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From: sff
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  • I think the who made must of been on drugs.

  • As a child, I was totally and completely unaffected by it. I found it largely unremarkable. I suspect the filmmaker was having difficulty finding something compelling to make a film about.

  • Wow!! I thought I was the only one. I remember running behind the couch and holding my ears. I was an only child and was usually alone in the room when this thing paralyzed me! Great Documentary. Love the Clockwork Orange style.

  • This is a brilliant joke, people.

  • That Highland Park logo at the end was even creepier than the S from Hell. Like an "Elephant Man" version of the S. I always did think the S was scary, though. Not quite as bad as some of the "Children's Television Workshop" logos, though - they almost seemed like a deliberate attempt to make kids run screaming after watching "Sesame Street."

  • This seems like a big joke, were people/are people really afraid of this?

  • U know what? I don't think that S is really scary! No!! I think the V of Doom is creepy!

    Try making a mini documentary about that!!

  • PS the V of Doom just called. He said he was jealous, and wanted a short documentary as well.

  • What a Weird Phobia.. lol There are lots of things in this world that are way way more scary than that lol

  • When I was three, this logo was my ultimate fear and nightmare for me for over 10 years!! This damn satanic "s" from hell gave me dreams that when I was a child the last note was the annoying power to suck meinto the tv and that note will stay stuck until it got me, but I also hid or ran from it. I even kept from going to the bathroom at night or even wet myself on purpose because the livingroom had the large TV where you had to pass to get to and I was so afraid that the logo would come on!

  • Wow, until this point I never understood how these things got to people. This is very well-made, it really explains it to me. We all have that creepy logo we were scared of, though. For me, it was the BBC logo at the start of their old video cassettes. It was just like 'Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo,' as If it was the introduction to the song that would end the Earth. Brrrr... They made a happier version recently, featuring swirling ribbons, to go on DVDs. Not as creepy, thankfully.

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  • i rofld thru the whole thing lol i understand how it was so out there for its time lol

  • .__. ok now im scared of it more

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  • Wow. A 9 minute documentary about a 5 second screen gems logo.

  • somebody has to make a doc about the v from hell

  • I was born in 1950 and I DO NOT remember this, even though I watched some of those shows. I am going to ask my younger brothers if they were traumatized by this. It seems crazy to me. But I loved the film.

  • What about the song at the opening of Tales from the Darkside? That scared the crap out of me & my brother when we were kids

  • For goodness sake! There are things in life to focus on that can change lives. The moog synthisizer made other saiounds than just this buzz and getting concerned over a symbol in red and yellow (such as golden arches) can make people think and give your work some meaning. Jeez, there are other "fears" in the world, let a defunct symbol fade and get on with something that stirs people.

  • Just because one feels boxed in by Semi-trucks on the freeway, or nervous about certain types of mail in the mailbox, doesn't mean it makes movie material. The Moog synthesizer made all sorts of noises, not just this buzz, and a symbol in red anbd yellow like Arches (McDonalds) should cause mnore fear than this defunct graphic. Jeez, put your "fear" and energy into worrying about something that makes a difference.

  • That was great!

  • am i the only one lost here

  • I love this logo!

  • I love this logo!

  • that thing doesnt even look like an s! seriously!

  • I just thought it looked like a distorted toilet roll...

  • I never had any problems with it. This is either a lame joke or made by a bunch of sissies.

  • People who don't get it have to realize how electronic type music was so new back then, it just sounded discordant and "wrong" somehow. The stark minimalism of the graphics, and the fact that many of us were still pre-literate, make it seem like some kind of weird message from the electronics behind the television. I remember a similar commercial for a home AC service with an angry sun graphic that was very scary to me. Same stark graphics and synth music.

  • idk maybe its because i'm not american but i really don't see whats scary about it lol

  • I can relate, but the Screen Gems logo doesn't faze me. I wonder if there are any production logos from the present day that cause this same sort of freak-out effect in kids?

  • @eksortso The Klasky Csupo logo from 1998. That logo still scares me and I'm 16!

  • I can relate, but the Screen Gems logo doesn't faze me. I wonder if there are any production logos from the present day that cause this same sort of freak-out effect in kids?

  • im making my dad watch as he sits in pain and fear as he watches the screen gems logo continuasly >:)

  • The 1980's Marvel Spiderman logo was my "S from Hell."

  • What the hell? This has to be a joke.

  • WOW lol this one has been taken a little bit too far, pretty sure it was done to make laugh the people

  • Holy crap. I didn't really find the "S" scary before, but I think this video alone is going to give me nightmares. I might never be able to look at this logo the same way again. O_o

    Still, this was pretty dang awesome! XD

  • People actually found this scary? I can't relate to it. But...

  • 6:35 -WHAT A BITCH! Really, why?

  • The V of Doom is scarier.

  • I'd rather have the Screen Gems logo chase me instead of the VID mask..bar none

  • Hard to believe so many of us could be that scared by a six-second musical composition...but paired with that visual it was indeed the stuff of nightmares.

  • 1:54 - Doctor Who? At 1:59 I even hear the four-knocks baseline!

  • @ burger414 The Quaker Oats Guy Rocks!

  • NONONO!

    In 1964 the Dancing Sticks was used then in 1965

    We got the Wonderful S

  • Logophobia is a more common condition than you may realize. The NBC Peacock really gave me nightmares back in 1968.

  • The last 5 seconds obviously prove if it's a joke or not.

  • Well, thanks for explaining why I developed a Screen Gems logo phobia that still exists today.

  • It must be sad when your attempt at making a cheerful logo becomes tarnished and scary by many people.

  • First off, kudos to exposing something much more common than everyone realizes. There's just a small section where the music just gets annoying to listen to over and over after a while.

    The ones that scared me most would have to be the NYC affiliate stations.

    Fox (Fox 5, WNYW) & A Current Affair theme music (90s)

    ABC - The channel 7 logo. Eyewitness News especially

    Channel 9 (WWOR)

    WPIX 11

    PBS & Ch.13 + end credits song from Sesame Street 80s till '93.

    WNYC (WAY before Pax & ION TV)

  • First off, kudos to exposing something much more common than everyone realizes. There's just a small section where the music just gets annoying to listen to over and over after a while.

    I'd have to say my big scary ones, growing up in the late 80s and 90s would have to be some NYC affiliate stations.

    Fox (Fox 5, WNYW), A Current Affair theme music

    ABC - The channel 7 logo. Eyewitness News especially

    Channel 9 (WWOR)

    WPIX 11

    PBS & Ch.13 + end credits song from Sesame Street 80s till '93.

  • Maybe this was a spoof, maybe it wasn't. All I know is that as a kid I did find the S a little creepy, if not actually scary.  But then, a lot of screen logos back then were creepy, because they used that weird music (usually in a minor or discordant key) and harsh images. Ironically, the scariest music I can remember was the Children's Television Workshop.

  • @normicon That Childrens Television Workshop logo and music scared me, too.

  • And how did John Candy (1950-94) slip into this documentary?

  • This is adorable and hilarious. :')

  • 7:02 - That was one of the scariest things I have seen in the past 2 months.

  • There is no way they got the clearance rights to all of that footage and sound and music. And I doubt very much if this falls under Fair Use for parody or satire. That makes this film illegal with multiple copyright and trademark violations and infringements. How could Sundance allow or accept this as an entry, much less make it an Official Selection?

  • Such a brilliant video.

  • Scariest TV Logo? VID mask and Stretch FIlms mouth are much scarier.

  • I think if I was around in the 60's I wouldn't be scared of the screen gems logo for some reason. I would, however, probably be scared of the Closet killer.

  • to burger414: i thought i was the only person in the whole world who was scared of the quaker man! i felt so weird and abnormal - after all, the person who painted that picture meant it to be a freindly, reassuring smile. but those steely blue eyes just kept looking at me and i couldn't stand it! thank you for showing me i wasn't alone.

  • @itsgr82bdum this is also foor @TrillyThePuppet

    this is exactly what i was talking about

  • @itsgr82bdum no my friend you werent alone i was right with you

  • I like that tune. It's catchy.

    The ending's my favorite

  • I still don't understand what's so scary about that cheerful logo, but this is very well-made.

  • I remember being scared not of this, but the Viacom V of Doom...

  • This was a great clip. I loved it. The S from HELL scared the crap out of me too. when I was a kid.

  • What Mr. Ascher failed to pick-up was the version of the logo from "Batfink" that has some sort of incidental music from that series.

  • I'm shocked someone went to go make a documentary on this!

    Now they should make a documentary of BИD, Paramount's Closet Killer, and Viacom's V of Doom!

  • The logo itself doesn't really scare me!!!! Nor does this documentary, but its very creative!!! I like the new SG logo better though, more abstract and GREAT CGI animation!!

  • Finally, someone puts a good use to Halloween 3!

  • Would be perfect except YOU FORGOT THE DANCING STICKS FROM 1962-1963! Other than that, a well done spoof.

  • To all those who THINK they get it and THINK this isn't serious... try this....sit in a dark room in a house all by yourself and bring all of your fears out of your heart and soul in the room with you for a few minutes until youre a little freaked out.....then watch an old Screen Gems show....with the volume turned up....all the way to the end of the logo.....and repeat over and over again......Then go to sleep ......It might not hit you now......but one night you will dream about it.

  • Im so glad somebody had the courage to create a film like this for Sundance. I remember the S from Hell all too well. Im glad that I'm not alone. This S was an "outside the box" concept that had a lasting effect. It wouldnt affect anyone who's been desensitized by today's violence on television and loud music.

  • @Steadyrock100 That jingle... I'm, about twenty, and that tune makes me just a little uneasy.

  • There were several closing logos that freaked me out, but this was NOT one of them.

  • in the dream where the s from hell is chasing the girl was it an effect or is it the real thing?

  • the symbol seems to spiral and ...if you follow it in the swirl its impossable not to see the 3 6's in it.

  • I'm from Russia and in 90's there was this Logo as i would say one of the scariest one called ВИD, I use to have nightmares of that thing used to wake in night and cry oh it was just horrible.

  • @Sanaa2k Oh, gosh, I just ran into that one reading about creepy logos...suffice it to say, I don't blame you. Disturbing as hell.

  • Maybe its because I didn';t grow up with this version, but its not scary. I found the WGBH logo of the late 80's early 90's the scariest. The newer S logo is kinda creepy I guess since its usually associated with some horror film.

  • Rodney Ascher? You are brilliant.

  • This is an amazingly well-done video and a thrilling affirmation that it wasn't just me being a weird kid and traumatized by this thing. The guys who came up with the logo and music should burn in hell for all eternity! Thanks for making this.

  • it would be very interesting to see a documentary covering the desilu merging circles to the split box paramount logo including all three "closet killer logos" from 69

    to me those rank with the s from hell as the best in scare factor

  • Wow, last time I saw this video, I didn't catch the Halloween reference (I didn't know anything about the movie then)...I feel so slow O_o

  • Also, similar documentaries should be done for these following logos:

    *Viacom - "V of Doom" (1976-85)

    *Hanna-Barbera - "Swirling Star" (1979-92)

    *Worldvision - "WHOOSH Globe" (1988-99)

    *Paramount Television - "Split Box" (1968-75)

    *Paramount Television - "Blue Mountain" (1975-87)

  • @ClassicTVMan81 Yes, absolutely, and a few others too:

    *Time Life Television (1970-80)

    * BBC Lionheart 1980-90(often heard after Doctor Who in the 80's)

    *ITC 1966-1985 (the one with the drums and trumpets)

    * Rankin Bass

    * Thames Television

    * Yorkshire Television

    Funny how the British seem to have many of the creapiest logos and jingles isn't it?

  • @ClassicTVMan81 And the main documentary - 1-hour-long about VID mask

  • I think it would be funny to do something on the WGBH logo. But I seriously understand that people may be scared of these. WGBH I think was the 1980s...anyway, this is an interesting documentary

  • lame.

  • Was anyone else mortally afraid of the 'thx digitally remastered' sound? The worst thing is, the image of it would pop up a couple seconds before the sound started, so you knew what was coming.

  • @eskilla that one didn't scare me just freak me out for a few seconds the Viacom "v of doom logo that scared the crap out of me and still to this day freaks me out

  • Can Highland Park make a documentary about the Screen Gems Dancing Sticks, also?

  • I was never around to see this.

    When I was a kid, I was afraid of the Ad Council logo.

  • I always liked the logo and music. It's not like the V OF DOOM.

  • at 1:29 you got this from johnyl80 right??

  • hey i found out that at the end of the vid you see a remake of the logo! XD

  • It's probably more because of the transition from black and white to colored TV. Red and Yellow also aren't the best colors to be mixed together, and the background music isn't the jolliest music to hear. The animation of the logo has a somewhat hypnosis effect too, so yeah, if I was a kid back then I'd probably feel the same thing.

  • This is hilarious and awesome. The filmmaker does a good job of conveying the horror of the S though I don't personally find it scary

  • is this suppose to be taken seriously? cause this vid would seem very appropriate as an onion's "onn report" on the logo that has scared generations or watever.

  • Note to anyone who watched this who's under 45: (I love the way the younger people just don't get it!) Only thing to say is that you just had to be a kid then, however, to add a bit more accuracy to the video, some kids found the logo/music scary but for me, I kinda liked it (that, and the dancing stick screen gems logo). The music used to send chills up my spine and I would almost be my favourite part of the show it ran after. Actually I found the "closet killer" Paramount logo much scarier.

  • nothing to get really

  • I want to place a comment here

  • I don't get this.

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  • IT'S ONLY A FUCKING IDENT!

  • This film missed the "Dancing Sticks" logo. And the S From Hell came out in 1965, not 64.

  • Thank you

  • at least she pronounced "moog" correctly

  • When they vetted the logo in 1964, did anyone mention that it might look like a roll of toilet paper pulled in two directions? THAT is what will haunt ME for the rest of my life.

  • Is this a joke? I don't get it. Also pacing and audio are awful. Is this really in Sundance?

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  • You can see the S From Hell on TV when WGN America runs Bewitched and Jeannie reruns. Perhaps they're trying for another generation of soiled Underoos.

  • Frequencies & resonance

  • what the hell? what a short film...

  • S for Sex O.o

  • believe it or not, i can relate to this video. its like when you were afraid of the Quaker Oats guy. you dont know why it scared you... but it did.

  • is this supposed to be retarded?

  • very!

  • Umm.... okay.... what?

  • I dont get it

  • they tried so hard to make this seem scary and failed miserably. That logo is not even remotely scary

  • Now do a V of Doom film. I personally find that scarier than the S.

  • OOooo.

    The Blair 'S' Project.

    Put on heavy-duty Depends

  • I don't know WHY they keep alluding to violins to the music, unless it's because Mr. Siday was a jazz violinist.

    That audio is a synth version of a proper trumpet fanfare!

  • I'm to young to remember the screen gems thing. This film short is hilarious. Reminds me of something that would be on The Onion. When I was a small child, the NBC Peacock doorbell thing would scare the shit out of me. It sounded like the devil's chord. After my favorite show was over and it was time for me to go to bed, it would go ding, dong, dong. Like , They're here! or something. Made me think of ghosts and zombies and aliens. Very scarey, esp after In Search Of, which was scarey anyway.

  • LMFAO!!!...what would this world be if stupid pepole didnt live

  • This clip is making fun of certain peoples' disorder. It is a type of seizure. It's not necessarily a phobia.

  • Who are you on top of?

  • its not serious! its like a spoof thing... jesus people im 10 and i get this. shame on you. :(

  • Exactly!

  • @TrillyThePuppet

    It's dead serious. I know someone who was afraid of the Thames logo. The Hanna-Barbara logo kind of made me uneasy. Your generation doesn't have creepy logos. You are lucky.

  • @TrillyThePuppet Yeah, but it's true that it did freak people out when it came out.

  • @TrillyThePuppet maybe you will understand after i explain to you this is a nostalgic topic that affected a lot of people way before your folks were probably born and since people have discovered youtube and that millions of people this sort of thing had an effect on is kinda like therapy and also it connects people around the world and shows that we as humans in this great trying time in civilization are all the same. i hope you are a little more clear on this thing

  • I lol'd.

  • Wow PPL Were Scared Shitless Of The Logo

  • i do not understand why this is horrifying and i do not get why so many people are bothered by it...

  • I didn't understand this.

  • I don't get it or find it scary..... uhhmm.. someonw explain what i'm missing..

  • I can understand why people could be subconsciously bothered by this electrical transition from synthesizers, with all of the unsure characteristics of the cold war and the rise of "Imperial Corporations" my generation isn't bothered because were exposed to this en masse but the growing baby boomer's must have been horrified

  • This was just funny.

  • Today's generation of TV watchers (that is, those who think the S from Hell is stupid or say it's not scary) just don't get it.

  • .... i'm going to kill myself now

  • As a graphic design student, I can't possibly see how this is scary. The company needed a re-branding, and the new logo works pretty well. All I can hope is that this movie was made as a joke.

  • Number nine. Number nine, number nine

  • @cheapmovies9P

    Actually, yeah, that might have something to do with it, but still.

  • Ok, WTF?? How the hell is a logo scary at all? Especially the Screen Gems logo in particular. Its a fricken 'S' -like logo that says "SCREEN GEMS" underneath it.. HOW IS THAT EVIL?????? Or even a LITTLE bit scary??

     I especially hatehow the guy starting at 2:33 explains it like it was a murder scene or something. ITS A GODDAM LOGO FOR HEAVENS SAKE!!!! JEEZUS!!!!

  • V of Doom and VID are more-more svarier

  • synths even scared ME as a little kid, and now, I can't live without them!

  • AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! O MY GOD ITS SO SO SO so unbelivible i wasted 8 minutes and 53 seconds of my life.

  • absolute failure.

  • you got to be fuckin kiddin

  • I wonder if Sony will release this as a special feature on a future DVD release of a Screen Gems show

  • OH MY GOD ITS THE h FROM HELL RUN!!

  • ?!?

  • the s from hell doesn't seem to be scary anymore it's the v of doom made by viacom that takes all the scariness

  • this. was. awesome.

    ive been waiting for someone to do an excellent melodramatic horror film spoof thing

    and this was incredibly well done. five stars

  • Finally someone comes out and documents this! Anyone born in the 70's or later has no idea what this means. In the 50's and 60's, what we now call "motion graphics' had no place in network TV programming or in movie theaters aside from closing logos. Logos were startling in their design and creepy because they were short, highly abstract, surprising and strange. they did not relate to anything in other visual mediums (print, or even animation). You had to be young then to get it.

  • @Guimnon Hey thanx for clarifying that, because I was really not understanding the whole fear issue.

  • Brilliantly put! They were indeed creepy because they were so random and abstract, a startling snippet of video art sandwiched between the ending credits and a slow-paced commercial. They didn't relate to anything else around in those days!

  • @Guimnon i grew up in 90's and some of these logos used to scare me and give nightmare at night.

  • Was this supposed to be funny? If so it was way too long.

  • stupid

  • After I smoked crack, I got it! WTF

  • What these people are experiencing is a type of seizure. Certain words, phrases, lyrics, notes, and even smells can trigger a sense of deja vu.

  • The horror scenes are from the 1982 film "Halloween 3: Season of the Witch" hopefully the people that let this piece of crap into Sundance get fired....This is like a high school film project that got a B+.....

  • Pretty good effort if you ask me. It took till 2/3 into it before i was convinced it was sarcast-ical-fied.

  • the only thing scarier is the red ring of death

  • I DEMAND A V OF DOOM SEQUEL!!! ;-)

  • This is retarded

  • Is this for real? I grew up with these shows and I never found anything scary about the logo, the music, any of this stuff. These kids had issues.