While a Hatedom is nothing new, I Love You, You Hate Me tackles the hatred of Barney & Friends. But it's not just the hatred, this two-part documentary showcases how a children's show about love became the target of a snarky joke in the 90s...
And then what happened after when that same snarky joke evolved into threats of violence, before finally escalating to a point where someone got hurt.
Pre-Release
- The poster. The background is a purple carpet texture, with a VHS on top of it. The VHS reads "Barney: The Untold Story" and shows Barney the Dinosaur facing the camera with a smile. But the tape is smashed with bits of film spilling out, and small pockets of fire ignited on the surface. It's certainly a way to make a good first impression.
- The trailer. Everything about it. In fact, it was so dark, some people thought it was advertising a horror movie instead of a documentary. It contains shots of Barney dolls and other toys being hanged from the ceiling, beheaded with shears, smashed with hammers and set on fire as the interviewees talk about the widespread hatred of Barney & Friends that arose as a response to the show's popularity, which became so virulent that the show's musical director Bob Singleton mentions death and dismemberment threats being made against him and his family. Over a children's TV show. The Moody Trailer Cover Song doesn't help.
- The music deserves special mention. At the start, it's a small piano ditty of This Old Man. Before replaying the first verse with bells (think of a music box). But before it can play 'he played knick-knack', it devolves into deep piano keys followed by ominous strings to emphasize the change in tone. In the end, low-pitch bells ring out 'this old man came rolling home' as a Last Note Nightmare.
- "I don't think you could ever think somebody would go and shoot someone."
