All the free channels started to fall silent as they switched to subscription channels. Occasionally some subscription channels will turn on their sound for a trial and than falls silent once again.
FOX
The Remaining free to air channels after Sci Fi Channel fell silent were on satellite F 1. The primary channel I watched was FOX, TV shows I watched included Power Rangers, and VR Troopers.
Other TV shows I watched with my grandfather included Real Stories of the Highway Patrol, COPS, America's Most Wanted, The Simpsons, and Code 3.
Lady Frankenstein, 1971 Film
In March 1995, I stumbled upon the movie Lady Frankenstein on an adult oriented channel. Since I realized it was a movie I wanted to see, I popped a tape into the VCR and hit record.
Recorded on a VHS in March 1995
Other TV shows I saw on the BUD included NBC's Dateline, Ancient Prophecies (A stomach churner, Thinking the world is going to end),
The Learning Channel.
This was one of my favorite channels to watch occasionally. I saw shows such as Ancient Journeys, Ancient World, Ancient Warriors, Trauma Life in the ER, and The Operation. The Operation was a TV Show about surgical procedures including knees to eyes.
The Latter days of the BUD.
In 1995 - 1996 my grandfather decided to ditch the BUD because the dish's motor broke down. In order to keep the dish in position, I had to wedge a piece of wood into the ground. There were many free feeds that can be viewed on many of the open channels. I could watch promos or see a tv show before it gets released.
One last channel I stumbled upon a classical / opera music channel. This channel played a combination of music videos, opera, and animations. Unfortunatly, I do not recall the name of this music channel. One music video I truly remember on this channel was "Glitter to Be Gay" from Candide.
Back in the 1990, my grandfather got a BUD (Big Ugly Satellite Dish). There were great memories from the dream of visiting Nickelodeon Studios in Florida and getting scared while watching Total Recall. I held some great BUD Memories while watching the Sci Fi channel.
On September 24, 1992, The Sci Fi Channel officially launched on G-5 Channel 4. I watched great shows on that channel as such as Amazing Stories, Dr Who, Defenders of the Earth, Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and the Incredible Hulk. Some of these shows I watched inspired me to draw a silly picture at school.
Classic Monsters Month -- Hosted by Christopher Lee
In October, 1993, The Sci Fi Channel held a Classic Monsters Month featuring the four monsters. October 4 - 8, 1993 was The Mummy Week, October 11 - 15 was Dracula Week, October 18 - 22 was Frankenstein Week, and October 26 - 29, 1993 was The Wolf Man Week. On October 30th was The Wonderful World of Zombies, a day devoted to zombie flicks like White Zombie. On Halloween Day, The Sci Fi channel had a Marathon of Scary Movies including the Puppet Master, Phantasm, The Evil Dead, and more. After October 1993, I was inspired to watch some classic horror films including Dracula and Frankenstein.
Doppleganger The Sci Fi Channel screened the movie Doppleganger Sunday, February 20th, 1994 to kick off Boris Karloff Week. I watched this film intermintely during the screening. Towards the end, I got frightened and I turned off the TV. This was a memorable BUD Scary Moment. Boris Karloff Week -- Hosted by Peter Bogdanovich
Between February 21 - 25, 1993 was a special week devoted to 5 Boris Karloff films. The Sci Fi Channel screened on Monday Corridors of Blood, Wedensday, The Invisable Ray, Thursday, Targets, and Friday, Frankenstein to close the week.
Watch this Boris Karloff week video. There
is a short Count Dracula
trailer you will love and remember
Bram Stoker's Count Dracula
On Saturday, February 26, The Sci Fi channel screened Count Dracula. A few days following Boris Karloff Week, the Sci Fi Channel was silenced forever.
Mad Doctors Week
In March of 1994, The Sci Fi Channel had another horror week based on Mad Doctors. I did not get to see this event because the channel was silenced.
Why did the Sci Fi Channel get Silenced?
The Sci Fi Channel has changed its status on the C Band from a Free (Clear, Unscrambled) to a subscription channel. This means you have to contact your satellite dealer and get the code to re activate the sound. Occasionally the sound will be activated for a few days to give viewers a sample of what the channel is like before obtaining the code.
According to Wikipedia, Paramount was sold to The V of Doom (Viacom) = Sci Fi channel silenced. The channel was silenced intermittently in February until the conclusion of Boris Karloff Week.
Why Codes?
The BUD satellite receiver requires you to get a decoder chip installed every year to access all the subscription channels like Nick, Family, Etc. If you cannot afford the chip, you can contact your satellite dealer and they will fax you the codes for the channels you want to subscribe to. After punching in the code, the sound will magically turn on. You can still watch the channel without sound if you can read lips. When you want to enter a subscription code, you must turn to the channel, and enter the 10 - 15 digit code. If you enter the code correctly, you will hear the people talk again for one month.
The Legends of Horror Month -- Hosted by Christopher Lee
In October 1994, The Sci Fi channel had its second annual classic horror movie month. The Legends of horror featured films by key actors like Peter Cushing, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and, Lon Chaney Jr. When the Legends of Horror Month was underway, the Sci Fi Channel was silenced. Unfortunately we did not want to spend the money on subscription codes because there were some clear channels including Fox, NBC, Etc.
Horror VHS Rental Number 1
On November 5, 1994, I rented the original 1931 Bela Lugosi Dracula at Jumbo Video.
This was the first horror film I rented from Jumbo Video,
Keep your ears to the tracks for more great memories of the BUD.
Hanna Babara Twisting Star. A child with autism may get startled due to the synthesized sounds and patterns.
Everybody has a TV in their house. The TV is home to a lot of scary stuff. When you watch TV, you get lulled into a trance as the images appear on the screen. Out of the blue, you could get a jump scare while watching Child's Play or A Nightmare on Elm Street. Horror movies are intended to scare you. There can be other freaky stuff on TV including TV Logos, flashing screens, or transitions. People on the Autism Spectrum may be more affected by these freaks.
Scary Logos
Why are TV Logos Scary?
While watching your favourite cartoons, you may remember those scary logos that appear either at the start or the end of the show. These logos scare factors may because of the combination of weird synthesized sound and visual effects. Here is a list of the logos that scared me in my childhood.
Hanna Barbera Twisting Star
The Hanna Barbera Logo is on of the most freaky logos on television. After watching the Smurfs, Jetsons, Flintstones, and etc, I got freaked out by this logo. In the early 1990's the USA network had a cartoon block known as the Cartoon Express which featured cartoons like the Smurfs and the Flintstones. The train got me interested in watching the channel and than I got freaked out by the Twisting Star.
The Universal Pictures Logo
This can freak you out if you are not expecting it. You will know that this logo appears before the movie ET begins. If you see the stars and the approach, you will be less scared of it. If you are watching a TV show and the logo suddenly appears, you may get freaked out by the music and the blue rings that circle the globe.
Other Scary Logos
This Youtube video below features a collection of scary TV logos from Childhood
Post Traumatic Effects of Scary Logos
Logo Nightmares
Having repeated nightmares of the scary TV logos in your dreams.
Not watching your favorite show anymore
You may be afraid to watch the show and seeing the logo following the closing credits or if the logo appears before the show begins.
Breaking Glass
TV shows that feature breaking glass or mirrors freak me out when I am not expecting it. When I see a breaking window or mirror on TV, I will yell Hoomp. Sometimes the screen will shatter or crack during a transition between scenes.
TV shows or movies with Breaking Glass
Prom Night II, Hello Mary Lou
At the beginning of the movie, the glass in a picture frame cracks.
Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith
During the battle within the first 20 minutes of the movie, a large bay window cracks.
The Amityville Curse
The washroom mirror cracks after a lady wipes the steam away.
Cracking / Breaking glass transitions
Arthur: Episode 54, Let's Talk to some Kids,
Sue-Ellen makes a high kick and the camera cracks.
You can see the transition for yourself by watching the video. The screen cracks at 3:56. The screen will turn blue and crack.
Arthur: Episode 66, Arthur's Big Hit
After Arthur finds out that DW was playing with his model plane, there screen will crack and smash.
You can see the transition effect for yourself. Watch the video above. the screen cracks at 4:12
Inquiring Minds: Superstitions
At the end of the Superstitions segment of this episode, the screen will suddenly crack when the host mentions that it's bad luck to break a mirror.
Video Games Sounds and Visuals
In video games there are scary sound and visual effects that may traumatize you from playing the game anymore. For example if you play Air Fortress, there is a scary moment when you die inside the Air Fortress, the screen will invert colours and the game ends I will post this in a new posting, Freaky Stuff in Gaming.
There are many more breaking / shattering window transition effects out there. I will add them as I locate them. Keep your ears to the tracks.
Page Index
Freaky Stuff,
Freaky Stuff in the Car
Freaky Stuff on the Radio
Freaky Stuff in Video Games
Resource
Wikipedia, USA Cartoon Express, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Cartoon_Express
