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What Was I Scared Of? The Pale Green Pants Of Dr. Seuss

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If you want your kids to grow up horror fans, you might consider starting them out on this.

I’ve pretty much been planning on writing about this since I began contributing to iHorror, but after reading John Squires’ article about Halloween is Grinch Night, I found myself in the proper frame of mind, and decided now was as good a time as any.

What Was I Scared Of? by Dr. Seuss has been one of my favorite stories since I encountered it pretty much when I was learning to read, and when I think about the earliest influences of my life that led to my obsession with horror, I can’t think of an earlier example. Well, that and the first dream I ever remember having, which involved me being chased by a cartoon pair of white shoes with nobody in them, which just happens to be a strikingly similar plot to this particular story, though I’m pretty sure I had the dream before encountering Seuss’ book. Perhaps that’s why I identified with it so much.

Though it’s since been released in a standalone version, What Was I Scared Of? originally appeared in The Sneetches and Other Stories. The whole book is gold if you’re a Seuss fan (I was obsessed with Seuss as a kid, and his work still pretty much accounts for the majority of my favorite children’s books).

The basic premise is that some little guy is wandering around at night doing various things, and he keeps seeing a pair of “pale green pants with nobody inside them,” which is obviously terrifying. He was, of course scared, but in the end finds that the pants are just as scared of him as he was of them. They then become friends. Aha! Lesson learned. Classic Seuss.

Here’s somebody reading the story, in case you’re unfamiliar with it:

[youtube id=”PJXHK0HOglg” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

I don’t know that I really have a point with this post, other than to draw more attention to this wonderful story, and pay it tribute. If you have kids, you should pick it up, as it’s one of those rare children’s books that will bring you as much joy as it does them. I recommend grabbing the whole Sneetches collection in fact.

I also figured that as long as I’m writing about What Was I Scared Of? and the infamous Pale Green Pants, I might as well share some other related nuggets I’ve encountered from around the web.

For example, here’s a fan film adaptation:

[youtube id=”mWbTwjgNuVE” align=”center” mode=”normal” autoplay=”no”]

Here’s somebody’s tribute from Flickr:

flickr-pants

Here’s a nice model of the pants someone shared at Craftster:

Pale Green Pants

“I made them for my little sister for her 25th birthday, out of a pair of 6mo pants my daughter had just outgrown,” the artist explains. “I used a piece of aluminum wire in the waistband, and then soaked it in liquid porcelain. I molded and shaped pieces of aluminum foil around plastic bags (for bulk) and stuffed them in until I had the shape right, then let them harden. And this is what I got.”

This guy also made a pants puppet as well as “Grin-itch spinach” plants (which make sense if you’re familiar with the story) for a bunch of kids.

“I don’t really know how to explain how we made this puppet, but it involved an old pair of my daughter’s pants, a pool noodle, a drill, crumpled newspaper, a wooden spoon, duct-tape, and needle and thread,” he says. “The wooden spoon goes through the pants and a pool noodle which was sewn to the pants.”

Finally, one woman took her kid’s green pants, stuffed tissue paper inside of them, and then posed them doing different things.

Pale Green Pants Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss Pale Green Pants

Check out the full gallery here.

While there’s certainly not enough of it around the web from what I can tell, it makes me happy to see such enthusiasm for this story from those who have shared their own projects.

I’ve watched a lot of movies and read a lot of stories over the years, but there are only a handful of either that I can directly credit for my passion for for horror. What Was I Scared Of? is one of them, if not the first. So thanks for that, doctor.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

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Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

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Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

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The Blair Witch Project Cast

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

Blair witch
The Blair Witch Project Cast

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

The blair witch project

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello

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