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A Halloween PSA That Will Give You Nightmares

Author adam12
(Photo by Mike Moore/Getty Images)

A Halloween PSA of sorts, I should say. Because it’s not about Halloween. But it does have a Halloween connection. And it’s terrifying.

 

The Horror4Kids Twitter feed shared this video a few months ago, and I’ve been saving it for Halloween season. As they wrote in the post: In 1973 Halloween actor Donald Pleasence (Dr. Loomis) recorded a voiceover for a drowning PSA that was, “so frightening it gave children nightmares.”

 

Read in transcript form, it’s just as menacing:

“I am the spirit of dark and lonely water. Ready to trap the unwary, the showoff, the fool. And this is the kind of place you’d expect to find me. But no one expects to find me here. It seems to ordinary. But that pool is deep. The boy is showing off. The bank is slippery. The showoffs are easy. But the unwary ones are easier still. This branch is weak, rotten. It will never take his weight. Only a fool would ignore this. But there’s one born every minute. Under the water there are traps. Old cars, bedsteads, weeds, hidden depths. It’s the perfect place…for an accident.

 

Sensible children? I have no power over them. I’ll be back…”

 

Yeah, that’s pure nightmare fuel. Any sort of old-school corniness you could tag the actual production of the PSA with is instantly eradicated by Pleasence’s creeping cadence. I’ve always thought of his Dr. Loomis as one of the great characters in horror cinema. Donald Pleasence brought a sense of gravitas to his Loomis that underscored the seriousness and the hysteria in the original Halloween movie and its sequel. Letting him loose on a PSA meant to keep small children from making poor choices that might kill them? It’s as if he was born for the role. That raspy whisper…

 

Hey! Hey, Lonnie, get your ass away from there!

 

Adam 12 is the Program Director of Boston's ROCK 92.9, heard weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. He's been flexing his encyclopedic rock knowledge in New England for over 2 decades, both on-air and online, at WBCN, WFNX, Boston.com, and indie617. At ROCK 92.9, he keeps you in the know on the big stories from the Boston music scene and writes about great places to eat, drink (beer), and to spend time outdoors in and around Boston.

Peanuts Holiday Specials: Here's Where To Stream

The Peanuts Holiday Specials have been a TV staple for generations. But in recent years, it’s become more and more difficult to watch them.

 

If you’re old enough to remember, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” were all appointment viewing back in the day. You’d grab the latest issue of TV Guide at the checkout of your local grocery store, leaf through the listings, and find out when your favorite Charlie Brown special was airing. Or, maybe you subscribed to your local newspaper and looked it up there. And if you were really lucky, you happened to be watching TV while the network ran the promo. We’ll take a look at some of those below.

 

I love the Peanuts Holiday Specials. So much so that, years ago, I bought a 3 DVD boxed set with all of the specials listed above. Each DVD had an extra special on it, too. “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” segued into the sequel “The Great Pumpkin Returns.” “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” was paired with another November-themed special “You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown.” And “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was paired with “It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown.” If you can hunt down those DVDs, I suggest you buy them. Because it’s getting harder and harder to get your Peanuts on in these times of streaming.

 

Peanuts Holiday Specials: Here’s Where To Stream

Since 2020, Apple TV+ has owned the rights to all things Peanuts. Which means you have to pay to play. Luckily, in 2020 and 2021, enough people complained that Apple allowed PBS to broadcast the specials on on TV. This year, that’s not happening. The trade off? You have a window of a few days to watch each one. You still need to pay for Apple TV+, which sucks. Gimme the good old days of appointment viewing. For free.

  • "It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"

    You can hang out with Linus in the pumpkin patch from Oct. 28-31.

  • "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving"

    Grab a plate of popcorn and jelly beans and catch this one from Nov. 23-27

  • "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

    Dance along with the Peanuts gang from Dec. 22-25.

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