Not only is today Krampusnacht, but it’s also Large Marge‘s 80th birthday.
Or would’ve been, rather.
Tim Burton made his debut as a feature filmmaker with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in 1985, which contains one of the scariest moments in any non-horror movie ever made.
I’m of course referring to the infamous Large Marge scene, wherein Pee-wee hitches a ride with the ghost of a dead trucker on his quest to find his beloved bicycle. The woman, Marge, relays to Pee-wee the scary story of her own death, which crescendos with Marge transforming into, well, a big-eyed creature straight out of your nightmares.
If you saw the film as a kid, there’s a good chance you’ve never been able to scrub that particular jump scare from your mind. Like a handful of our favorite things from the ’80s, it was the Chiodo Brothers (Killer Klowns from Outer Space) who fabricated and animated Marge’s nightmarish visage – above, Stephen Chiodo animates Large Marge.
Late actress Alice Nunn, who passed away in 1988, played Large Marge in the film, a character who was born on December 5, 1937 and died on January 11, 1974.
Pee-wee met up with her 10 years later, and we’ve never forgotten their encounter.
Tell ’em Large Marge sent ya!
