Deadtime Stories (also known internationally as Freaky Fairy-Tales and The Griebels from Deadtime Stories) is a 1986 American horror comedy anthology film co-written and directed by Jeffery Delman in his directorial debut.
An impatient uncle attempts to calm his rambunctious nephew by telling him three horror stories. The first story tells about a fisherman's son who is sold as a slave to two witches that are trying to resurrect their sister. The second story is about a teenage girl who picks up the medication for her grandmother, which is mixed up with medicine intended for a werewolf. In the third story, three mental patients escape and share their country house hideaway with a murderess.
No connection the TV series or animation of the same name.
Tropes:
- Ambiguously Jewish: In "Goldi Lox and Three Baers", Goldi Lox says that her actual first name is 'Golda', as she was born during the Six-Day War and named after Golda Meir.
- And Show It to You: In "Peter and the Witches", Peter defeats the revived Magoga by driving his hand into her chest and pulling out her heart, which is still beating. He is then attacked by the heart.
- And Then John Was a Zombie: At the end of "Little Red Running Hood", Rachel is sitting in her grandmother's hospital room. However, when she wakes up, Granny has been transformed into a werewolf.
- Blast Out: In "Goldi Lox and the Three Baers", the local police are one side of the house, and the state police are on the other: both forces with guns drawn. One cop sneezes and both sides start shooting.
- Cardboard Prison: Played for Laughs in "Goldi Lox and the Three Baers" where Papa and Baby Baer are able to casually stroll out of the maximum security asylum for the criminally insane, and the security seemingly consists of one guard with a nightstick.
- Car Fu: When escaping from the asylum in "Goldi Lox and the Three Baers", Mama Bear clips the guard with the car. She then backs up and runs over him properly.
- Catholic Schoolgirls Rule: "Little Red Running Hood" opens with Rachel taking off her school uniform and running her hands all over body.
- Cat Scare: In "Little Red Running Hood", after having sex in the equipment shed, Rachel and Greg hear something prowling around outside. They cautiously approach it and it suddenly opens to reveal...the groundskeeper!
- Dirty Old Monk: In "Peter and the Witches", Peter is easily able to lure the local pastor into the witches lair with promise of sex with two beautiful young women. When the witches (whom the pastor sees as beautiful young seductresses) place a shackle around his neck, his only reaction is an enthusiastic "A little bondage, eh?".
- Framing Device: The stories in the anthology are framed as stories being told by an uncle to his young nephew who refuses to go to sleep otherwise.
- Hammered into the Ground: In "Goldi Lox and the Three Baers", when Baby Baer attempts to kiss her, Goldi drops a log on his head that drives him into the ground up to his neck.
- Hand of Glory: In "Peter and the Witches", the witches murder a vicar and cut off his hand, then use a spell to re-animate it so it will point the way to their sister's body.
- Human Sacrifice: In "Peter and the Witches", the witches have to sacrifice a young woman as the climax of the ritual to restore their sister to life.
- I Need to Go Iron My Dog: In the Framing Device, Uncle Mike tries to get out of telling his nephew a story by claiming that he has to "iron the cat and vacuum the ceiling".
- It's Probably Nothing: At the end of the film, Uncle Mike's nephew is finally able to go to sleep. The very second Mike leaves however, his nephew is attacked by a small but otherwise grotesque monster. Uncle Mike does hear his nephew's screams of terror, but he merely shrugs it off.
- Longer-Than-Life Sentence: In "Goldi Lox and the Three Baers", the newscaster reports that Beresford 'Papa' Baer and Wilmont 'Baby' Baer were both serving 4,726 years for their various crimes.
- Muggle in Mage Custody: In "Peter and the Witches", Peter is a slave forced to help his evil masters kill villagers in order for them to perform a ritual that will bring back their wicked sister from the grave.
- Mummies at the Dinner Table: In "Goldi Lox and the Three Baers", psychic serial killer Goldie Lox keeps the bodies of her victims around her house in various poses. At one point, she cuddles up with a rotting corpse to watch TV.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: In "Peter and the Witches", Peter kills Hanagohl to prevent her from sacrificing Miranda and resurrecting her sister Magoga. However, Hanagohl falls on top of Magoga and her blood dribbles into her sister's mouth: completing the ritual and resurrecting Magoga.
- Organ Autonomy: In "Peter and the Witches", Peter defeats the revived Magoga by driving his hand into her chest and ripping out her heart. After Magoga collapses, the still beating heart jumps on to Peter's face and attempts to suffocate him.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: Willie, the werewolf in "Little Red Running Hood", transforms into a classic Wolf Man, but takes sleeping pills to knock himself out during the full moon.
- Properly Paranoid: Uncle Mike's nephew being unable to sleep due to fear of monsters. Mike of course tries to prove to him a few times that monsters aren't real. Cue the ending and we are treated to Mike's nephew being attacked by a monster.
- Punny Name: Goldi Lox, although Goldi is apparently a nickname and her actual first name is Golda.
- Shower Scene: Goldi Lox is taking a shower when Papa Baer walks in on her.
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: In "Peter and the Witches", Peter throws the knife he was supposed to use to sacrifice Miranda across the room at Hanagohl. It hits her directly between the eyes with enough force to penetrate her skull and kill her.
- Wicked Witch: In "Peter and the Witches", Peter is a slave working fir a pair of wicked witch sisters who are seeking to resurrect their third sister via Human Sacrifice.
- Wolf Man: Willie, the werewolf in "Little Red Running Hood", turns into a classic wolf man. (Or, rather, he turns into a man in an
obvious rubber mask and gloves. Being otherwise fully clothed spares them the necessity of make up on any other part of his body).
