Sometime
in the 1980s, everyone went Alfred Hitchcock crazy. Between films
like Psycho and The Birds being on TV constantly, Psycho II making
its television premiere, Psycho III in theaters, "Alfred
Hitchock Presents" in syndication, AND "The New Afred
Hitchcock Presents" on TV as well, you couldn't let out a secret
fart without the ghost old Hitch catching a whiff of it. I too was
swept up in all this madness. I remember very vividly watching Psycho
and Psycho II on TV one night and being completely freaked out. I
started dragging a chair into the bathroom whenever I had to shower.
I would jam the back of the chair under doorknob to slow Mrs. Bates
down a little.
My
parents couldn't help but notice that I was into the "Master of
Suspense" so they got me his record titled: "Alfred
Hitchcock Presents Ghost Stories for Young People" either for my
birthday or Christmas, I can't remember which. Where they had
obtained a copy, I have no idea. All I know is that this album
brought me so much joyful dread that very night. Side A scared me so
badly that I didn't dare flip the record over. Instead, I waited
until the following day. In fact, I started it beforenoon so
that there was no chance that Side B would finish after dusk.
Revisiting
this record now, for the first time in nearly 30 years, everything is
all new and familiar to me which means I must have listened to this
record A LOT. I am instantly transported back to my childhood bedroom
bathed in the gloom of a cloudy afternoon. There are G.I. Joes in
every available nook and cranny. There is a collection of secondhand
(and unread by me) Hardy Boys books. What the fuck is up with those
anyway? How come they were never as good as the cover art?
"Ghost Stories for Young People" is just wonderful even though it is wildly hokey. Any ghost story that features the line: "And in the door came a squirrel as big as a... SHEEP DOG!" is silly as heck, to say the least. Give it a listen and maybe get a little peek into my childhood. More importantly, see if you get a little creeped out by some fun yet effective ghost stories.
"Ghost Stories for Young People" is just wonderful even though it is wildly hokey. Any ghost story that features the line: "And in the door came a squirrel as big as a... SHEEP DOG!" is silly as heck, to say the least. Give it a listen and maybe get a little peek into my childhood. More importantly, see if you get a little creeped out by some fun yet effective ghost stories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T255y7nKLY&feature=youtu.be
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