WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:07.320
There's a particular pleasure in lighting the first jack-o'-lantern of October.
2
00:00:08.220 --> 00:00:15.349
You lower the light inside, replace the lid, and step back. Suddenly,
3
00:00:15.410 --> 00:00:20.589
the face you spent twenty minutes meticulously and carefully carving
4
00:00:21.210 --> 00:00:27.070
looks like it knows something. Behind you, the house is warm.
5
00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:31.850
There's candy on the counter. A horror movie is waiting.
6
00:00:32.549 --> 00:00:36.920
But beyond the porch, the wind is moving through the leaves,
7
00:00:37.420 --> 00:00:42.859
and the light only reaches so far. Tonight, let's follow
8
00:00:42.899 --> 00:00:48.579
an old Irish legend out past that last patch of orange.
9
00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:54.409
Somewhere in its darkness walks a man with a little lantern.
10
00:00:55.270 --> 00:00:58.990
He's beaten the devil more than once before. and he
11
00:00:59.030 --> 00:01:03.759
would give almost anything for a door that would let
12
00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:18.200
him in. This is Thursday Thrills, a quick weekly ride
13
00:01:18.280 --> 00:01:23.640
into the creepy stories, haunted places, weird obsessions, and eerie
14
00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:29.010
little corners of the world worth talking about. I'm Enrique Couto,
15
00:01:29.430 --> 00:01:34.939
and tonight we're welcoming October with Stingy Jack, the troublemaker
16
00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:39.819
whose legend haunts the jack-o'-lantern itself. How does a man
17
00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:44.290
clever enough to outwit the devil end up carrying a
18
00:01:44.370 --> 00:01:50.989
light through the darkness forever? Get cozy. This one deserves
19
00:01:51.069 --> 00:01:56.739
the good Halloween candy. I love the moment when a
20
00:01:56.819 --> 00:02:03.859
neighborhood starts putting on its Halloween face. A perfectly respectable
21
00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:09.949
lawn acquires a graveyard. A skeleton takes possession of a
22
00:02:10.030 --> 00:02:14.310
porch chair. Somebody hangs a ghost in a tree. And
23
00:02:14.430 --> 00:02:18.469
suddenly a sheet has a more exciting social life than
24
00:02:19.449 --> 00:02:23.159
the rest of us. You can be coming home from
25
00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:30.060
a thoroughly ordinary day, thinking about dinner, and there it is.
26
00:02:31.030 --> 00:02:37.250
The first orange grin looking back from somebody's steps. That
27
00:02:37.330 --> 00:02:42.090
little face makes a promise. There's still fun to be
28
00:02:42.169 --> 00:02:47.409
had after dark. Part of the joy is having the
29
00:02:47.469 --> 00:02:53.300
whole month ahead of you. the candy hasn't all mysteriously
30
00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:58.199
disappeared yet. The decorations are coming out of their boxes,
31
00:02:58.580 --> 00:03:03.139
including the one that activates while you're carrying it downstairs
32
00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:07.919
and nearly sends you through the ceiling. You've got time
33
00:03:08.060 --> 00:03:13.050
for another ghost story, another night with the lights turned low.
34
00:03:13.909 --> 00:03:17.389
We're right at the beginning of all of that, and I,
35
00:03:17.469 --> 00:03:23.030
for one, intend to enjoy it. And carving one is
36
00:03:23.110 --> 00:03:28.490
half the pleasure. The lid comes off. The seeds go everywhere.
37
00:03:29.150 --> 00:03:33.370
You attempt a sinister expression and discover you've made a
38
00:03:33.409 --> 00:03:38.289
pumpkin that looks about its interest rate on the mortgage.
39
00:03:39.330 --> 00:03:44.930
Put a light inside anyway. Darkness is a very forgiving
40
00:03:45.030 --> 00:03:50.770
special effects department. But before we give Jack his familiar
41
00:03:51.009 --> 00:03:56.919
orange face, we should probably meet him. This is folklore,
42
00:03:57.460 --> 00:04:01.969
with different tricks and bargains depending on who tells it.
43
00:04:02.819 --> 00:04:07.199
Tonight we're following the version with a coin, a tree,
44
00:04:07.719 --> 00:04:11.520
and a man who really should have known when to quit.
45
00:04:12.810 --> 00:04:18.180
The story begins with Jack inviting the devils. for a drink.
46
00:04:19.379 --> 00:04:23.319
Already the evening has taken a turn. Most of us
47
00:04:23.379 --> 00:04:27.110
would at least want somebody to know where we were
48
00:04:27.889 --> 00:04:34.170
just as a backup. Jack has a problem with paying.
49
00:04:35.250 --> 00:04:38.850
His solution, according to the tale, is to persuade the
50
00:04:38.930 --> 00:04:44.040
devil to become a coin so he can settle the bill. Now,
51
00:04:45.180 --> 00:04:50.709
pause there. You're sitting opposite the devil, and your concern
52
00:04:50.790 --> 00:04:54.829
is whether this evening is going to cost you money.
53
00:04:55.829 --> 00:05:03.500
That is a remarkable commitment to being miserly. The devil obliges.
54
00:05:04.199 --> 00:05:07.959
For a moment, the terrible visitor is small enough to
55
00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:13.230
fit in Jack's hand. Here's how I'd want you to
56
00:05:13.939 --> 00:05:19.819
see this part. Stay close. Stay close to that hand.
57
00:05:20.920 --> 00:05:24.279
We know what the coin really is. We know it's
58
00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:29.449
supposed to be payment. Now watch where Jack puts it.
59
00:05:30.459 --> 00:05:37.329
Straight into his own pocket. But beside a silver cross.
60
00:05:38.370 --> 00:05:43.529
In the tail, that cross prevents the devil from changing back.
61
00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:49.420
Jack has him. All that power tucked away where a
62
00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:53.439
man might keep a receipt or a forgotten breath mint.
63
00:05:54.439 --> 00:05:58.069
And for the first time in the encounter, getting out
64
00:05:58.209 --> 00:06:04.250
is the devil's problem. Jack can set the price. You
65
00:06:04.290 --> 00:06:08.629
can almost enjoy the triumph along with him until you
66
00:06:08.670 --> 00:06:14.920
remember what has to happen next. And eventually... He has
67
00:06:14.980 --> 00:06:19.970
to let it out. The coin trick buys him a reprieve.
68
00:06:20.689 --> 00:06:25.730
The length and terms shift between tellings, but Jack gets
69
00:06:26.110 --> 00:06:31.750
more time and the devil gets his freedom. I love
70
00:06:31.850 --> 00:06:40.430
Jack so much at this stage. I wouldn't lend him $ 20.
71
00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:42.120
I would absolutely listen to what happened to him on
72
00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:47.160
the way home. There's a delicious Halloween feeling to a
73
00:06:47.220 --> 00:06:52.959
story like this. The monster can be enormous, ancient, powerful,
74
00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:58.220
and still step straight into a trap. You get to
75
00:06:58.259 --> 00:07:03.240
laugh while the dangerous thing is contained, a little like
76
00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:07.139
watching a horror movie from the couch with your feet
77
00:07:07.699 --> 00:07:17.790
tucked safely under the blanket. For so long, eventually somebody
78
00:07:18.050 --> 00:07:23.589
has to walk down the dark hallway. For Jack, the
79
00:07:23.649 --> 00:07:28.879
reprieve comes to an end. The devil returns and Jack
80
00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:35.620
finds another ordinary object to put between himself and eternity.
81
00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:42.939
This time, it's a tree. In the familiar telling, Jack
82
00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:46.790
gets the devil to climb up for a piece of fruit.
83
00:07:47.610 --> 00:07:52.069
Then he marks the trunk with a cross, trapping his
84
00:07:52.170 --> 00:07:57.810
visitor in the branches. The devil has gone from collecting
85
00:07:57.949 --> 00:08:03.170
souls to fetching snacks. Jack is getting a lot out
86
00:08:03.209 --> 00:08:08.910
of this arrangement. But here we are. Jack stands below.
87
00:08:09.550 --> 00:08:13.149
The devil is overhead. Between them is a mark in
88
00:08:13.189 --> 00:08:17.779
the bark that, in the rules of this tale, cannot
89
00:08:17.899 --> 00:08:22.620
be crossed. As a filmmaker, I love how little you
90
00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:27.939
need to make that image uncomfortable. Put a person beneath
91
00:08:28.019 --> 00:08:31.399
a tree, let us know there's something up there, then
92
00:08:31.980 --> 00:08:35.710
hold the shot long enough that we start searching the
93
00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:42.440
branches ourselves. Try carrying that thought on your next... October stroll.
94
00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:47.379
You pass beneath a tree every day. You know where
95
00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:52.009
its roots have lifted up the sidewalk, but when did
96
00:08:52.049 --> 00:08:57.850
you last look all the way up? Apparently, Jack does,
97
00:08:58.289 --> 00:09:02.200
and fortunately for Jack, he has the upper hand again.
98
00:09:03.149 --> 00:09:07.659
In versions where this is his final bargain, he makes
99
00:09:07.740 --> 00:09:11.990
the devil promise never To take his soul into hell.
100
00:09:12.830 --> 00:09:16.980
There it is. The big victory. You almost want to
101
00:09:17.049 --> 00:09:22.159
applaud the awful little man. He's used a pocket and
102
00:09:22.220 --> 00:09:26.799
a tree to negotiate his way out of damnation. But
103
00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:34.200
listen carefully to what he's won. The devil cannot take him.
104
00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:43.399
That doesn't mean anybody else can. Has to. If you're
105
00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:48.950
enjoying this little walk into Halloween, follow or subscribe to
106
00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:54.710
Weekly Spooky for more Thursday thrills, and send this one
107
00:09:54.789 --> 00:09:59.970
to a friend who already has pumpkins on every available service.
108
00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:04.620
We have 30 more October nights ahead of us, so
109
00:10:04.659 --> 00:10:09.009
let's enjoy them as much as possible. Speaking of, a
110
00:10:09.029 --> 00:10:13.129
little later today, there'll be a brand new Halloween horror
111
00:10:13.210 --> 00:10:19.269
story for you to enjoy, so stay tuned. Now, Jack
112
00:10:19.330 --> 00:10:23.649
has one promise from the devil. Eventually, he has to
113
00:10:23.750 --> 00:10:29.679
find out what it's worth. Jack dies. His tricks have
114
00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:34.620
bought him time, but they haven't made him immortal. In
115
00:10:34.659 --> 00:10:39.460
the legend, heaven refuses him because of the life he's led.
116
00:10:40.279 --> 00:10:45.759
Being clever has not made him kind. Outsmarting the devil
117
00:10:45.820 --> 00:10:51.629
has not erased something else. So Jack turns toward hell,
118
00:10:52.529 --> 00:10:57.029
and the devil keeps his word. The bargain holds. Jack
119
00:10:57.090 --> 00:11:02.730
gets exactly what he demanded and discovers he's arranged to
120
00:11:02.769 --> 00:11:09.019
be locked outside. I find that much creepier than a
121
00:11:09.120 --> 00:11:16.220
monster bursting through a door. Here, the door stays closed.
122
00:11:17.320 --> 00:11:20.980
There's no one left to bargain with on the other side.
123
00:11:21.899 --> 00:11:28.379
For a moment, take away our comfortable October evening. Take
124
00:11:28.460 --> 00:11:32.299
away the movie waiting on the television and the kitchen
125
00:11:32.379 --> 00:11:38.019
light you can switch on whenever the house starts making noises.
126
00:11:38.779 --> 00:11:42.039
Take away the knowledge that you can go home when
127
00:11:42.100 --> 00:11:47.799
you've had enough. Leave only the road. The devil gives
128
00:11:47.860 --> 00:11:52.919
him a burning coal to light his way. Jack puts
129
00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:59.159
it inside a hollowed-out turnip and carries it into the darkness.
130
00:12:00.470 --> 00:12:06.129
It's such a small thing after all that bargaining. One ember,
131
00:12:07.029 --> 00:12:13.250
one makeshift lantern, enough light for the next few steps
132
00:12:13.789 --> 00:12:19.370
with everything beyond them. still hidden. Follow him for a
133
00:12:19.450 --> 00:12:26.019
moment in your imagination. The lantern travels low, beside his body.
134
00:12:26.679 --> 00:12:31.200
It brings one piece of the road into view, then
135
00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:37.289
abandons it behind him. Raise it, and the darkness seems
136
00:12:37.370 --> 00:12:44.700
to retreat. Lower it, and the dark comes back. You
137
00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:48.299
could hold it close enough to see your own fingers
138
00:12:48.379 --> 00:12:52.320
around it, but you couldn't make it show you where
139
00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:57.480
you're welcome. There's no friendly window at the end of
140
00:12:57.539 --> 00:13:02.509
this walk, no voice calling you in before you catch
141
00:13:02.570 --> 00:13:07.230
a cold. Every time you think the story must reach
142
00:13:07.330 --> 00:13:13.750
a house, the lantern moves on. Jack has all the
143
00:13:13.820 --> 00:13:19.059
time he could ever want now. In this telling, that
144
00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:27.789
wandering figure becomes Jack of the Lantern. Jack-O-Lantern. Get it?
145
00:13:28.889 --> 00:13:33.070
The name on the smiling thing outside your house belongs
146
00:13:33.169 --> 00:13:39.909
to somebody who cannot get inside. And a turnip lantern
147
00:13:39.970 --> 00:13:45.950
has a very different face. The National Museum of Ireland
148
00:13:46.070 --> 00:13:51.250
has a wonderfully unsettling example. A plaster cast of one
149
00:13:51.289 --> 00:13:57.409
of these old turnip lanterns. The face has pinched eyes
150
00:13:57.889 --> 00:14:02.450
and a gaping mouth. It looks less pleased to see
151
00:14:02.509 --> 00:14:07.029
you than the pumpkin on a greeting card. People really
152
00:14:07.090 --> 00:14:12.289
did put candles inside carved turnips to frighten their neighbors.
153
00:14:13.090 --> 00:14:19.309
at Halloween. Galway City Museum describes lanterns placed on walls
154
00:14:19.409 --> 00:14:23.830
and gates or hanging from trees to startle people passing
155
00:14:24.350 --> 00:14:29.049
in the dark. Now there's a walk home. You turn
156
00:14:29.100 --> 00:14:32.220
a corner and a face is glowing at you from
157
00:14:32.279 --> 00:14:38.220
a place where no face makes any sense. For a
158
00:14:38.259 --> 00:14:43.320
Halloween version of that moment, give yourself a quietly and
159
00:14:43.399 --> 00:14:48.879
a lantern hanging from a branch just ahead. Its light
160
00:14:49.039 --> 00:14:54.389
catches the edge of a gate. Beyond the gate, nothing
161
00:14:55.009 --> 00:14:58.909
you can make out. You know somebody must have hung
162
00:14:58.970 --> 00:15:03.230
it there, still. For a second, you might prefer it
163
00:15:03.649 --> 00:15:08.889
if that somebody came out and said hello. I respect
164
00:15:08.929 --> 00:15:13.090
the craftsmanship. I would also like whoever put it there
165
00:15:13.210 --> 00:15:16.049
to come and walk me the rest of the way.
166
00:15:17.149 --> 00:15:21.129
The pumpkin we know grew out of several autumn customs
167
00:15:21.230 --> 00:15:28.450
and stories, including these older lantern traditions. There isn't one
168
00:15:28.889 --> 00:15:33.720
tidy moment when somebody invented every part of what we
169
00:15:33.769 --> 00:15:39.860
now know as Halloween. Jack's tale is one wonderfully creepy thread,
170
00:15:40.669 --> 00:15:44.960
in that tangle. And I appreciate that the fun was
171
00:15:45.049 --> 00:15:49.779
even in there, too. Somebody hollowed out a vegetable, gave
172
00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:54.460
it a dreadful expression, and waited for a neighbor to notice.
173
00:15:55.399 --> 00:15:59.860
The equipment has improved. The satisfaction of making your friend
174
00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:10.289
jump remains very easy to understand. So, there's our October Invitation.
175
00:16:11.269 --> 00:16:16.210
Get the decorations out. Give that pumpkin an expression. Put
176
00:16:16.389 --> 00:16:20.379
on the movie you've been saving, even if you know
177
00:16:20.519 --> 00:16:24.440
exactly when the hand is going to come out from
178
00:16:25.539 --> 00:16:30.659
under the bed. You're allowed to pull your feet up anyway.
179
00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:35.730
For us, the pleasure is being able to return from
180
00:16:35.759 --> 00:16:40.370
the dark. A haunted house exit brings you back to
181
00:16:40.409 --> 00:16:46.690
your Laughing friends. The credits roll. The porch door opens
182
00:16:46.830 --> 00:16:50.990
and somebody has made something warm for you to drink.
183
00:16:52.350 --> 00:16:58.519
Jack's story makes that ordinary welcome feel precious. We can
184
00:16:58.600 --> 00:17:03.860
borrow his little circle of light, but only for an evening.
185
00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:09.039
We can enjoy the long shadows it makes across the steps...
186
00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:14.619
Then head indoors and leave the lantern, watching over the street.
187
00:17:15.980 --> 00:17:22.299
I'm Enrique Couto, and this has been Thursday Thrills. Happy October,
188
00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:28.220
my spookies. Drive safe, keep your headlights on, and when
189
00:17:28.259 --> 00:17:31.740
you pass a little orange light out in the dark,
190
00:17:32.880 --> 00:17:38.269
take a second look. The pumpkins should stay on the porches.
191
00:17:39.569 --> 00:17:44.289
Jack's lantern just keeps on moving.
192
00:17:46.259 --> 00:17:53.759
Come back tomorrow for more fear. Until then, lock your
193
00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:57.809
doors as if that will help.
194
00:17:59.210 --> 00:18:01.009
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!