58 Days Until Halloween
September 3rd, 2009 by Price
Today my friends, we have only 58 days remaining until the greatest day of the year. Only 58 days left. Take a breath. You can make it. We all can.
58 leads us to something special to my heart. Puppets. That’s right, puppets. I fucking LOVE puppets. You know who makes great puppets? Jim Henson. In 1958, the Jim Henson Company was founded.
Generally speaking, Henson‘s work is incredible. Legendary. Not a soul can argue against the fact that the Henson recipe for puppetry mastery is the gold standard. There is no debate. That being said, what I consider to be Henson’s greatest skill was the ability to create such dark, vile, chilling characters and experiences in the context of a children’s (or young adult’s) story. And get away with it!
The two examples that most frequently creep into the mind are Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Both of these movies were childhood favorites and were the source of comfort and escape for many years. Escape from things like homework and most importantly, family gatherings.
I would often find myself hunkered down in my grandparents’ basement with a Betamax copy of Dark Crystal and watch it over and over again.
It’s no surprise that the Skeksis were my favorite characters in the movie. I mean, how incredibly disturbing were these things:
I actually have no idea how these things did not give me nightmares as a kid. I can’t believe these things were even allowed into a children’s movie. They are pure evil. There is no way to spin it. These were murderous bird monsters.
Speaking of scary, how scary and awesome would it be to go as a Skeksis for Halloween? If only I had the creativity. I will pay good money to anyone who can make me a Skeksis costume. Get on it!
And let us not forget the beautiful Aughra:
Nippin’.
The creatures in Labyrinth were disturbing in other ways. What a creepy movie. As is David Bowie himself wasn’t enough to creep you out, you were presented with orcs and goblins and swamp creatures to provide the goosebumps.
These guys were actually kinda cute. But whatever. There was also the beautiful Hoggle:
A truly sexy man.
These movies are only 2 examples of the creative power of Henson. So much greatness came from his mind. Hell, there’s even some metal in Henson’s work. Exhibit A, the greatest puppet metal drummer of all time, Animal:
Could easily have been in Motley Crue or GunsAndFuckinRoses.
Jim Henson’s legacy and impact will forever leave a mark in my imagination. Intense visuals and unique characters offer flashbacks and memories that I will forever cherish. The world lost someone special when you left. Here’s to you, sir.
Tags: 58, dark crystal, david bowie, days until halloween, hoggle, jim henson, labyrinth, skeksis