Big Nostalgia

A few days ago, I was at the (decaying) shopping mall.  I hit my usual spots.  Soft pretzel with cheese sauce...check!  Pontificating on the sucking void that is my soul while waiting for my mother to rifle through every single rack at Belk's...check!  Hit up Hot Topic to remind myself why I never need to darken that doorstep ever again...check!  See if Spencer's has any Halloween stuff out yet...they don't, but this is where my tract actually begins.

1988's Killer Klowns From Outer Space is a trendy intellectual property.  Did you know that?  I thought it was a cult classic.  Y'know, a movie!  God, I sound like such a gatekeeper.  Hear me out.  I first saw the film in the late 90's.  Believe it or not, it aired on the Syfy Channel.  Naturally, I was blown away, so much so that I hopped on our dial-up modem to order a VHS copy.  As the years passed, I failed to meet anyone offline who had ever heard of KKFOS.  Today?  Merchandise galore at a mainstream brick-and-mortar retail establishment.  I'm torn.  Vacillated!

A part of me wants to reject a clear example of base marketing.  Pennywise, Chucky, Jason, and all of the "horror heavies" are suffering the same fate.  But remember, I'm torn.  I own Freddy Krueger socks and while I was at the mall, I bought a swank KKFOS t-shirt.  It was blue!  How was I supposed to resist?  On one level, peddling nostalgic wares does keep horror alive.  You never know.  Some kid at a Spirit Halloween might be introduced to cool shit because of what I call "big nostalgia."  The downside is the inevitable proliferation of - say it with me - posers.  I guarantee that most of the consumers who invest in a Child's Play fleece throw blanket haven't seen the original film.  Maybe they've seen Chucky.  Jesus, I haven't seen Chucky.  

This treatise was needled by the announcement of the Killer Klowns From Outer Space video game.  That's dandy, but how about a sequel instead?  The fans have only waited for roughly 25 years to see KKFOS2.  Okay, I'm done carping.  Now where did I leave my Pennywise coffee mug?