Chilled

When I was a kid, I grew up in a really old house that in the night was really really scary. I mean like horror movie scary. Sometimes even in the daylight it was scary. Our house was over 100 years old, and had in the back yard an old red barn with horse stables and everything. So think old creepy farm house - white, black shutters. Get the picture? Ok. So at night sometimes my brother and I would watch horror movies that would scare the crap out of us. One time, we watched this movie, and the movie was so freakin scary we talked about it, he and I, for years. Whenever someone talked about this movie or that movie being frightening, my brother and I would look at each other, and be like 'no way, man... we know of the scariest movie of all time.' And yet, we only saw the movie once, and we never knew its name -- but we were completely freaked out for about 10 years after watching it. I think when we saw it, I was around 7 or 8 years old, and my brother was either 10 or 11.

All I remember from the movie is that there was this man, and a woman, and they were arguing in this old place, and he wore a velvet smoking jacket with satin trim, and he was really creepy. They knew of a winning lottery ticket that was buried with someone who had recently died, and they had to go get the ticket. So the man went and dug up the coffin, and opened it-- and all you saw was the back of the man digging, and then, the back of him as he opens the coffin, and then you see the ticket -- but then, the man turns around to get out of the ground, and his face has frozen in the most awful kind of grimace -- his nose is like a pigs, and his smile goes from ear to ear, stretched all out of proportion -- I remember screaming my head off at this guys face, and for weeks after, my brother and I would push our noses up and stretch our cheeks out to scare each other half to death.

This was one of those experiences that every once in a while I'd think of it, and a chill would go down my spine, and I'd be freaked out for like days just thinking of it.

So now, I'm a librarian. And I'm sure I could have googled this description or something years ago, and found out what the heck this movie was. But I didn't. However, last night, my husband did. Just as a lark. I think he googled 'lottery ticket buried dug up movie.' And you know what? He Found It. My stomach feels sick just thinking of it. Its called Mr. Sardonicus. And we ordered it online. And its coming in the mail in a few days.

I called my brother right away. Getting his machine, all I said was 'you gotta call me - no matter how late.' But that wouldn't do. I called his cell phone, interrupted his dinner out, and as soon as I started to ask him 'remember that movie, with the guy' he cuts me off, instantly knowing what I'm talking about, "is it on!?" I explain to him how my husband found it, and that its available to buy, and he says I gotta get him a copy too. He says that when we watched that movie our babysitter, or whoever was watching us, was in the other room, and Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon was playing in the background at that awful scary part, and that when he hears that song he gets the chills. Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. I know exactly what he means. So -- Mr. Sardonicus is on his way. I'll keep you posted!