twins and put it on the back door with duct tape, so folks, you get avenged daily)
as to this prank, This gabacho loco approves and the house cleaning gal. She is thinking "why, why should I... Ok on we go..."
thanks for a hellava laugh sir.
posted by clavdivs at 1:55 PM on March 5, 2011
as to this prank, This gabacho loco approves and the house cleaning gal. She is thinking "why, why should I... Ok on we go..."
thanks for a hellava laugh sir.
posted by clavdivs at 1:55 PM on March 5, 2011
I was reading somewhere that we like stories because they let us practice or learn how to manage diverse experiences safely, through empathy, without the mucky muck of actually experiencing them.
The child ghost is a gorgeous manifestation of human anxieties about mortality and legacy. The stories teach us to be afraid of unresolved guilt and fear, but the object used to embody that - the actual ghost - is fictional and we're expected, as grownups, to know that. Even if there is such a thing as ghosts, you're learning about them from a movie. It's fiction.
That so many people jumped at the sight isn't surprising. Unexpected recognition in reality of what is supposed to be fiction. The crazy Valkyrie at the end is obviously a fringe case, but even setting her aside, I was amazed at how many people jumped and then left to find another route.
How to interpret that other than to conclude that they were always just waiting for proof the movies they're watching are real?
posted by alexisallen at 2:04 PM on March 5, 2011 [4 favorites]
The child ghost is a gorgeous manifestation of human anxieties about mortality and legacy. The stories teach us to be afraid of unresolved guilt and fear, but the object used to embody that - the actual ghost - is fictional and we're expected, as grownups, to know that. Even if there is such a thing as ghosts, you're learning about them from a movie. It's fiction.
That so many people jumped at the sight isn't surprising. Unexpected recognition in reality of what is supposed to be fiction. The crazy Valkyrie at the end is obviously a fringe case, but even setting her aside, I was amazed at how many people jumped and then left to find another route.
How to interpret that other than to conclude that they were always just waiting for proof the movies they're watching are real?
posted by alexisallen at 2:04 PM on March 5, 2011 [4 favorites]
Guillermo del Toro films had me thinking that this was common enough in Spain that nobody would pay any attention to it.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:32 PM on March 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:32 PM on March 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
Cool Papa Bell: "Spanish TV hidden camera prank with a fun twist -- Place a creepy, ghostly little girl in a hotel hallway. Housekeeping's reaction is priceless."
I was expecting her to make the sign of the cross and then fork the evil eye at the girl.
And maybe spit on the floor for good measure.
Except then she'd have to clean it up.
posted by bwg at 3:27 PM on March 5, 2011
I was expecting her to make the sign of the cross and then fork the evil eye at the girl.
And maybe spit on the floor for good measure.
Except then she'd have to clean it up.
posted by bwg at 3:27 PM on March 5, 2011
More important question: Why is the little girl creepy?
posted by SteelyDuran at 3:40 PM on March 5, 2011
posted by SteelyDuran at 3:40 PM on March 5, 2011
More important question: Why is the little girl creepy?
There's so, so many layers.
* The people are shocked to see anyone at all. Remember, the child is silent, so it's neither seen nor heard up until the last second.
* Children don't often silently stand still. They're usually active and bouncing around.
* Moreover, standing in the center of the hallway commands your attention to something that is inherently unusual.
* Children are not often alone, which is why the "where are your parents" question comes immediately to mind for some.
* The child is apparently wearing a nightgown outside of that garment's usual context (e.g. a bedroom).
* Children don't often have long, unkempt, stringy hair that hangs over their faces.
* Little girls are supposed to be sugar and spice and everything nice. This one ... doesn't seem to be.
* Let's say it's a representation of a ghost. You don't usually think of "ghost children," and when you do, it's doubly tragic (i.e. it's not the ghost of an old lady that had a full life. It's a child whose life was cut short -- and possibly violently, because it's unusual for children to die of natural causes).
In other words, the image itself is a cocktail of images and contextual allusions, of life gone wrong.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:51 PM on March 5, 2011 [20 favorites]
There's so, so many layers.
* The people are shocked to see anyone at all. Remember, the child is silent, so it's neither seen nor heard up until the last second.
* Children don't often silently stand still. They're usually active and bouncing around.
* Moreover, standing in the center of the hallway commands your attention to something that is inherently unusual.
* Children are not often alone, which is why the "where are your parents" question comes immediately to mind for some.
* The child is apparently wearing a nightgown outside of that garment's usual context (e.g. a bedroom).
* Children don't often have long, unkempt, stringy hair that hangs over their faces.
* Little girls are supposed to be sugar and spice and everything nice. This one ... doesn't seem to be.
* Let's say it's a representation of a ghost. You don't usually think of "ghost children," and when you do, it's doubly tragic (i.e. it's not the ghost of an old lady that had a full life. It's a child whose life was cut short -- and possibly violently, because it's unusual for children to die of natural causes).
In other words, the image itself is a cocktail of images and contextual allusions, of life gone wrong.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:51 PM on March 5, 2011 [20 favorites]
Years ago, my then girlfriend and I dressed up for a Halloween party, which is, sadly, not all that popular in Japan. I went as a chochin obake, literally a ghostly paper lantern (yokai are kind of silly like that). I got some strange looks, sitting on the train with a paper lantern over my head, with my face painted to match the lantern.
My girlfriend, on the other hand, went as Samara/Sadako. She had long black hair, which is pretty much necessary for the role. We made a ragged hospital gown from a bed sheet, then used some watered down ink to dirty up the edges, then lots and lots of clown white for her arms and face, with dark green and black for the hallowed out eyes. A layer of black lipstick, then blood red lipstick helped with the lips.
We took the train a couple stops to get to the party. It wasn't very crowded, so it was a little less embarrassing for me. My girlfriend, on the other hand, embraced her role. On the train, she stood stock still in the middle of the car between the doors on either side, head down. When the train came to a stop, as the doors opened, she'd do the sudden looking up/crazy-eyed Sadako thing, and the reactions of people getting on the train were hilarious. Not one person used the door she was standing by, some of them literally jumping back from the door, and running down the platform to get onto a different train.
Later, after the party was over, we met another friend at a bar that was having a costume party. After we left, we were heading home, and she found one more target: a group of college age Japanese girls, walking in a group. She moved quickly, but quietly, until she was essentially walking with them, almost a part of the group. When one of the girls finally turned around, she saw Sadako standing next to her, and let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Fun was had by all.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:54 PM on March 5, 2011 [52 favorites]
My girlfriend, on the other hand, went as Samara/Sadako. She had long black hair, which is pretty much necessary for the role. We made a ragged hospital gown from a bed sheet, then used some watered down ink to dirty up the edges, then lots and lots of clown white for her arms and face, with dark green and black for the hallowed out eyes. A layer of black lipstick, then blood red lipstick helped with the lips.
We took the train a couple stops to get to the party. It wasn't very crowded, so it was a little less embarrassing for me. My girlfriend, on the other hand, embraced her role. On the train, she stood stock still in the middle of the car between the doors on either side, head down. When the train came to a stop, as the doors opened, she'd do the sudden looking up/crazy-eyed Sadako thing, and the reactions of people getting on the train were hilarious. Not one person used the door she was standing by, some of them literally jumping back from the door, and running down the platform to get onto a different train.
Later, after the party was over, we met another friend at a bar that was having a costume party. After we left, we were heading home, and she found one more target: a group of college age Japanese girls, walking in a group. She moved quickly, but quietly, until she was essentially walking with them, almost a part of the group. When one of the girls finally turned around, she saw Sadako standing next to her, and let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Fun was had by all.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:54 PM on March 5, 2011 [52 favorites]
You know, if I had a girl crawl out of my TV, I'd be like "Hey, baby, what's up?" while inside part of me is regretting taking LSD that last time right in the eye.
posted by Samizdata at 4:02 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Samizdata at 4:02 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
So, fun story. I took a friend to see the american version of The Ring on a lark, we hadn't seen the Japanese version and indeed, knew nothing about it.
We settle in, are spooked, entraced, etc. It's a mostly empty theater which helped the mood.
I should mention said friend is a 4'11 pale-skinned girl with long black hair.
As we left the theatre we opened the door JUST as the usher was coming in and the usher SCREAMED HER HEAD OFF. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
She then went "I thought you were the girl in the movie!" and we all had a laugh.
posted by The Whelk at 4:38 PM on March 5, 2011 [10 favorites]
We settle in, are spooked, entraced, etc. It's a mostly empty theater which helped the mood.
I should mention said friend is a 4'11 pale-skinned girl with long black hair.
As we left the theatre we opened the door JUST as the usher was coming in and the usher SCREAMED HER HEAD OFF. AHHHHHHHHHHHH!
She then went "I thought you were the girl in the movie!" and we all had a laugh.
posted by The Whelk at 4:38 PM on March 5, 2011 [10 favorites]
As if the cab ride to the hotel wasn't already a heart-pounding experience in terror!
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:00 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:00 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Next time I keep the team working late I'm having the spouse bring one of the little ones round the office dressed this way. Dim the hallway lights near the break-room where he coffee is kept and have the "apparition" there under the exit sign. Since you won't be able to sleep with out nightmares it shouldnt be any trouble for you to pull the all nighter. Also adrenaline is better than caffeine. Arn't I the most awesome boss ever?
posted by humanfont at 5:09 PM on March 5, 2011 [4 favorites]
posted by humanfont at 5:09 PM on March 5, 2011 [4 favorites]
So, in 2003 I was producer/production manager for a short film (which later went on to win the audience choice award at TriBeCa, but I'll stop with that sort of explanabrag now) where most of it was shot in Litchfield County, CT. If you've ever been there, you know that it is gorgeous and pastoral but that at night it turns into full-blown Lovecraft country.
So the first night that we're there, after shooting, we're heading off for our accommodations. The group was mostly NUY students but there were a couple of 16-year-old girls from a local high school who were interested in film and working on the shoot for a credit of some sort or what have you.
Anyway, I'm driving the fifteen-passenger van off to what we would soon learn was one of those special state-run boarding schools for juvenile delinquents, but as it was summer we got the opportunity to stay in the chicken coops they had converted into "dorms." (I'm not exaggerating about any of this. I replaced a producer who had done the most half-assed prep-work job imaginable and then skipped town for Mexico during the shoot) We stayed there for about two weeks, but the first night driving in was unfathomably foggy.
So to recap, we've got me driving a group of bleary-eyed passengers between the ages of 16 and 22 though dark, foggy hillsides none of us are familiar with, eventually getting us to a sprawling, depressing campus we would immediately name "The Murderhole." And the teenagers are sitting next to the passenger door of the van.
When we arrive, we have no idea where we are supposed to go, but it's starting to drizzle and everyone is terrified. I call the number for the guy who's supposed to "check us in," I guess, but get no response. We wait. Things get creepier. I call again. No response. As tensions are running at their highest I turn to face my passengers, explaining that everything's okay and that I'll call again in just a minute and HOLY JESUS FUCK!!
The teenagers turn to the passenger door, where I'm looking, and see a man dressed in a floppy hat and a shiny yellow rain slicker trying to open the door. As he does so, he's greeted with otherworldly screams of terror from not just the teens, but the entire van.
Of course, it was the nice man from the school, trying to direct us to housing, and I'd seen him alking up to the van. But life only gives you so many perfect opportunities, you know?
posted by Navelgazer at 5:15 PM on March 5, 2011 [23 favorites]
So the first night that we're there, after shooting, we're heading off for our accommodations. The group was mostly NUY students but there were a couple of 16-year-old girls from a local high school who were interested in film and working on the shoot for a credit of some sort or what have you.
Anyway, I'm driving the fifteen-passenger van off to what we would soon learn was one of those special state-run boarding schools for juvenile delinquents, but as it was summer we got the opportunity to stay in the chicken coops they had converted into "dorms." (I'm not exaggerating about any of this. I replaced a producer who had done the most half-assed prep-work job imaginable and then skipped town for Mexico during the shoot) We stayed there for about two weeks, but the first night driving in was unfathomably foggy.
So to recap, we've got me driving a group of bleary-eyed passengers between the ages of 16 and 22 though dark, foggy hillsides none of us are familiar with, eventually getting us to a sprawling, depressing campus we would immediately name "The Murderhole." And the teenagers are sitting next to the passenger door of the van.
When we arrive, we have no idea where we are supposed to go, but it's starting to drizzle and everyone is terrified. I call the number for the guy who's supposed to "check us in," I guess, but get no response. We wait. Things get creepier. I call again. No response. As tensions are running at their highest I turn to face my passengers, explaining that everything's okay and that I'll call again in just a minute and HOLY JESUS FUCK!!
The teenagers turn to the passenger door, where I'm looking, and see a man dressed in a floppy hat and a shiny yellow rain slicker trying to open the door. As he does so, he's greeted with otherworldly screams of terror from not just the teens, but the entire van.
Of course, it was the nice man from the school, trying to direct us to housing, and I'd seen him alking up to the van. But life only gives you so many perfect opportunities, you know?
posted by Navelgazer at 5:15 PM on March 5, 2011 [23 favorites]
Anyone know what Spanish tv show this is from? I googled for "vivir con miedo" which shows in the background, but no hits on a television series.
posted by Nerro at 5:55 PM on March 5, 2011
posted by Nerro at 5:55 PM on March 5, 2011
Ha ha... what? I don't get it. A small, unattended child is the opposite of scary; it's pretty much synonymous with vulnerability.
Is the developed world so wussified that kittens and little girls are now scary for some reason.
posted by dgaicun at 7:41 PM on March 5, 2011
Is the developed world so wussified that kittens and little girls are now scary for some reason.
posted by dgaicun at 7:41 PM on March 5, 2011
I am certain that my reactions would have been drastically different to that of the people in the video because I'm smarter or something.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 8:30 PM on March 5, 2011 [16 favorites]
posted by obiwanwasabi at 8:30 PM on March 5, 2011 [16 favorites]
Man, I worked in a big old fancy-schmancy hotel a long time ago and whenever we'd run into one of these Spectral Children In The Hallway, we'd just roll our eyes and sigh and set up the rooms already.
posted by Ron Thanagar at 9:01 PM on March 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by Ron Thanagar at 9:01 PM on March 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
Ha ha... what? I don't get it. A small, unattended child is the opposite of scary; it's pretty much synonymous with vulnerability.
Insects are the opposite of scary; they're pretty much synonymous with squishability.
There's really no accounting for fear; rationality has little to do with it when something suddenly appears in the moment.
posted by explosion at 9:36 PM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
Insects are the opposite of scary; they're pretty much synonymous with squishability.
There's really no accounting for fear; rationality has little to do with it when something suddenly appears in the moment.
posted by explosion at 9:36 PM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]
Ha ha... what? I don't get it. A small, unattended child is the opposite of scary; it's pretty much synonymous with vulnerability.
Is the developed world so wussified that kittens and little girls are now scary for some reason.
It would appear that there's a certain well-used horror trope that you've somehow missed out on for the last 100 years or so.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:17 AM on March 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
Is the developed world so wussified that kittens and little girls are now scary for some reason.
It would appear that there's a certain well-used horror trope that you've somehow missed out on for the last 100 years or so.
posted by Strange Interlude at 12:17 AM on March 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
FULL OF WIN!
posted by dougrayrankin at 2:44 AM on March 6, 2011
posted by dougrayrankin at 2:44 AM on March 6, 2011
Navelgazer,, you are going to hell for that. But it was worth it.
I think the reactions of several of them would likely be enhanced by ETOH, given the time and place.
posted by randomkeystrike at 5:59 AM on March 6, 2011
I think the reactions of several of them would likely be enhanced by ETOH, given the time and place.
posted by randomkeystrike at 5:59 AM on March 6, 2011
On the internet, I would approach this girl and ask her kindly where her parents were and if she needed any help. But in real life, I would urinate in my trousers and run away.
posted by rusty at 7:30 AM on March 6, 2011 [6 favorites]
posted by rusty at 7:30 AM on March 6, 2011 [6 favorites]
"Karen Black being chased by a Zuni fetish doll with a knife"
Holy f*** that was the. scariest. thing. ever. I damn near slept through The Ring *yawn*. But that wicked little monster zipping around the house...duuuuuuuude...
posted by Xoebe at 9:13 AM on March 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Holy f*** that was the. scariest. thing. ever. I damn near slept through The Ring *yawn*. But that wicked little monster zipping around the house...duuuuuuuude...
posted by Xoebe at 9:13 AM on March 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Children don't often have long, unkempt, stringy hair that hangs over their faces.
Obviously you haven't met my son.
posted by Scoo at 9:32 AM on March 6, 2011
Obviously you haven't met my son.
posted by Scoo at 9:32 AM on March 6, 2011
On the internet, I would approach this girl and ask her kindly where her parents were and if she needed any help. But in real life, I would urinate in my trousers and run away.
Don't worry. One the Internet, we are ALL heroes. That's probably why we spend so much time here.
posted by ntartifex at 9:54 AM on March 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
Don't worry. One the Internet, we are ALL heroes. That's probably why we spend so much time here.
posted by ntartifex at 9:54 AM on March 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
(I mean, I willingly admit that I would have yelped and run the other way, or thrown my keys at the kid. But the mind does strange things, especially when fueled by J-horror and Spanish horror tropes. The Shining has taught me that every hotel hallway is a possible nexus of evil.)
posted by ntartifex at 9:59 AM on March 6, 2011
posted by ntartifex at 9:59 AM on March 6, 2011
Anyone know what Spanish tv show this is from?
I think it's from El Hormiguero.
posted by clearlydemon at 10:59 AM on March 6, 2011
I think it's from El Hormiguero.
posted by clearlydemon at 10:59 AM on March 6, 2011
The little kid ghost thing is pretty interesting. Why is it scary?
Cool Papa Bell throws out some good reasons. And I think the tragedy aspect nails it.
In both the Ring and the Grudge, there's an element of child abuse and domestic violence. In Omen and the Exorcist, the kids are disturbing because they don't act like kids. They have no innocence. So is it uncomfortable feelings about child abuse?
posted by es_de_bah at 11:00 AM on March 6, 2011
Cool Papa Bell throws out some good reasons. And I think the tragedy aspect nails it.
In both the Ring and the Grudge, there's an element of child abuse and domestic violence. In Omen and the Exorcist, the kids are disturbing because they don't act like kids. They have no innocence. So is it uncomfortable feelings about child abuse?
posted by es_de_bah at 11:00 AM on March 6, 2011
I'm just here to reiterate how weak-minded you all are. Truly, it must be a sad existence to be startled by something unexpected.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 11:04 AM on March 6, 2011
posted by Solon and Thanks at 11:04 AM on March 6, 2011
Little girls are now scary? I guess I didn't get the memo.
posted by Dodecadermaldenticles at 11:13 AM on March 6, 2011
posted by Dodecadermaldenticles at 11:13 AM on March 6, 2011
Doublehappy: Of course there's not! That's why there isn't one standing behind you right now.
posted by webmutant at 12:28 PM on March 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by webmutant at 12:28 PM on March 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
MetaFilter: too grotesque to be anything other than hideously, mouth-breathingly real
posted by hippybear at 1:45 PM on March 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 1:45 PM on March 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Little girls are now scary? I guess I didn't get the memo.
Careful, not admitting how scared you are of little girls is hubris now. If you do anything less than charge a lost child in terror and, I dunno, throw it out a window, you are a deluded prig who thinks he's better than everybody else.
posted by dgaicun at 2:04 PM on March 6, 2011
Careful, not admitting how scared you are of little girls is hubris now. If you do anything less than charge a lost child in terror and, I dunno, throw it out a window, you are a deluded prig who thinks he's better than everybody else.
posted by dgaicun at 2:04 PM on March 6, 2011
Careful, not admitting how scared you are of little girls is hubris now.
I, too, find the assumption that "anyone who claims these reactions to be unusual is clearly putting on a macho show" to be a bizarre one, but we don't have to turn this thread into that. Just ignore it and it will go away.
posted by Xezlec at 2:16 PM on March 6, 2011
I, too, find the assumption that "anyone who claims these reactions to be unusual is clearly putting on a macho show" to be a bizarre one, but we don't have to turn this thread into that. Just ignore it and it will go away.
posted by Xezlec at 2:16 PM on March 6, 2011
Little girls are now scary? I guess I didn't get the memo.
Even if they aren't scary to you, as pointed out in the tropes link, creepy, even ghostly little girls have been a standard feature in horror for quite some time. Even if the twins in The Shining didn't get to you, or any of the permutations from Japanese horror (and ghost children are all over J-Horror) and the assorted remakes, bear in mind that a lot of people were scared by them. Even ignoring the fact that video shows a makeup artist applying ghostly white make-up, the little girl in the hallway is something that's crossed over from niche horror into a kind of mainstream scary thing.
Sure, maybe you weren't scared by the Ring, or by Juon, or the Shining, or Omen. But take something that did scare you (like, say, the Skeksis, or giant spiders, gah), and put them suddenly in a hallway where you were, at the end of your day, with your guard let down, looking to get back to your hotel room to rest. You're relaxed, you had a decent day, then you turn the corner, and there it is. It's not just that it was scary in the theater. The theater was safe, it's where we go to become scared, knowing that we can leave and go back to the bright happy world outside. When we find things from the theater, those terrifying things have, for the moment, crossed the barrier, into our world, and they're not supposed to be there. The initial reaction, appropriately, is to be shocked, startled, or afraid. Whatever it is that scares you, if you were to turn the corner in that hallway, not really paying attention, you wouldn't think, "Hmm, how odd. Why is this (scary thing that's not real) here," it'd be more like "DEAR GOD IT'S THAT THING THAT SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME!"
Moments later, you'd realize it was makeup, or paper mache, or whatever, but that initial shock is still there.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:13 PM on March 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
Even if they aren't scary to you, as pointed out in the tropes link, creepy, even ghostly little girls have been a standard feature in horror for quite some time. Even if the twins in The Shining didn't get to you, or any of the permutations from Japanese horror (and ghost children are all over J-Horror) and the assorted remakes, bear in mind that a lot of people were scared by them. Even ignoring the fact that video shows a makeup artist applying ghostly white make-up, the little girl in the hallway is something that's crossed over from niche horror into a kind of mainstream scary thing.
Sure, maybe you weren't scared by the Ring, or by Juon, or the Shining, or Omen. But take something that did scare you (like, say, the Skeksis, or giant spiders, gah), and put them suddenly in a hallway where you were, at the end of your day, with your guard let down, looking to get back to your hotel room to rest. You're relaxed, you had a decent day, then you turn the corner, and there it is. It's not just that it was scary in the theater. The theater was safe, it's where we go to become scared, knowing that we can leave and go back to the bright happy world outside. When we find things from the theater, those terrifying things have, for the moment, crossed the barrier, into our world, and they're not supposed to be there. The initial reaction, appropriately, is to be shocked, startled, or afraid. Whatever it is that scares you, if you were to turn the corner in that hallway, not really paying attention, you wouldn't think, "Hmm, how odd. Why is this (scary thing that's not real) here," it'd be more like "DEAR GOD IT'S THAT THING THAT SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME!"
Moments later, you'd realize it was makeup, or paper mache, or whatever, but that initial shock is still there.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:13 PM on March 6, 2011 [3 favorites]
Or, to put it another way, people weren't freaked out by my ghost lantern costume because, in a clearly lit train, it was plainly obvious that I was a guy dressed in black with a paper latern over my head. People thought it was odd, but not scary. On the other hand, under the glaring fluorescent lights (that, in the right mood, do seem straight from a J-Horror movie), my girlfriend looked almost exactly like Samara/Sadako (more like Samara), which has become one of the primal terrifying characters in Japan. Most people I know here refuse to watch horror because it is so well done, so well atuned to what freaks Japanese people out. And then, on their way home from wherever, completely unsuspecting, they are confronted with, essentially, the Angel of Death, standing on the train they were intending to board.
Me, I'm just a silly guy wearing a lantern on my head. My girlfriend? For those people about to get on the train, or the people that saw her walking along dark streets in the middle of the city, she was the sum total of all that could be terrifying and evil in the world.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:19 PM on March 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Me, I'm just a silly guy wearing a lantern on my head. My girlfriend? For those people about to get on the train, or the people that saw her walking along dark streets in the middle of the city, she was the sum total of all that could be terrifying and evil in the world.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:19 PM on March 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Remember that other scene in The Shining where Barfolomew from Spaceballs is on a bed and the soundtrack is all like this is scary for some reason, trust us.
... I think J horror should pick that one up next. Then in 2020 Spanish Punk'd can mine the wellspring of our freshly cultivated furry terrors.
posted by dgaicun at 3:32 PM on March 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
... I think J horror should pick that one up next. Then in 2020 Spanish Punk'd can mine the wellspring of our freshly cultivated furry terrors.
posted by dgaicun at 3:32 PM on March 6, 2011 [2 favorites]
I was scared by the Grudge.
If the little girl had been crawling backward down a wall making that hideous guttural rattling sound in her throat, I would have fled the scene in short order.
Next time the Spanish Punk'd people need to call on the services of Cirque du Soleil.
posted by winna at 6:58 PM on March 6, 2011
If the little girl had been crawling backward down a wall making that hideous guttural rattling sound in her throat, I would have fled the scene in short order.
Next time the Spanish Punk'd people need to call on the services of Cirque du Soleil.
posted by winna at 6:58 PM on March 6, 2011
Heh, as long as we're sharing The Ring stories:
I first watched Ringu (the Japanese version) with my soon to be Japanese sister-in-law, my brother, and few other friends. My brother had seen it before. Being of the puckish type he quietly and covertly dialed the landline number (yeah, I know) of the house we were at from his cell phone. He did this so craftily that not a single one of us sitting on and around the same couch as him noticed. Right as that very first viewing of The Tape ended, he hit call, and every single person in the room FREAKED THE FUCK OUT. It's not like we were a bunch of scared teenagers, no, we were a gaggle of terrified twenty-somethings who lost their damn minds. For a few minutes the room was complete pandemonium, until we noticed my brother was curled over, not from fear, but from trying to keep his laughter in.
So, yeah, when the US remake of The Ring came out, I saw it and was pretty blase. I was all, "That's nice, but I liked it better when my brother was trying to convince me I would be dead in 7 days." Were I to turn the corner and see this little girl though, I guarantee I would leap through the goddamn ceiling tiles trying to get away from her.
Then I would ask if she was lost and if I could help her.
posted by Panjandrum at 6:26 PM on March 11, 2011
I first watched Ringu (the Japanese version) with my soon to be Japanese sister-in-law, my brother, and few other friends. My brother had seen it before. Being of the puckish type he quietly and covertly dialed the landline number (yeah, I know) of the house we were at from his cell phone. He did this so craftily that not a single one of us sitting on and around the same couch as him noticed. Right as that very first viewing of The Tape ended, he hit call, and every single person in the room FREAKED THE FUCK OUT. It's not like we were a bunch of scared teenagers, no, we were a gaggle of terrified twenty-somethings who lost their damn minds. For a few minutes the room was complete pandemonium, until we noticed my brother was curled over, not from fear, but from trying to keep his laughter in.
So, yeah, when the US remake of The Ring came out, I saw it and was pretty blase. I was all, "That's nice, but I liked it better when my brother was trying to convince me I would be dead in 7 days." Were I to turn the corner and see this little girl though, I guarantee I would leap through the goddamn ceiling tiles trying to get away from her.
Then I would ask if she was lost and if I could help her.
posted by Panjandrum at 6:26 PM on March 11, 2011
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posted by hippybear at 11:22 AM on March 5, 2011