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Daniel Radcliffe Is About to Introduce Pediophobia to a New Generation of Teenagers

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (36)

Radcliffe_1665155c.jpg

Last night, for shits and giggles (and yes, because I’ve recently become enamored with Tumblr, a decade after everyone else), I posted 10 Serene Cinematic Images to Help You Sleep Peacefully Tonight. Many of those were of Pennywise, from Stephen King’s It. Many who saw the post were nonplussed, but for many of those who came of age around the time that It aired or had the fear of God put into you by the clown in Poltergeist, that coulrophobia has lingered. I suspect that Poltergeist and It combined nearly killed the birthday-party clown industry.

Now comes Woman in Black, which hopes to do for dolls what Pennywise did for clowns: Make the thought of them terrifying. It’s not exactly a new trope — Pediophobia, especially where it concerns China Dolls — is fairly common in moody horror flicks. But this one, at least based on the trailer, looks to do what James Wan’s little-seen Dead Silence could not. (Note, Child’s Play took a crack at this, too, but those movies were way too fucking silly to make much of an impression).

Check out the creepy trailer.










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Comments

For those right-minded people who are also freaked out by ventriloquist dummies, The Game will mess you up. It's all part of the "soulless eyes" category.

Posted by: Three-nineteen at August 17, 2011 3:35 PM

Chucky was terrifying for some of us, Rowles.

That movie looks like it'll give me nightmares. I love scary movies but I'm also a total wuss. Spooky kids, especially crossed with grim nursery rhymes, make me feel so uneasy.

Why Harry Potter? Why?

Couldn't you stick to being slightly sexy in a way that makes me feel icky? When I read the term "pediophobia" I did not know what it meant but I'd imagined something different given the Radcliffe context.

Posted by: becks at August 17, 2011 3:42 PM

Wow, Dustin. I'm starting to take this personally. I'm terrified of spiders and turtlenecks, too. You wanna go ahead and make your next post about that?

You're a cockface and I still hate you.

Posted by: E the B at August 17, 2011 3:58 PM

Ass.

Posted by: E the B at August 17, 2011 3:59 PM

TheMaskedEmu is terrified of dolls. Will not sleep in the same room as one.

I am terrified of puppets. While some of you apparently came away from Poltergeist with a fear of clowns, it made me afraid of marionettes instead (as the clown in question was a marionette). Those things freak me right the fuck out.

Posted by: KatSings at August 17, 2011 4:00 PM

Note? That fear does NOT apply to Muppets of any kind. The Muppets are amazing.

Posted by: KatSings at August 17, 2011 4:01 PM

Stop

misusing

"nonplussed"

Posted by: Jay at August 17, 2011 4:06 PM

Interesting to see Heath Ledger reprising The Joker in another film.

Sorry, sorry, look, I'm still bummed out about his death.

Posted by: pissant at August 17, 2011 4:09 PM

oh man, i LOVE moody horror flicks. this one, at least, looks pretty original. can't wait to see it!

Posted by: MizB at August 17, 2011 4:18 PM

Holy SHIT! You mean someone remembers how to make a scary movie without having to have buckets of fake blood to use while torturing young women? Somebody out there still has a clue about the difference between gory and scary, and the mental wherewithal to know that the ultimate scare starts with screwing over the audience's mind? Halle-fucking-lujah!

I don't even like horror movies, in general, but I might just have to see this one.

Posted by: NateS1973 at August 17, 2011 4:28 PM

I sent my husband a link to this page in gtalk. I then typed him this craziness. Enjoy.

Firstly, the studly man you see in the still in the trailer is RADCLIFF?!?
I think warner brothers may have barred him from hitting puberty while under contract, like emma watsons hair

Secondly, the movie looks good. I will want to see it. I will have nightmares for weeks and wake you up to walk me to the bathroom

Thridedlyish, why do I love houses that look haunted, and haunted house movies? This will not work. NO. We have no real haunting stories here because nothing is fucking old enough to have a forgotten history. Wanna know if someone was murdered in the house you want WIKI THAT SHIT.

Posted by: Theresa at August 17, 2011 4:30 PM

If I was watching this in a theater I'd be so embarrassed right now, as that final image made me squeal out loud.

Posted by: Lauren at August 17, 2011 4:55 PM

This is actually a Hammer Studios production (though I admit I'm not sure what that means anymore since I assume nobody from the old days is still with the company), so of course I have to see it. Looks good.

Posted by: Todd at August 17, 2011 4:55 PM

I'm more frightened by how attractive I find Daniel Radcliffe in this trailer than by the doll. And I'm terrified of those creepy fuckers.

Posted by: Pinky McLadybits at August 17, 2011 4:58 PM

Finally actually watched the damned thing, and the dolls aren't what is scary. It's the children. And the music, and rhyming. THAT shit will end me. EVERY. DAMNED. TIME.

In other words, I will totally go see this. I will also probably not sleep afterwards, but I'm ok with that.

Posted by: KatSings at August 17, 2011 5:12 PM

This is BRILLIANT. And small wonder it's a British film; those blokes know how to do creepy. The film is co-produced by UK company Hammer Film Productions. Ah, Hammer ... makers of Christopher Lee-vintage Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, and One Million Years B.C., featuring Raquel Welch in a fur bikini. Could this be the beginning of a new Golden Age of Hammer Horror?

Posted by: PDamian at August 17, 2011 5:27 PM

I worked at the theatre in London where Woman in Black is staged. It's pretty wicked even in that format.

Posted by: Laurie at August 17, 2011 5:36 PM

I'm afraid of commitment. I hope the Woman in Black isn't a wedding-crazed girlfriend.

Posted by: Ballymena Bob at August 17, 2011 5:41 PM

Now, the Poltergeist clown, that I get. A homicidal toy brought to silent life by demons from beyond that swiftly sneaks up and chokes you with ropey striped arms? Tim Curry in bad makeup and Halloween teeth. Not so much.

And no, Chucky was lame. Bad jokes from bad animatronic toys.

Posted by: Protoguy at August 17, 2011 6:10 PM

Yet again watching Radcliffe in a non-Potter role left me thinking to myself -- such a scrawny kid, has grown up to be quite handsome, he's rather fit, really ... and yet again ended up feeling a little icky.

Only recently I spent 10 good minutes calculating just to establish that I could not -- technically -- be his mother. Still. A little icky.

Posted by: SB at August 17, 2011 6:13 PM

Well, in any event, my paedophilia is alive and kicking.

Posted by: Anna von Beav at August 17, 2011 6:15 PM

NateS1973 took the words right out of my mouth. I love good horror movies and it's refreshing to see something that looks even remotely well done these days. I'll be seeing this and I'll probably love it.

Posted by: beckster at August 17, 2011 6:58 PM

Yay! I love creepy dolls. {shiver}

Posted by: MM at August 17, 2011 7:08 PM

Jeez E the B seemed nice when I talked to her....

Posted by: logan at August 17, 2011 7:57 PM

I was actually enjoying all the hair standing up on the back of my neck when I saw the post about "misusing nonplussed," about which, frankly, I was nonplussed. It's obvious that Dustin was explaining that SOME viewers of his "serene" beddy-bye gifs were responding with "WTF??" ---which is a standard groundling expression of nonplussed-ness-- and, therefore, an appropriate synonym of the unsullied, family-friendly "nonplussed."

Posted by: Stinky at August 17, 2011 10:24 PM

The argument about "nonplussed" comes about because the word now has two distinctly opposite meanings. From Oxford dictionaries:

"In standard use nonplussed means "surprised and confused", as in she was nonplussed at his eagerness to help out. In North American English a new use has developed in recent years, meaning "unperturbed" — more or less the opposite of its traditional meaning — as in he was clearly trying to appear nonplussed. This new use probably arose on the assumption that non- was the normal negative prefix and must therefore have a negative meaning. It is not considered part of standard English"

So Dustin's use would seem to conform to the original meaning of the word. Yay Dustin!

Posted by: Uriah Creep at August 17, 2011 10:37 PM

Pinky McLadybits-I felt exactly the same way as you.
I took one look at that trailer and said "hellooooooooooo, hot Harry Potter". Then I panicked trying to remember how old he is.
But hot damn, he looks good.

Posted by: Whorish Mouth at August 18, 2011 7:59 AM

Nothing doll-related will ever be scarier than this.

Posted by: SaBrina at August 18, 2011 9:15 AM

EEEEEEE!!! I love horror movies, the ones that are actually scary and not just bloody. The kind that make you think twice about looking behind the shower curtain. The kind that make you check under your bed. The kind that makes you freak out when your dog is staring at the corner of the ceiling for no good reason.

This looks very promising, and yes... Dan is looking really hot!

I've said before and I'll say it again, I like my men like my coffee, pale and weak.

I think I actually stole that from someone... but I am going to own it.

Posted by: MRod at August 18, 2011 9:16 AM

Protoguy it's not "Tim Curry in bad makeup and Halloween teeth." It's a fucking clown that lives in the sewer and eats little kids! How is that NOT terrifying??

Posted by: fenchurch at August 18, 2011 9:51 AM

I think I just got a web crush on KatSings. Marionettes are made by Satan himself, carved from the skulls of bad children and animated with the souls of kicked puppies.

And the Muppets are, indeed, fantabulous.

Posted by: Patty O'Green at August 18, 2011 10:28 AM

The Armitage is strong within this one.

Posted by: Me at August 18, 2011 10:30 AM

mmmm...armitage. no slighty icky factor there. now i need me some 'north & south', stat. or maybe guy of gisbourne in leather trousers? to the youtube!

Posted by: blondefire at August 18, 2011 11:11 AM

When I first heard that Radcliffe was doing a "Woman in Black" movie way back when, I misread and thought it was "Woman in White" -- the Wilkie Collins novel.

This looks better.

Posted by: linny at August 18, 2011 11:24 AM

I hate you so much.

Posted by: Nugs at August 18, 2011 3:04 PM

I liked Tim Curry as Pennywise, but King's depiction is FAR more terrifying than that found in the rather awful mini-series. The book PW is more fey and innocent-seeming when he appears to poor Georgie, w/ a "normal" speaking voice. Curry camped it up and he sounds like my Uncle Lou after a couple of cigars..not scary.

The first Child's Play is quite creepy and fun. Love me some Brad Dourif.

Posted by: stryker1121 at August 18, 2011 9:54 PM