Nothing Says “Happy Father’s Day” Like Black-Eyed Children

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Or does it? I never would’ve associated Father’s Day with black-eyed children until I watched Into the Dark’s June movie, They Come Knocking.

Do you have Hulu? Have you been watching the Into the Dark offerings?

In case you’re not familiar with Into the Dark, it’s a horror anthology series consisting of twelve feature-length episodes, a new one for each month. Each installment relates to a holiday associated with that month.

June’s “holiday” focus is Father’s Day. They Come Knocking is a story about a father and his daughters on what at first seems like just a camping trip. But of course nothing is ever what it seems in horror movies, is it?

The family finds themselves stranded at their isolated campsite in the desert terrorized by black-eyed children who come knocking at night wanting to be let in.

Black-Eyed Children

What are black-eyed children?

I remember wondering that several years back when I suddenly started seeing posts all over the Internet about them. I was confused, because I like to think I’m pretty tuned-in to the paranormal. How had I never heard of these creepy kids before this?

Well, part of it was I wasn’t as tuned-in as I thought, because the story of black-eyed children had been around since the mid-1990s. However, it seemed it was more an urban legend than an actual phenomenon. One that gained momentum and had exploded in popularity.

Reports of sightings spiked around the time of the release of Black Eyed Children: Let Me In, a 2013 horror movie.

It was somewhere around this time when I first became aware of the supposed black-eyed children phenomenon. Creepy kids with black eyes void of white parts surrounding the irises who approach somebody who’s alone, normally at night, asking for a ride or to be let into a house to use a phone or a bathroom.

They looked human, and like children, but they always left the person they approached feeling uneasy. They lived to tell their tale because they refused to let the kids in or sped away, etc.

It always struck me as sounding a little contrived. Now I know why. It likely is. (Although even Snopes files it under the same heading as Bigfoot. “Believe it if you like, but realize that there is no evidence of their existence, just subjective testimony that ranges from reasonable to suspiciously fame-whoring.”)

They Come Knocking

I haven’t watched all of the Into the Dark installments, because to be honest I haven’t really liked them. Some of the storylines just haven’t appealed to me, so I haven’t bothered with those. Others I’ve started to watch but couldn’t finish. Not because they were that scary, but because they were that lame.

They Come Knocking is the first one I liked. It’s also the first horror movie about black-eyed children I’ve seen. It was pretty creepy. At least as far as a made-for-streaming-TV horror movie goes. (I would’ve been pissed if I’d paid full price in a theater to see it. But from the comfort of my own home as part of my Hulu subscription? #Decent)

It’s got flaws, don’t get me wrong, but the pace stays quick, the acting is good, and the suspense is intense.

Other than the dad being with his daughters, though, it’s not really about Father’s Day per se. But it does emphasize the love a father has for his daughters. It’s sweet in it’s own way.

Creepy Father Horror Movies

The black-eyed children are really the horror stars of They Come Knocking. But wouldn’t it be interesting to see the dad who fathered them? He’d have to be pretty freaky, right?

I still don’t know of a horror movie specifically about Father’s Day (but if you do, please be sure to Check-In and educate me).

But what about scary dads? What are some of the scariest horror movie fathers you know of?

To this day I think 1987’s The Stepfather is one of the best horror movies about a creepy father I’ve ever seen. Terry O’Quinn’s performance was both cilling and disturbing and totally memorable.

But Jack Nicholson in The Shining was no joke either. Talk about a head of a family spiraling into insanity. Literally. “Here’s Johnny.” Yikes.

And then there’s Bill Paxton in Fraility, who accomplishes spooky in the most subdued way ever. Is he bad? Is he good? Is he delusional, or not? I’m always surprised this movie isn’t on more “Best Of” lists.

Check-In

Got any plans for Father’s Day? Or is there no “father” in your life to celebrate anymore?

My dad passed in 2017. My husband and I don’t have human children, but we do have fur kids. The cats always get Wayne a card or two to say thanks for putting up with them.

And of course there’s the Skeleton Crew. Here’s what they cooked up to celebrate all you dad’s out there.

 

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The Skeleton Crew’s starting off Father’s Day with a little early morning exercise at the lake. What’s your plans for the day? #fathersday #dancingskeleton #lakelife #skeletonsofinstagram #skeletonshenanigans #skeletoncrew #horrorfun #spooky #silliness #beachfitness

A post shared by Haunt Jaunts (@hauntjaunts) on Jun 16, 2019 at 5:42am PDT