Fear of Dummys and Clowns? - Magic (1978) Discussion

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] strauss-r 18 years ago

I don't have a phobia either and I couldn't agree with you more about NOT spending the night in a room with a dummy. No way! Even as a little girl I never played with dolls, never had the desire too. My mom said I used to scream whenever I saw a clown at the circus or b-day party. A friend of mine used to collect dolls and it was pretty freaky to spend the night at her house especially when some of the dolls were on her dresser with glowing green eyes....yikes!

The answer is Jesus to the questions of life. He's the only solution to sorrows and strife.

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[–] jackelgrey 18 years ago

Let's review, you wouldn't sleep in a room if a ventriloquist's dummy was in view, and as a child you screamed when you say clowns. But you DON'T have a phobia?

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[–] strauss-r 18 years ago

Nope!

The answer is Jesus to the questions of life. He's the only solution to sorrows and strife.

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[–] I_donthavefb_lol 17 years ago

Although that behavior is a little extreme, I think it's safe to say that most people fear dolls and other inanimate objects in human form. The feeling that a weird, human-looking but inanimate form is watching us, even though it has no eyes -- and no ability to see -- IS disturbing, wouldn't you agree?

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[–] lljackso1 18 years ago

I don't fear Chucky from Child's Play. There was nothing scary about him. He was funny. I wasn't afraid of Howdy Doody or Charlie McCarthy either. However, the moment I saw the "dummy" (I can't even type his name) from Magic, it gave me a terrible phobia. I was first exposed to him after seeing the trailer on television back in 1978 when I was 9. At first I thought he was a real person as he spoke, and it is something that has terrified me since then. He was so realistic -- most likely because the creators modeled him after a real actor. I managed to work up the nerve to watch it on TBS during the height of Silence of the Lambs mania in 1991 and it was an excellent movie. For a brief time my phobia towards "it" ended, but for some reason returned. If I ever saw that dummy face to face I would take a match and torch it. I'm not joking.

"Because I'm chaos, it is my destiny to destroy" -- Jeff Goldblum as "Mr. Frost."

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[–] YouKnowMyName68 18 years ago

I witnessed how the commercial absolutely had my FOUR YEAR OLD COUSIN jump out of his skin seriously terrified by the dummy and the voice and the dark setting. It was intense. I should ask him what was it. I'm trying to remember we were all watching in front of the television in 78 and the commercial came on. It's daylight. Anyway, the voice and then the dummy and then a few seconds later the screaming and I was startled just for a moment and then laughing but it was unsettling,too, for me because I had never seen such a commercial like that before but more for him.

I can't really say but for myself, it's a human like figure, right? And then there's the darkness, no light, and you add those two together all the while you have this human shaped construct in the likeness of us and then the imagination running away where imagining it coming to life but you add to it that IT moves all with the intention of harming you. IT is moving to harm you. This human-like thing moving around to kill you. It's worse when it is smiling.

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[–] ndatmo-1 18 years ago

I don't what it is but, although I don't fear the image, the coloring and expression [black hair, ruddy complexion, forced smile and piercing eyes] are somehow revolting to my eye.

Other examples which are Fats-reminiscent: The Creepy Nutcracker Soldier Figure and the Captain Whoever Rum Buccaneer. Yeck!

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[–] thatsarappp 18 years ago

Funny I stumbled upon this thread as I do have a very real phobia of ventriliquist dummies. Not clowns, or china dolls, or anything else....Just the ventriliquist dummies. If you have any doubts as to how terrified of them I am, let me tell you a quick story....

I went to a small private high school where we had little celebrations and such for every holiday. One year for our halloween celebration, the principal decided to bring one to school. Someone who knew me happened to see it in his office and mentioned to him that they "creep me out"...He asked me about it and I explained to him that they truly terrified me and I didnt feel comfortable being in the building with one. He then locked it in his trunk as he saw in my eyes I guess that I was not kidding.
Another time, my younger brother had one in the trunk of my grandfathers car because his friend had showed it to him or whatever and forgot it. He was only about 10 or so probably, and I was about 15. He told me he had one and he was gonna scare me with it, and I thought he was kidding. Well, he was not and literally chased me with it. The only thing I could think to do was to rip it out of his hands and smash it into a thousand pieces ib tge asphalt. Which in a frantic rage, I did. He then realized how much I was not kidding as well.

But to answer your question about why....I cant really tell you why. Ive been told my mother had one when I was a toddler, though I dont remember it, and I havent asked my mom due to the fact that I hardly see her. Though I tend to think that if I was scared of them for that reason, I would remember.

Regarding that new movie coming out, and this one as well....I might try, but I dont think I could watch either one. I cant even look at them on the TV, thats how bad it is.

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[–] artguylarry 18 years ago

I think there is something to be said about how intensely a childhood fear can be carried throughout one's adult life. I have often thought that if this movie were to be released today, I would probably be first in line. I love horror movies. I love movies that scare me and creep me out. But because of the way this dummy scarred me as a child, it has gone far beyond the type of horror movie that merely "creeps me out." I felt like it was something that haunted me. I had dreams about him. Vivid ones. High pitched voice, wide-eyed grin and all. As a child of the 70's, I enjoyed prime-time TV as much as any other kid, but for a time, decided that it wasn't even worth watching, because I knew that evil, wooden face would pop up (and it gave you no warning). Mind you, I WILL be seeing "Dead Silence" when it's released this March. Because this dummy has NOTHING on Fats. But I turn 40 this year, and I will NEVER see Magic.

When is love EVER an abomination???

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[–] triniturtle09 18 years ago

I'm TERRIFIED of dolls. My mom had a store that sold, among other things, these wooden dolls, and after I saw the Chucky trailer....I was pretty much scarred for life. We had the wooden dolls in our house...still do, because they're collectables. I never told my parents about my fear and they didn't know until recently when we had to write an essay about childhood fears for English in my school.

They still freak me out, but not as much. At night, though.....I'm really wary of them.

And I can't even look at movie replicas. Aagh.

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] cartoonlizard 18 years ago

It's probably because most of these dolls, manequins or dummies look so life- like that you think they can jump at you at any moment. When I was a child I was told that my toys would come to life when I was asleep, I think they told me this so I would go to sleep but instead it terryfied me, the thought that toys would move on their own made me sleep with the covers all the way up.
Of course I did enjoy Toy story even when it rubbed my face on my worst childhood fear, but still...

And what can I say about clowns, it is either because as a child some older sibling or relative tells you they are evil just to scare you or maybe your parents hired the ugliest clown they could find for your birthday party or could it be because of that clown doll on Poltergeist.

For most people when told about a doll moving on it's own I seriously doubt the first thing that comes to mind will be Pinochio.

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[–] tshann-1 18 years ago

One time.. my dad said to my sister and I, "Okay, I'm gonna rent Chucky. I'll let you guys watch it." and I was only like 7, and I was thinking about Chuckie from The Rugrats, you know? So he showed it to us. I was able to watch the 3rd and 4th one, but since i was 7, I haven't been able to sleep in my own room because of Chucky. I'm 15 now, and I just recently started and it's not so bad, but anytime I see him, I hyperventilate. Yeah, talk about phobia.

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[–] Genestealer 18 years ago

I used to have a phobia about chucky, just from a small black and white picture I saw of him. Everytime I saw him at a videostore or somewhere I would go as far as possible from that video/DVD, but recently I suddenly just didn't get too scared of it anyway. I saw a Chucky video sometime ago and just said "huh?" to myself and then kept on walking.

I guess the fear of clowns might come if you see them as a baby, dunno. Maybe the massively different colours somehow turn scary for a baby and if the baby is exposed to them alot it develops a phobia or something.

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[–] angeleyes2nv 18 years ago

I too was scarred by Child's Play. I was 3 years old and walked into the room when my uncle was watching the first Child's Play movie. I can remember certain scenes they are SO BURNED into my brain. I remember specifically the scenes where the mother realized he was talking without any batteries and when Chucky attacked the cop by trying to stab him through the seat. I had such horrible nightmares that my mom would have to take me to get prayed over in church.
Fast forward a few years, and my father let me watch Child's Play 2. After watching that movie, I developed an OBSESSION with Chucky. There was some kind of article or review in the paper with a picture of Chucky and I HAD to cut it out and keep it on my nightstand even though I couldn't sleep with it in the room. Finally my mother made me burn the picture in the kitchen sink... but I still continued to have fears about Chucky until I saw Bride of Chucky in 1998. And then afterwards I was able to watch the first 2 again and find the humor in it all, and I actually enjoy them immensely now.
I'm going to watch Magic the next chance I get. I just saw Dead Silence and for some reason this "obsession" with possessed dolls has returned to me. There is something so horribly freaky as a child to think that your toys can come alive and turn against you. I find it so interesting that a different generation has had the same kind of psychological scarring with a different movie of similar subject matter as I have.
On the Dead Silence board, there was speculation as to why it was rated R as there really was not any language or gory violence. But the content in itself is scary enough to cause damage, I think.
One last thing - I went to see Seed of Chucky in the theatre (what an awful movie) and some JERK had his VERY YOUNG (like 3 or 4 y/o) child in there, who was crying and obviously fearful throughout the whole movie. My boyfriend had to HOLD ME BACK from marching up to that guy and letting him know how much damage he was doing to that poor kid. I understand that you can bring in a kid to a rated R when there's adult supervision, but I think there should be an age limit on some of these flix. To this day, I wish I could kill that guy.

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[–] alexluthor 18 years ago

I used to love ventriliquists and dolls, and what not and even had my very own, "dummy" when I was about six or sven. Okay so it was a really nice pupet that had moving arms, but I practiced like crazy to be able to throw my voice (can still do it somewhat). Very few things (i cant even remember what) scared me as a kid, I don't know why that was.

"everybody lies," House

"Lois, I never lie," Superman

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[–] SenoritaTorres 18 years ago

I have a fear of china clowns, ventriloquists dummies, porcelein dolls and shop mannequins. They're all just really creepy. I watched this film when I was about ten and it really scared me. I wouldn't watch the Child's Play films until I was 18!

'Wendy, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just gonna bash your brains in!'
-Jack Torrance, The Shining

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[–] Cbabe80 18 years ago

The first time I saw the Chucky preview I couldn't sleep. I was three and his face burned into my memory and is still there. I have nightmares about him still to this day and I'm almost 22 years old. I have seen the movies and they are funny but there is something about his face. It may seem silly but I can't help it and it is nice to know I'm not the only one.

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