Monster #4—The Grither

The tradition of watching monster-flavored entertainment on the television was not limited to "Creature Features" while I was growing up. Other TV shows like "The Twilight Zone," "Star Trek," "Space: 1999," and so on were regular viewing as well. One of those shows was "Tales from the Darkside," and while this Sunday's monster originally came from a short story by Michael Bishop (a story and an author unread by me, but who, according to Wikipedia, has a pretty impressive resume), it was from the adaptation of "Seasons of Belief" that I first learned of the Grither.

Out of context... this is even scarier!

In the story, a precocious child makes clear that there's no such thing as Santa Claus. Her parents, not to be outdone, proceed to tell their kids the story of the Grither... a supernatural creature with huge ears, giant arms, and who's as tall as a poplar tree—a creature whose pale skin lets the veins and arteries show though giving him the appearance of a road map, only the blue and red of his veins and arteries allow for the transport of fear and wrath rather than traffic.

I could go on... but as it turns out, the entire episode of "Season of Belief" is on You Tube. Check it out, and I defy you to not be singing the Grither song at some point thereafter! Just make sure to skip saying his name!

Reccomended Viewing

• "Seasons of Belief," from Tales from the Darkside (see You Tube links below)