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Hide Your Kids: The Philadelphia Flyers’ New Mascot “Gritty” is a Giant Orange Monster With Googly Eyes

Published

8 years ago

on

We can’t figure out whether to give him a big hug or run for our lives.

At a special event this morning, the Philadelphia Flyers presented “Gritty” to a crowd of 600 children, a new team mascot who is said to be taking an active role in community outreach. Gritty, as it turns out, is a seven-foot-tall fuzzy orange monster with googly eyes, a massive beard and wild eyebrows. His origin story, well, it reads like something out of a horror movie.

According to the official press release, “Gritty claims that he’s been around for a lot longer than we know it, and recent construction at the Wells Fargo Center disturbed his secret hideout forcing him to show his face publicly for the first time. As his home has been deep inside the Wells Fargo Center for an unknown amount of time, Gritty has also picked up solid skating and hockey abilities.”

The character’s bio continues, “He has some oddities that are both humorous and strange. A number of times he’s been caught eating snow straight from the Zamboni machine, and unbeknownst to most, his love of hot dogs has been inflating the Flyers Dollar Dog Night consumption totals for years.”

Oh and if all this wasn’t already strange enough, Gritty has a squeaky belly button, as well as the ability to blow smoke out of his ears. He drives a car that shoots t-shirts into the crowd.

Naturally, Twitter has been having a field day with Gritty, mocking him all day and dubbing him “nightmare fuel.” They’re not wrong. If the eyes truly are the windows to the soul, then it seems pretty safe to assume that Gritty has eaten a few children in his day. But it would seem he’s looking to redeem himself, and that’s more than we can say for most here in 2018.

He’s kinda cute, in a My Pet Monster sorta way. Don’t ya think?

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Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has two awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

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The Further

Killer Shorts Horror Writing Competition Open NOW With New Category for Feature Screenplays!

Published

2 days ago

on

June 6, 2026

By

The annual genre competition dedicated to finding and launching the next generation of horror writing talent, this year’s Killer Shorts is now officially open for entries!

Founded in 2019, Killer Shorts has established itself as a premier industry launchpad. The competition connects screenwriters and prose authors directly with the executives, managers, and producers who actively greenlight and option dark genre cinema.

But this year’s competition isn’t only about killer horror shorts…

For this brand new season, Killer Shorts is expanding its categories to include feature-length screenplays alongside its traditional short script, one-page script, and short story divisions.

The Top 10 finalists across all categories are evaluated by an elite industry jury composed of over a dozen horror legends, literary managers, and producers. The panel includes:

  • Barbara Crampton (Horror Icon, Actress & Producer — Jakob’s Wife, Suitable Flesh)
  • John Zaozirny (Literary Manager & Producer, Bellevue Productions)
  • Tananarive Due (Author, Producer & Horror Historian)
  • Lucas Ford (Producer, Ford Films — The Backrooms)
  • John Squires (Editor-in-Chief, Bloody Disgusting)
  • Sophie Carroll (Creative Director, ALTER & DUST at Gunpowder & Sky)
  • Gigi Saul Guerrero (Director & Co-Founder, Luchagore Productions)
  • Aaron B. Koontz (Producer & CEO, Paper Street Pictures)

Yes, yours truly is joining the Killer Shorts judging panel for the first time ever!

Killer Shorts has a proven track record of transitioning undiscovered writers into working professionals. Alumni success stories include Season 2 finalist Vanessa Võ, who signed with Bellevue Productions, and Season 3 finalist Kelly Nugent, who secured representation at Wonder Street.

Additionally, screenplays submitted for coverage that receive a “Recommend” rating qualify for inclusion on The Scream List. This real-time tracking board is monitored by top-tier genre companies, including Screambox, Raven Banner Entertainment, Zero Gravity Management, and Grey Matter Productions.

Submissions will be accepted across all major platforms, including the official Killer Shorts website, Scrybe, Stage 32, FilmFreeway, and Network ISA.

For full guidelines, prize breakdowns, and submission details, visit the official website!

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