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Maritime Triumph by Tommy Bahama https://sbird.co/47fDZEu
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Le Point G by Veronique Gabai https://sbird.co/47eUeSg
Vetiver Imaginaire by Edeniste https://sbird.co/3ZxU8DN
It’s a Good Life is one of the most criminally underrated pieces of cosmic horror ever written. Despite there being a full episode of the Twilight Zone dedicated to the story, the original short story by Jerome Bixby has largely flown under the radar in the horror community. That’s a shame, because it shares many features with the giants of cosmic horror such as Junji Ito and H.P Lovecraft. Sure, it may not have eldritch abominations or demonic entities, but the villain of this story is equally horrifying, arguably more powerful, and infinitely more interesting than any squid person.
It’s a Good Life tells the story of a town that must only think good thoughts at all times. A town where any nitpick or complaint could mean the difference between life and death. A town where life itself is twisted and shaped by the desires of a 3-year-old boy with god-like powers and a very simple, very cruel understanding of right and wrong.
It’s a Good Life, not because it’s a life full of good things, but because it’s the only life there is.
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Check out “It’s a Good Life” for yourself:
Reading Link: http://ciscohouston.com/docs/docs/greats/its_a_good_life.html
Audio Narration by Edward French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFMO49zaESw
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Thanks to Michael Ramstead for the thumbnail! Please go check out his art!
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Hungry for more? Check out my horror analysis playlist where I talk about analog horror and ARGs like Vita Carnis, Greylock, and Liminal Land!
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I like this but it becomes very clear as the story goes on that the lack of description for *some* of the things Anthony does is just due to the writer not being able to or not wanting to come up with something rather than cause the specific scene is more effective that way. After like the 3rd or 4th time in a row, it loses is hauntingness in the same way as if the author just described what he did in detail every time. It stops functioning as being ominous
you think Fred was the mouse in the beginning?
I’ll tel you another secret, in psychological circles, this tale serves as a type of shorthand for narcissistic abuse — what it feels like when one toxic person controls a group and they must walk on eggshells around them, lest they burst into a vindictive rage.
This is far too familiar a situation for some.
And they may or may not have realized why the episode is so creepy, due to the personalization.
This was adapted to a very popular episode of Twilight Zone, so it's hardly "Never Heard Of".
ew scentbird. look into your sponsors.
this story is exactly how i interpret the holy bible (old testament).
This was a Twilight Zone episode and also a story in one of the subsequent movies, right?
I know this tale well and still got caught up in you appreciating it. Thank you.
A Keter Class Reality Bender, THAT'S what that is! 😅 This screams SCP-3812 "A Voice Behind Me", but long before SCPs were thought of.
This is Franklin Richards told in the style of Marvel's "Ruins" story.
Scarlet Witch did a version of this in Wandvision, to the towns people.
This is a fable or parable about toxic positivity.
The problem isn’t so much Anthony, but that no one could really discipline him. Like a lot of kids his age he’s reluctant to learn new things
I'm glad you brought up that it's a very famous Twilight Zone episode, it's good that it is. It's the bestest episode ever! Anthony is a very good boy.
There's a clip of It's a Good Life-A very Bad Man on YT but the whole episode has been wished into the cornfoeld.
I doubt anyone who's seen this episode was able to forget it, I sure couldn't. I'd love to read the book.
I think I'd love Anthony to death!
"Please don't take my sunshine away"
just for it to snow the next day is wild, particularly because we're not made aware of if the eldritch child is feeling remorseful or petty.
Yay, another video and an awesomely freaky one at that. I love learning about where stories come from, I first saw this in the Simpson's Halloween episode with Bart and it was freaky enough but still comedic because it had to be, I was aware of the twilight zone episode but hadn't seen it so I can't judge that but the original story is frankly terrifying, it really brings it to life since its a day in the life look instead of a funny section amongst others in a kids tv show.
This is basically that episode of the twilight zone.
Why did the doctor try to kill him at birth? Did he look really strange or scary?
So to put it in short: what if a kid gained omnipotence but – the intelligence.
What scares me most is that everyone is teaching Anthony that what he does is good. Just swell. They can’t do anything else.
Oh god the “sun” better not be the “baby sun” from teletubies!!!
I remember watching the Twilight Zone episode of this and alongside the Shadow Man episode, they were my favourite. Just pure, good ol' minimalist horror that plays with your head.
My OCD ass would die so fucking fast around Anthony
Honestly, I feel like this concept would work better as an absurdist black comedy than horror
I have no mouth and i must Smile.
Scifi techniques applied to horror
He reminds me of the Collector from the Owl House.
what's even worse is that anthony probably can't feel bad about what he can do. If he did he probably erased that bad feeling, like erasing the ability to feel shame or remorse meaning he will probably erase his own humanity
I have actually heard of this, however it is still quite terrifying
Nice to see this story getting some love. First read it as a kid, and the part that scared me the most was when it's revealed at the end how Anthony came into the world – with the doctor attending the birth (in which Anthony crept out of the womb) so immediately realizing something is so wrong about him that he tries to kill him, only to be too late and they are all doomed. The idea that something that recognizably bad could just suddenly appear and give everyone a bad day was inherently disturbing in a very cosmic horror kind of way.
Sure, the story plays with the idea that Anthony doesn't fully understand the harm he is causing, but he also just happens to look monstrous and just happens to exude an aura of evil immediately upon birth. Coincidence? Or something else? Is something in the universe fated to cause harm always on the verge of breaking out in places? It's all quite creepy.
Incidentally, it also happens to sound similar to the description we eventually got of Homelander's birth, a similar sort of situation. I was wondering if this story influenced that scene in the Amazon series.
I’m pretty sure there was an old Twilight Zone episode where a town was held captive by a young boy in a similar way
The boy was older, so was more of a spoiled brat, and he didn’t read minds, but he had the power to do just about anything he wanted, if I remember correctly
4:25 is when sponsorship ends
Love your vids crow. Any idea when pt 2 of PANOPTICON will be posted? Seriously great story
Omg theres an artist online that goes by mummy joe, and they made a skit about a baby who controls ants and his older brother, barely older than him calls the toddler the messia and tries to convince people to join their cult, in their own child-like way the things the toddler does are TERRIFYING, big vibes
Within the first 15 seconds I knew immediately where this was going. I grew up on reruns of the OG Twilight Zone, and this is one of the few that outright disturbed me. Great episode!
reads like an allegory about abuse of power, more than a scary story, made me more mad than scared
As a Perry Como fan, I’m extremely offended.
0:17 I’d be a goner