[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka Monster does not have to be malicious, it's true, many ghosts, for example, are not. It was more of a comment about Gorke's behaviour and motivation.

My childhood trauma monster is from a puppet cartoon of the Soviet era, a story about the adventures of three little dogs as they search for the owner of one of them. At one point in their adventures, they were chased by a monster called Grumbumbes:



It was very scary back then, and the cartoon itself was for little children, pre-school and primary school level. It was so scary, in fact, that cartoon authors got some criticizing feedback from parents. This is why in episodes 2 and 3 of the cartoon (The story has 3 episodes around 10 minutes each), the authors had to redesign the monster and make him less scary for little children. In later episodes, it looked like this:

[DoctorEldritch]

@MustafaM7moud Is it known how "Alnaddaha" is born? Often in folklore, the origins of the spirit are different. For the ghost, it is typical to suffer a violent death or have some unfinished business, but it varies. Yuki-onna, for example, is born of a woman who dies in the snow. But some monsters are more of a natural phenomenon with no "human" origin. Does "Alnaddaha" only appear in the lakes where someone drowned before, for example?

I think it is more about being represented and spread these days. Japan has a lot of films and anime to showcase their monsters that are known internationally. More recently, Scandinavia and South America started to take the spotlight too. But myths from Egypt beyond that about gods are relatively unknown. Netflix should really get their international division on that.

[DoctorEldritch]

@BelalSaid Ah, now I got it. This is an interesting example: a fictional monster in a fictional storybook which is used as a plot device in a different fictional story, multilayered storytelling. A bit like Sophie's World. I guess it adds a level of allegory to the Monster story.

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch Oh my, that's quite scary indeed... even the adult me feels a little bit unsettled by the first picture.

A lot of the old children stories and movies have elements that are considered inappropriate or bad nowadays, as the social sensitivity was different back then. An example that was discussed a lot on the net is the altered songs in the live action remake of "The Little Mermaid". The original ones had lines that can be associated with sexual assault. And that's just one of many examples, a lot of the old Disney movies have stuff like that.

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch Well, this year Sam from the Movie Trick or Treat is one of my favourites.

All he wants is for you to fill his bag with Candy and he will leave you alone. If you refuse he will pester you until you give in. 😊

[DoctorEldritch]

Originally Posted by Saka

A lot of the old children stories and movies have elements that are considered inappropriate or bad nowadays, as the social sensitivity was different back then. An example that was discussed a lot on the net is the altered songs in the live action remake of "The Little Mermaid". The original ones had lines that can be associated with sexual assault. And that's just one of many examples, a lot of the old Disney movies have stuff like that.

I think that most of what became traditional children's stories were originally quite gruesome and not intended for kids. Mermaid, as you said, is one example, and Red Riding Hood comes to mind. Even some of the more modern stories like the ones that the Grimm Brothers collected were gory and had to be adapted to remove more unsettling parts later on.

I read an article that suggested that in olden times the role of a tale was not to entertain the way it is today, but rather to warn and scare from doing something wrong. Like Baba Yaga was a warning not to go into the woods. Nowadays that element is removed from the stories as people have other fears and need other warnings that can't be found in old stories.

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot Can his bag actually be filled? Or maybe it is an allegory about the futility of effort and it is actually impossible to do, and so he would haunt you forever?

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch Sam is like any other kid who goes out to trick or treat. While he isn't an actual boy he doesn't act malevolent when people are friendly towards him. He will ring the doorbell and present his bag for a treat. If anyone ignores him then he will start his torment.

When a person either fills his bag with goodies or even hands him a few sweets, he will be satisfied and move on to another house.

Sam doesn't haunt like ghosts or spirits and only crosses over into the physical world when the veil is at its thinnest. Halloween is the most appropriate time for a visitation.

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot Does Sam have an origin story? From what I could gather, he is sort of a macabre personification of Halloween?

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch The exact circumstances behind Sam's birth are unknown, but as seen in Trick 'r Treat, he's essentially the embodiment of Halloween itself. Within Sam lies the spirit of the holiday, including everything that's made Halloween great for generations past and generations to come. In that sense, he's likely existed as long as Halloween has been celebrated, and probably even further back to the Pagan festival of Samhain that preceded Halloween's creation.

For those who love Halloween, and respect its traditions, Sam poses no threat and is just another trick-or-treater out to enjoy the fun. Those who violate Halloween's rules and traditions, however, are best advised to avoid Sam at all costs, for he doesn't tend to show mercy.

Sam has many powers, and they essentially render him unbeatable. While it's possible to hurt and momentarily damage Sam, he possesses the ability to regenerate himself and recover from any assault.

He's also capable of resurrecting the dead to punish the living (as seen in the school bus story), teleporting at will, and moving with lightning speed and agility. He also has psychic abilities, including pyrokinesis, telekinesis, and the ability to see past events. Finally, Sam is extremely strong, and can easily take down a grown man or woman with ease.

It's no wonder Trick 'r Treat's resident curmudgeon Mr. Kreeg proves no match for Sam, even armed with a shotgun. Woe be to those who don't honour Halloween, as if Sam's around, they're unlikely to escape with their lives.