The VERY Messed Up Origins of HAROLD | Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

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  • Опубліковано 27 тра 2024
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    ▼ Timestamps ▼
    » 0:00 - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
    » 3:10 - Harold
    » 10:01 - Folklore
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    ▼ Credits ▼
    » Edited by: Jon & Lauren Solo
    » Written & Directed by: Jon Solo
    ▼ Art Sources ▼
    » The illustrations of the Algernon Blackwood story were created by Michael Kellermeyer! Check out more of his incredible work here:
    website: oldstyletales.com
    instagram: oldstyletales
    » If I used your art in any portion of this video please send a message to my business email with proof that you're the original artist so I can give you credit!
    ▼ Music Sources ▼
    » Spooky Background Music Tracks provided by CO.AG Music: / @co.agmusic
    #scarystories #horrorstories #messeduporigins

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1 тис.

  • @JonSolo
    @JonSolo  7 місяців тому +111

    The first 100 people to download Endel by clicking the link or scanning the QR code will get a free week of audio experiences! bit.ly/JonSoloEndel

    • @mousemd
      @mousemd 7 місяців тому +3

      I likely stopped reading and watching tales like this somewhere between 1972 and 1975. So I probably never heard of the tales you are covering.

    • @mousemd
      @mousemd 7 місяців тому +2

      I got a hold of Grimm's Brothers Tales about a year ago. I mean a book that was translated from the original. Quite different from the version that children hear in the States

    • @amberbush1999
      @amberbush1999 7 місяців тому +2

      You should do all the stories from all 3 books the, ones you don't get to you can save for next Halloween. That's a lot to ask for a now but I think viewers including me would absolutely love it!

    • @catebrooks6779
      @catebrooks6779 7 місяців тому +1

      😅🤣🤣🤣200 years ago... human, I am at LEAST 15 years older than you. So like, 16 millenia older. Love it. Love your vids.❤❤❤🎉🎉😂😂😂

    • @JonSolo
      @JonSolo  7 місяців тому +8

      @@amberbush1999 great suggestion! I'm seeing so much love for this series in the comments that I'm considering making it something we discuss throughout the year instead of just during spooky season :)

  • @emi-kat
    @emi-kat 7 місяців тому +823

    I remember back in elementary school, our librarian would turn off the lights and we sat in the corner while she read a few of the stories to us, Harold being one of them. Everyone was creeped out but had fun. But I was petrified because I actually lived in the middle of the corn fields in a big, old haunted house. And what made things worse was our outside cats ran on the roof, making it sound like Harold was on top of the house. Living every seven year old's dream

    • @littlejimmy7402
      @littlejimmy7402 7 місяців тому +27

      I had a great 5th grade teacher, She would put the lights out after lunch and let us put our heads down while she read to us from great books. Never nightmare fuel, but it got me into reading anyway. Stephen King got me into horror in the 70's.

    • @fleurpouvior2967
      @fleurpouvior2967 7 місяців тому +30

      Saaaaame. Except instead of cats, it was squirrels, or raccoons. There was some discussion about putting up a scarecrow, and I shot that down so fast.

    • @Jonnievon
      @Jonnievon 7 місяців тому

      Cz’s world did it

    • @enterusernamehere7150
      @enterusernamehere7150 7 місяців тому +4

      ​@@fleurpouvior2967😂

    • @mili1309
      @mili1309 7 місяців тому +7

      oof i get scared of bugs easily I would not survive at being in a field especially after being told a scary story about it let alone in a old house that makes noices at night, props to you mate for surving it I would never be able to sleep until morning rises

  • @SanguineCynic
    @SanguineCynic 7 місяців тому +903

    I'm 26 years old, and that story still sends a chill up my spine. It really was the most impactful story from the books for me. Seeing that horrible face makes me feel like a scared little kid again.

    • @jaxjaxattaxx
      @jaxjaxattaxx 7 місяців тому +27

      I’m 35. This series still gives me the wiggitywoos

    • @samdiel5527
      @samdiel5527 7 місяців тому +13

      I'm 35 and I still love these. The best were the cassette tapes that were narrated by George S. Irving. Those were so scary! And I still play them for people to scare them!

    • @PFirefly06
      @PFirefly06 7 місяців тому +11

      40 year old here. Glad that these stories are still scaring kids to this day lol. Fantastic Books.

    • @bigglypuff0420
      @bigglypuff0420 7 місяців тому +3

      I'm 27 and I use to be so scared of this story too. That and the story about the mean wife murdering her husband in the woods...

    • @3ch1dna07
      @3ch1dna07 7 місяців тому +6

      50's, and I read these when my oldest brought them home. It was a thing we did so that I could see what they are into and it was something extra to talk about. They were just as disturbing as a Stephen King story at times.

  • @rianaconklin6954
    @rianaconklin6954 7 місяців тому +452

    I honestly lived on a farm when I read the Harold story to my siblings, and shortly after started hearing footsteps on the roof ,so of course we all freaked out, our parents were 4 hours late getting home, we were terrified and ended up walking 3-4 miles up the road to a neighbors house for help, it ended up being a drugged out person trying to break in that was on the roof, so just horrible timing for the story, but that story has always scared the crap out of me ever since

    • @chanvalentine8283
      @chanvalentine8283 7 місяців тому +106

      Maybe it was a good thing you read it, got scared and left. Maybe the druggie would've hurt you guys.😢

    • @rianaconklin6954
      @rianaconklin6954 7 місяців тому +39

      @@chanvalentine8283 honestly I've thought the same thing over the years, thank you for sharing ♥

    • @mili1309
      @mili1309 7 місяців тому

      @@rianaconklin6954 this story reminds me of the time my and my older cousin were staying at the house alone but where watching the scary movie of harold, at the time someone was trying to break into the house we got scared and crawled out the window which was probably dramatic incase it was actually our niebors or friends of my mom
      btw we were no more then 10 - 11 years old and our parents were nearby but at a nieghors house, we ended up running to where our parents was which was about 2 blocks down we were screaming at them that harold was at our house which they were very confused about since they never read the book or movie
      but luckily for us the robber was caught because he though no one was home since we went through the window, my and cousin dad's ended up pining the robber to the floor luckily he didn't have a gun
      sorry for long story and any grammers or miss spelling. english isn't my strong suit

    • @captainflappyarms8277
      @captainflappyarms8277 7 місяців тому +24

      I'm just glad you didn't get hurt by the drug addict, it's good he didn't get in

    • @lyfrocket
      @lyfrocket 7 місяців тому +12

      Glad y’all remained safe and got outta there🙏🏾✨

  • @eamonclark4952
    @eamonclark4952 7 місяців тому +189

    “Harold” is a cautionary tale about what happens if you don’t respect people even when they aren’t in the room and teaches people to be kind and treat people with respect

    • @meisteremm
      @meisteremm Місяць тому +6

      I think going further, it is also about why you should not mess with bad magic.
      They created an effigy, they gave it the name of another man that they hated, and they directed that hatred towards the doll in the forms of ritual abuse and spoken curses.
      The use of a doll as a means of magical punishment is often associated with Vodou, but this idea also has roots in many pre-Christian cultures throughout Europe.
      Basically, they may have been just pretending in the beginning, but their hatred for the man who inspired Harold was so real and so powerful that it gave life to inert materials, which eventually backfired on them when the doll sought revenge.

    • @mintypal
      @mintypal 13 днів тому

      ​@@meisteremmVoodoo dolls were used for rituals. However, instead of using it for cursing others, those dolls were used for benevolent reasons.

  • @andiskene7346
    @andiskene7346 7 місяців тому +341

    The one about the bride was the creepiest one to me. Live burial is one of my bigger fears. But now that I'm an adult I have to wonder: who plays hide and seek on their wedding day??

    • @tensiahuddleston9983
      @tensiahuddleston9983 7 місяців тому +47

      In the bride's story, it says that all sorts of games were played at the reception; even old children's games. So they were just having a good light-hearted time and playing hide and seek for the heck of it!❤️🐱

    • @jamieg1669
      @jamieg1669 7 місяців тому +16

      Indeed, I always hated her picture, though, the big one that took up the whole page suited my brain cannon

    • @Wolfbane382
      @Wolfbane382 7 місяців тому +11

      The Bedtime Stories episode Mysteries of Christmas covered a real-life story that is similar to The Bride's story. The only thing I'm not 100% sure on if that is the actual inspiration for the story from the book.

    • @twistedwonderland1043
      @twistedwonderland1043 7 місяців тому +7

      God, that story fucked me up as a kid.

    • @JonSolo
      @JonSolo  7 місяців тому +52

      that one has stuck with me too! the illustration of the bride perfectly embodied the sheer terror of that situation

  • @lordeflockatee3399
    @lordeflockatee3399 7 місяців тому +346

    Literally wore my “Scary Stories To tell in the Dark” shirt today… perfect 😂

    • @luciparadise6781
      @luciparadise6781 7 місяців тому +14

      Go get that lottery ticket. 😂

    • @MinaOmega
      @MinaOmega 7 місяців тому +1

      Where did you find that?

    • @lordeflockatee3399
      @lordeflockatee3399 7 місяців тому +6

      @@MinaOmega either Spencer’s or Hot Topic… I’m old school 😂

    • @MinaOmega
      @MinaOmega 7 місяців тому +4

      @@lordeflockatee3399 you're in good company, then.

    • @leijensen11
      @leijensen11 7 місяців тому +1

      Nice!

  • @morganvaclavik5296
    @morganvaclavik5296 7 місяців тому +87

    As a teacher, I can say that, yes, these stories are still very popular

    • @RubyBlueUwU
      @RubyBlueUwU Місяць тому

      One thing consistent throughout human history is kids love hearing some fucked up stories

  • @thriceXplus7
    @thriceXplus7 7 місяців тому +118

    More than anything, the art is what stuck with me! It made all of those stories 1000x more scary.

  • @boardcertifiable
    @boardcertifiable 7 місяців тому +194

    Harold always scared me. That was the spookiest of all the stories imo.

    • @littlesongbird1
      @littlesongbird1 7 місяців тому +4

      Agreed.

    • @zacharywheeler6605
      @zacharywheeler6605 7 місяців тому +1

      That one was the creepiest to me too!

    • @Human_6181
      @Human_6181 6 місяців тому

      Agreed… I’m genuinely creeped out by this story. And I usually don’t get that creeped out much.. but this story is just different. It’s actually hella scary.. I wish i had someone to get close to right now 😥😢🥲🥲😅

    • @Estef182
      @Estef182 5 місяців тому

      ​@@Human_6181SAME !!

  • @jaxjaxattaxx
    @jaxjaxattaxx 7 місяців тому +110

    I will always love my biology teacher everytime she would cancel class just to read these to us. I’m 35 and these books still freak me out.

  • @nightlyoko626
    @nightlyoko626 7 місяців тому +81

    I also remember how 500 years ago in the 90s when I was in 2nd grade my librarian would read these during Halloween week and I loved it lmao it introduced me to horror c:

  • @eriettam2970
    @eriettam2970 7 місяців тому +15

    For some reason I always believed that Harold intended to wear Thomas's skin after it dried up

  • @jacobshore5115
    @jacobshore5115 7 місяців тому +24

    That stuff you said about the Sennentuntschi reminded me of these scarecrow monsters from the game Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Never knew there was some kind of historical and folkloric precedent to such creatures! Just thought they were a scary monster come to life by witch magic, and there’s a lot of other stories about scarecrows coming to life too, so, I thought it was just referencing those.

  • @Ashley-ot7do
    @Ashley-ot7do 7 місяців тому +38

    I loved these growing up in middle school and they all pretty much terrified me. The only one that I would re-read over and over was called “Cold As Clay.” I thought it was sweet in some sad and twisted way. I hope you get to cover that one!

    • @zoiewitch3516
      @zoiewitch3516 7 місяців тому +5

      Same! I love cold as clay. I hope the dad learned his lesson though. People love who they love and it can be scary when you fight it

    • @sxatcychan1988
      @sxatcychan1988 7 місяців тому

      I got curious and looked it up. I think Junji Ito made a comic similar to this story.

  • @seanfrizzell8227
    @seanfrizzell8227 7 місяців тому +19

    One story that stay with me is Me Tie Dough-ty Walker. That story really creep me out. It's really cool that you're covering the Scary Stories to tell in the Dark book and looking deeper into the folklore of these Stories.

  • @MarsBarsssss
    @MarsBarsssss 7 місяців тому +23

    As someone who’s only in middle school, these books are my childhood. In elementary school everyone would always take them in the library and they were all so hard to find. Later I watched the movie and it was AWESOME! I totally recommend

  • @PeriwinkleB
    @PeriwinkleB 7 місяців тому +7

    I’m 25 and I remember these books and the nightmares I had vividly because of them. The spider one traumatized me because that following, a spider bit me and laid eggs in my thigh. Ever since then, I’ve had an intense arachnophobia issue. I’ve also grown a discomfort for scarecrows and red doors 😂

  • @elgatofelix8917
    @elgatofelix8917 7 місяців тому +106

    Messed up Origins is a truly legendary series. Keep it up Solo! 👍

  • @Lutherstrode17492
    @Lutherstrode17492 7 місяців тому +37

    It’s always a good day when Jon uploads

  • @yaeldragwyla8170
    @yaeldragwyla8170 7 місяців тому +83

    I never read any of the books in that series. This is a first-time introduction to them for me. Thank you for this thoughtful review. 🙂

    • @sandrag3854
      @sandrag3854 7 місяців тому +4

      Same. I'm glad to get the story by Jon rather than reading them myself. It sounds horrific!

    • @lalehiandeity1649
      @lalehiandeity1649 7 місяців тому +10

      Definitely read them if you want to be traumatized for life. Listen to the audiobooks for added effect. It’s amazing.

    • @barbarahouk1983
      @barbarahouk1983 7 місяців тому

      I too did not read these stories. Jon is as always entertaining.

    • @talkingfez1265
      @talkingfez1265 7 місяців тому +2

      YOU HAVE TO!!!!!!! YOU"RE MISSING OUT!!!!!!!

    • @amandaoroberts
      @amandaoroberts 7 місяців тому +1

      There’s a few of them that generally are but for the most part a lot of them are cheesey.

  • @zoiewitch3516
    @zoiewitch3516 7 місяців тому +10

    I actually really enjoyed "Cold as Clay" but the one that scared me the most was surprisingly either the one where that girl rented a dress and got embalmed through her pores by it or "wendigo" which made me terrified to fall asleep that night. My family has a long line of not scaring easily though.

  • @samiam2088
    @samiam2088 7 місяців тому +15

    I LOVED these books, the artwork still haunts me.

  • @tiakay
    @tiakay 7 місяців тому +7

    I never heard of “Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark” until a very dear online friend of mine introduced me to the book series when I entered my mid twenties and I eventually got around to reading every volume I could get my hands on at my old library I used to volunteer at and fell in love with the series.
    Thank you for sharing this interesting video with us and I hope you have a very nice weekend.

  • @elysiapalmer9244
    @elysiapalmer9244 7 місяців тому +40

    Technically you started with Tailypo but.... YES!!! THE SCARY STORIES BOOKS WERE MY ALL TIME FAVIE! You think checking out at the library was bad just consider yourself lucky you didn't try to pick them up from the scholastic book fair, always one of the first to sell out. Soooooo happy you're doing this series, my heart is in these books (and in my throat with the reminder of how MESSED UP I was as a child hahahaha)

    • @CapriciousCobra
      @CapriciousCobra 7 місяців тому

      You mean, the big toe, just delicious, or is there another that resembles it even more closely?

  • @anti-liberal7167
    @anti-liberal7167 7 місяців тому +4

    Dont ever laugh when a hearse goes by or you may be the next to die that poem has stayed with me for 30 years

  • @mietitore1823
    @mietitore1823 7 місяців тому +8

    My Big Toe story and Tailypo story that was in Jon Solo last video have similar themes. Main character eats a body part, the creature comes looking for lost part, and finally they both come together.

    • @captainflappyarms8277
      @captainflappyarms8277 7 місяців тому +1

      When I was watching the movie Harold and the big toe one spooked me so much so I turned the TV off then watched a more lighthearted movie to clear my head lol

  • @nocturne6548
    @nocturne6548 7 місяців тому +11

    This video is awesome! I appreciate learning about the history of Harold's inspiration!
    One story that scares me to this day from this series is the story of the man and the dog. I don't remember the title of the story, but I remember it featuring a voice saying "Me-tie-doughty-walker", as a man and his dog are hiding in a house.

  • @wendigo95
    @wendigo95 7 місяців тому +6

    As a kid I checked those books out of the library every chance I got, I honestly think they're what got me hooked on horror movies and tales. The one that stuck with me the most and gave me the most nightmares was the white wolf story, still probably my favorite.

  • @Nylak-Otter
    @Nylak-Otter 7 місяців тому +6

    These were my favorite books when I was a kid. And yeah, I LOVED the art. My older sister got them for me because she was trying to corrupt me, and it worked. The series turned out to be one of the first books I learned to read without help (so around 5-ish; I was an early reader), and I've got a limited edition full anthology I'm saving for any future offspring.
    I tried to share em with my nephew when he was around 9 to get back at my late sister, and he couldn't even handle em then. Wuss. 😂
    I didn't understand the Harold story's end at first, so my sister explained it to me with the assistance of a deerskin pelt I had in my bedroom. Apparently I was cool with that.

  • @___David__
    @___David__ 7 місяців тому +3

    I appreciate you retelling these stories instead of assuming we all know them. I was born in the 80's, grew up in the late 80's and 90's and had never heard of any of this. Being in Portugal, all we used to get over here were the stories from the Brothers Grimm and that was it. And even those were mostly watered down by the publishers, lest an uproar of concerned mothers would rise.

  • @Chesh89
    @Chesh89 7 місяців тому +5

    Omg yes!!! I grew up on these and have the collection... that my son loves now too!

  • @jasoncary2496
    @jasoncary2496 7 місяців тому +2

    I am 43 and owned the box set of the books. Harold was always the creepiest story in the books to me when i was a kid

  • @nathanielturner2577
    @nathanielturner2577 7 місяців тому +5

    I remember hearing the story “ Harold” in middle school. We even made a dummy out of old clothes and cotton that we used as a stand in for a violent scene in “ The Outsiders”.

  • @TNHawke
    @TNHawke 7 місяців тому +6

    I never read book 3, but the art in the books freaked me out WAY more than the stories did. I remember laughing at some of them, like eating the toe.
    If I had read Harold, that may have been different!

  • @moy9948
    @moy9948 7 місяців тому +2

    Back in middle school, Harold was the only story from the book that made me put it down and not read for a whole week, hell I didn't even finished the story. I don't remember the story, but something about it made me fill anxious unlike the other stories.

  • @JamesBrown-fz9kl
    @JamesBrown-fz9kl 6 місяців тому +1

    "About 200 years ago, when I was in grade school" Bro I can relate on a humor level and emotional level behind the sentiment. ❤

  • @eeeman
    @eeeman 7 місяців тому +3

    The nostalgia hits the spot. I remember I read these books during October before they changed their illustrations.

  • @PurpleLugia
    @PurpleLugia 7 місяців тому +6

    I remember the existence of the "Scary Stories" books all too well, though I never read past the second one, so I never knew the story of Harold. I don't know how I forgot all but one story from the first two books (that story being "Bloody Fingers"), but I hope you cover more stories; maybe some others will ring a bell.

  • @sweetstar5920
    @sweetstar5920 7 місяців тому +2

    I work at an elementary school and used to work in the library there (I still help in there sometimes). Last year, I started getting the kids interested in these books again. I even read Harold to the 6th graders before Halloween. They all loved it and since then those books have gotten new life. Unfortunately some of the newer copies don’t have the same amazing artwork so I made sure to put the good old ones on display .

  • @sarapenn9776
    @sarapenn9776 7 місяців тому +5

    These books terrified me as a kid. I still have the first one and my nephews (who grew up on FNAF) were scared by them.

  • @kingblanketfort
    @kingblanketfort 7 місяців тому +3

    I absolutely loved these books as a kid. I just turned 36 in August and I had every single one growing up. Read them a million times over! ❤💀

  • @sharondacox6178
    @sharondacox6178 7 місяців тому +3

    I was fortunate to convince myself that being "a good girl" would make sure I never agitated a monster like Harold. Then I grew up and saw horror films that blew that theory away.

  • @jamieg1669
    @jamieg1669 7 місяців тому +1

    Those stories, with the original artwork, are what my great aunt would call "milkbox book". If a book was so scary that she couldn't bear to even keep in the house, she'd hide it in the milk box on the porch, where the milkman would find it during his morning deliveries.

  • @JesusRN16
    @JesusRN16 7 місяців тому +1

    That legend of the girl and food guy sound like the inspiration for that one episode of Chowder, where the lady brings a meatloaf to life.

  • @bgvo4373
    @bgvo4373 7 місяців тому +13

    I loved these books!!! They were so scary!

  • @samaliakempf3304
    @samaliakempf3304 7 місяців тому +5

    My sister & I loved these books, as well as our kids! My daughter would like to hear about "The Big Toe". We love your Messed up Origins too!

  • @katiegustafson6765
    @katiegustafson6765 7 місяців тому +2

    The one I remember vividly from the late eighties/early nineties is called either the ribbon or the necklace.
    A beautiful mysterious woman comes to town and always wears a black choker necklace/ ribbon. All the men are smitten with her and she picks one and marries him but admonishes: never take off my necklace. Of course, he does take it off, and her head falls off as well.
    I think of that story every single time I see a lady wearing a choker, nearly 40 years later.

  • @bobatealily
    @bobatealily Місяць тому

    Grew up in the early 2000s and the series was my childhood. Watched the movie adaption when it first came out and liked it. When I first read Harold, it didn’t scare me much until I read it again as an adult. One scene that cracked me up (and still does) was when the farmers smeared spoiled food onto Harold’s face.

  • @TheBlairWenchProject
    @TheBlairWenchProject 7 місяців тому +4

    _these stories scared the crap out of me as a kid. I loved it. Til this day I love horror. I couldn’t wait for part 2 of the book._

  • @theanimeunderworld8338
    @theanimeunderworld8338 7 місяців тому +3

    "Oh I know it sounds suspicious, but you look damn delicious, if I only had your brain!!"

  • @thatguy_5240
    @thatguy_5240 7 місяців тому +2

    These books definitely kickstarted my love of horror and my altogether weird tastes and interests. It's actually surprising these books were in schools. Not because I think it's too much for children, but because it's too much for parents lol. While these don't really scare me the way they used to, a lot of these stories are still incredibly unsettling

  • @dmulcahy8846
    @dmulcahy8846 7 місяців тому +2

    These books were a HUGE part of my childhood and I read them to my son as well! (He’s 15 and still won’t look at the pictures). I will watch every video you make on these stories and American folklore

  • @AnimeAngel88
    @AnimeAngel88 7 місяців тому +4

    I'm about to turn 35 later this month and these stories still scare the shit out of me.

  • @havingfun9324
    @havingfun9324 7 місяців тому +3

    My goodness I had all three of these books and they absolutely scared me everytime I read them. Although the ending of Bloody Finger, if I’m remembering it correctly, was rather funny with the guy telling him to get a band-aid.

  • @felixchaplin
    @felixchaplin 7 місяців тому +1

    I'm 27 and the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books were always getting checked out from the school library around Halloween time every year when I was in elementary school. One year, I expressed my frustration to the school librarian about my inability to check out the books, and she recommended a different book for me to read. It was a collection of stories by Edgar Allan Poe, and I've loved his work ever since

  • @ladiesweb4769
    @ladiesweb4769 7 місяців тому +2

    Oh man!
    Of all the scary story books. This is the story that stuck with me for years!!!

  • @RumBeachBum
    @RumBeachBum 7 місяців тому +9

    The story that originally spooked me as a kid is now one of my favorite stories from the book. It’s so refreshing to hear it again. 🥰

  • @Silverserri
    @Silverserri 7 місяців тому +7

    Something really subtle about this story is the underlying lesson you learn from it: even the most passive and seemingly helpless individual will eventually get sick of abuse, and when it happens, they will retaliate. Harold wasn't even meant to be alive, but he was given human features and treated as if he were. And eventually, he stopped tolerating the abuse.

  • @poly_morphedvoid7190
    @poly_morphedvoid7190 7 місяців тому +2

    This is so relatable!

  • @jamieserrano827
    @jamieserrano827 7 місяців тому +2

    The classic illustrations also live rent free in my head as well
    When weekend I went to stay with my cousin down in San Diego, and she and my sister was scaring me with all the jump stories from the book
    I still love that book to this day, even the Southfield stations they definitely would not pack the same punch
    The scary stories to tell in the dark treasury is a spooky season classic for a good reason

  • @Wolfbane382
    @Wolfbane382 7 місяців тому +3

    God, I love these books. I bought all three at the Bookfair when I was I kid and would read them practically non-stop while I waited for my mom to come to pick me up from daycare. I brought them along when my mom and I went camping during the summer and asked her to read some at night. I swear to you, I would hear woodlin noises out in the woods after I went to bed.
    My eyes would dart around my tent as I'd honestly think one of the ghosts or monsters from the book was looking for me. I truly cherish those memories along with the books themselves. Plus I love pouring over the notes in the back because of how fascinating it was to get an idea of which story came from where. ^_^
    Edit: Three stories always stuck with me.
    The first is the bride. My great-grandmother had a truck that was similar in the story, but just a bit smaller. After I read it and went to stay at her house for a weekend, I got rather nervous being around that trunk. I knew there wasn't anything in there but the quilts she made, but I kept picturing my body and how it would look after getting stuck in there by accident. Needless to say, I avoided that trunk at all costs as a kid.
    The second was Sounds. I would always try to picture what kind of murder took place inside the house those fishermen took shelter in during that storm.
    The third one was One Sunday Morning. That one gave me a very vivid nightmare as a kid.

  • @jessiebates1937
    @jessiebates1937 4 місяці тому

    This was the story that scared me most as a kid. The stories were so creepy and the illustrations. I totally remember waiting weeks between the reading the books because they were ALWAYS checked out. Now as an adult i have The Scary Stories Treasury, all three books in one, complete with all their stories and illustration in their creepy, scary glory.

  • @jackiesliterarycorner
    @jackiesliterarycorner 7 місяців тому +1

    I love these stories growing up and it's great you're covering them this year.

  • @sephypsycologist
    @sephypsycologist 7 місяців тому +3

    i read the books in high school cause they were too scary for my middle school self XD harold was always the scariest to me, and it's so cool to hear he came from actual legends. i hope del toro makes a sequel to the movie too...

  • @DobrieLov
    @DobrieLov 7 місяців тому +3

    Ah yes, me and my sister are 90s babies and we adore these books. Lol. We always thought they were more badass than scary. But for me the one exception is one of the vampire stories. I dunno why but the description of the vampire looking in the window freaked me out as a kid. Lol. Of course in the picture it looked like a rotting corpse not a vampire. On nights when there were orangey clouds in the sky, if I saw a cloud that looked like a skull, it would remind me of that story and I’d get scared thinking it was a bad omen. Lol

  • @Wytch1
    @Wytch1 7 місяців тому

    I bought these books back when I was 20 years old and have loved the stories so much! I’m 50 now and Harold STILL makes my skin crawl! I also still have all three books! So happy I found your channel!

  • @ingridfong-daley5899
    @ingridfong-daley5899 7 місяців тому +1

    I can't believe how much i enjoy this channel. I was never really into mythology or fairy tales, but the algorithm led me here 2-3 years ago, and i'm always eagerly awaiting the next upload.
    Thank you for your passion and for sharing your humour and wisdom with the rest of us :)

  • @user-qt7cm1bm2d
    @user-qt7cm1bm2d 7 місяців тому +6

    Cool videos 😊😊😊

  • @CorySkelton
    @CorySkelton 7 місяців тому +5

    I was maybe 7 when I read these books, Harold was by far the scariest story to me and it made me feel sick and truly horrified 😅 I've never forgotten reading it for the first time.

  • @schuchnergames469
    @schuchnergames469 7 місяців тому +1

    There was a couple stories I couldn't forget one of the two farmers can't get rid of the crows so one of them pretends to be a scarecrow but since they still can't grow then the other farmer eats him alive off the scarecrow post... Another one we're sick wife sees a shadow man with cat eyes come to the door and the leaves again and when she goes downstairs she finds her husband dead, it goes something like that. So mysterious though kept me freaked out as a kid ..

  • @Dookieman1975
    @Dookieman1975 7 місяців тому +1

    Anyone else remember wonderful sausages? Kids went missing and a butcher just coincidentally started giving out mystery sausages? And nobody could figure it out? They couldn’t even get Sherlock Holmes to figure it out

  • @Softsqueakyduck
    @Softsqueakyduck 7 місяців тому +4

    As a young child (30 years ago) I LOVED these books!! I had all of them, I think it's what inspired my love of horror. 😅

  • @andershay99212
    @andershay99212 7 місяців тому

    Im so glad you are doing this series. I loved all of the stories as a kid. I appreciate all of the research you do.

  • @jrr2480
    @jrr2480 7 місяців тому +1

    The last story in this episode sounds like if Dorothy hooked up with the Scarecrow.

  • @amberkilgore4231
    @amberkilgore4231 7 місяців тому

    Yay! New book added to the must get book list. I am loving your vidoes, speak my lingo. It's so refreshing. 💧 😊 I'm also a massive fan of reading, philosophy, folklore, the study of religions and cultures, anything cynical and/or thought-provoking and all things macabre. This has easily become one of my favorite subs. Thanks very much!

  • @emmetthowell899
    @emmetthowell899 7 місяців тому +1

    Back in elementary school (in the mid 2000’s) the books were so popular and there was a constant demand for them that the librarian personally bought three extra copies of all three books so there wasn’t just an ever expanding waitlist to go through each Monday. I absolutely adored the books and while they were super creepy and scared the hell out of lil 3rd grade me it never really kept me up or gave me nightmares and I think that’s because I knew the entire purpose of the book was to scare me and wasn’t real life

  • @will3913
    @will3913 7 місяців тому

    Hi Jon! Thank you for an awesome video! I read all of them when I was younger. Me and a friend who lived down the street used to scare ourselves reading Scary Stories. The one that stands out was The White Wolf from the first Scary Stories. Our old neighborhood was adjacent to cornfields and forests - we got so scared running back and forth between our houses after dark (4pm in a Vermont winter LOL!). Thank you again for another awesome video!

  • @Laurel608
    @Laurel608 7 місяців тому +1

    I’m 41 and I was a little old for the scary stories but the Harold story always got me! I’d find myself always a little extra nervous around my Mom’s stuffed scarecrow (from a craft fair) that she kept on her bed!

  • @dazofrhinen74
    @dazofrhinen74 7 місяців тому

    I remember seeing scary stories in my elementary school libraries, and was always enthralled and terrified by the illustrations and story lines. I'm convinced that these books fostered my love for horror and creepy stories from early on.

  • @regib1992
    @regib1992 7 місяців тому

    I’m 41 and this brings horror nostalgia my anxiety can’t take it!

  • @M4dniss
    @M4dniss 28 днів тому

    I think I read Harold for myself at a friend's house, because I remember reading a couple of stories in one of the books in his basement while we were hanging out.
    The two I actually remember reading, though (honestly, I might only have read these two), were Harold and another one about a woman who had to get a liver for her husband.
    If you know the story you know what happens.
    The creator is a genius, considering I (and I'm sure, plenty of others) have never forgotten these stories after a couple years.

  • @slam_minimo4559
    @slam_minimo4559 6 місяців тому

    When I seen the first scary story to tell in the dark book. I was like 6. I didn't know how to read at the time. But the pictures we're so unnerving. I never knew what was happening in the story. But I always came back for the pictures.
    And weirdly enough, those books have a special place in my heart.

  • @Nyanbinary
    @Nyanbinary 3 місяці тому +1

    They are my 8 year old's favorite books, there are 2 for even younger kids by Alvin Schwartz called "in a dark dark wood" &"ghosts"

  • @jasartstudios
    @jasartstudios Місяць тому

    You can't say "Old Sacks" without remembering the great _UA-cam Poops_ that Tom Servo brought to us.

  • @aaroninlatin
    @aaroninlatin 2 місяці тому +1

    I would check those books out of my schools library constantly.

  • @Spiritwingz56
    @Spiritwingz56 2 місяці тому

    Can't reminder if this was in those books, but the one with the ribbon where her head falls off was definitely one that stuck with me.

  • @jenberry2861
    @jenberry2861 7 місяців тому

    Really really loved this Jon xx

  • @jozajab6849
    @jozajab6849 5 місяців тому

    Thanks for covering this one! This one always scared me the most when I was younger!

  • @damnthatscrazy4426
    @damnthatscrazy4426 7 місяців тому

    This was the main story I remembered in the collection and I didn’t even read the story. I remeber my older brother asking me to sit on the toilet seat while he showered bc he was scared of the story.
    My stupid self asked him oh what was the story about and he told it to me perfectly and it scared me to the point where *I* needed our family dog to stay in the bathroom with me bc younger sibling mindset on being embarrassed to look like a chump if I asked my brother to stay when it was my turn.
    Since then the story has lived in my mind rent free. Thank you scary stories for giving me a traumatizing bonding experience with my older brother.

  • @imshinycaptain
    @imshinycaptain 7 місяців тому

    I work in an elementary school these days, and they're still pretty popular! Not months-long-waiting-list popular, but I see them in kids' hands pretty frequently.

  • @rayguncarly2087
    @rayguncarly2087 7 місяців тому

    Thank you for covering this! Truly a childhood classic ❤

  • @Ellie-ns9kq
    @Ellie-ns9kq 7 місяців тому +1

    My twin brother and I read all the books together bc we were so scared- so it’s hard to pick just one bc there were several sleepless nights imagining getting locked in a chest and the hearse song getting stuck in your head. But the sausage one always freaked me out and he hated the “dog” picture

  • @samuelmarquez4501
    @samuelmarquez4501 7 місяців тому +1

    Growing up only a couple sets of books were always with me, these (Scary stories), Bunnicula, Funny Bones, Frog and Toad, and Where the wild things are. I would hope that children still read them, but like all things....

  • @ivettegutierreztorres4272
    @ivettegutierreztorres4272 7 місяців тому

    Please do more! Loved it!

  • @Kevin_tx
    @Kevin_tx 7 місяців тому

    Excellent video!

  • @blancol4104
    @blancol4104 7 місяців тому +2

    I’m such a punk so I’ll never read this or watch scary movies but I’m nosy so I appreciate these videos lol

  • @an-dru3732
    @an-dru3732 7 місяців тому

    Great video. I remember reading stories like these, even to this day they still creep me out. I also love the shirt your wearing for this scary episode, is it from the merch store?

  • @JCArules13
    @JCArules13 7 місяців тому

    The story about a vampire scared the crap out of me as a kid! Specifically because we had a family getaway that was a farm in Missouri. Extremely rural, gravel roads kind of place. Down the street from the farmhouse was an old graveyard with graves dating back to the 1800s! And although my room didn't face the graveyard, it did have a big ole window right next to my bed! I thank god it had blinds, otherwise I would have had EXTREMELY bad nightmares instead of the pretty bad ones I had.

  • @HedgieDaUmbrehog
    @HedgieDaUmbrehog 7 місяців тому

    Fun Fact!
    When I was a kid, my brother had these books. Read them like mad. Then I got to the story of the spider laying the eggs. The illustrations haunted me so bad it gave me night terrors, and made my mom throw the books away. Years and Years later, the movie was coming out. So, I forced myself to nut up, and rebought all three books. And I sat, in the dark. Alone in my house. And read them all. Repeatedly. Still gives me goosebumps, but thanks to years of being alive, could handle it much better.
    But gotdamn those illustrations...