l
Special Mentions
Here, I've decided to collect some of my 'Special Mentions' - PSAs that everyone else seems to find terrifying, but which I don't, for one reason or another. It might be that they haven't aged well, it could be that I have a different threshold for horror, it could just be that I like it but I don't consider it as scary as the others! A lot of these will be Classic PSAs, which are very well known and still very enjoyable, but which I don't think are particularly scary, creepy, or disturbing - at least, not to me, or not anymore.
How Much Is That Doggie?, 1987
This PSA gets put on "Top 20 Scariest/Creepiest/Most Disturbing PSAs" lists all the time, but genuinely, I just find it absolutely hilarious. The sad accordion music. The cute little dog, sitting there, just minding his business. Then, out of nowhere, some guy points a gun at it and asks for money. I see where they were going, I understand the message, I just think that "Please give us a pound....or we'll have to pull the trigger." while the dog stares sadly into the camera is the funniest left turn this advert could have taken. Special Mention because while everyone else finds this scary, I genuinely can't understand why, and it makes me laugh every time.
This Is Your Brain On Heroin, 1997
I really don't understand much why people think the This Is Your Brain PSAs are scary - though this one, I can see to some degree. The yelling, the violence, the quick descent... I can see how especially for kids, this one could leave an imprint. It's iconic, shows up on lists a lot, and a fine enough PSA. Just not one that scares me, personally.
Anthony Hicks, 2004
I don't find this one scary as much as just sad. I remember seeing this as a kid and just being upset that he never got to see his daughter. Still, I suppose this kind of possibility is its own kind of fear. It's an advert that I remember from my childhood, so it's pretty deeply rooted in my psyche, and although it doesn't actually show up on lists very often, I did come across it on one and wanted to include it in my special mentions.
Toys That Kill, 2004
This one does get me a little bit - most of the advert is quite tame, just some kids sneaking around in the field, until one boy shoots another in the head. It is pretty graphic, and you definitely do see blood and brain spatter from the shot. Still, I think the shock factor is likely the key to this one, and unfortunately I first saw it in a PSA compilation so was prepared for the inevitable turn. I imagine that seeing it unexpectedly in the wild would be pretty disturbing though.
Doors, 1986
This isn't really scary, though apparently some people do rank it - I have to admit the music is fairly eerie, which definitely gives it a good atmosphere. More dreamlike than nightmarish, even the classic 80s PSA voiceover guy doesn't quite push this into creepy or scary territory for me.
Doors, ?
While looking for the previous entry, I stumbled across this PSA.(door) It's not really creepy (door), though the intense voiceover definitely adds a little.(door) Mostly though I was just distracted being offput by the guy constantly murmuring (door) in between sentences.(the door) I guess I see what it was going for,(the door) but to me it definitely comes off more hilarious than frightening (close the door).
r