3 THE CAT IN THE HAT True Horror Stories ANIMATED — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:31[music]
2. 0:31Ow.
3. 0:31[screaming]
4. 0:32Wow.
5. 0:32I don't like when my parents go out of town.  Something weird always happens. Last time,
6. 0:38I invited my friend Tanya to sleep over, hoping  things would stay normal if I wasn't by myself.
7. 0:44She lives in the same neighborhood as me, so  her parents said it would be okay. Everything
8. 0:48was fine at first. Tanya came over just before  sunset. We had leftover spaghetti for dinner,
9. 0:54then started watching TV. I still had some  chores to do. I tried to get Tanya to help,
10. 1:00but she made me do all of it. Washing the dishes,  cleaning up the kitchen, and taking out the trash.
11. 1:05I opened the garage door, then started rolling  the can down the driveway. When I got to the curb,
12. 1:11I looked around the neighborhood. That's when  I first saw him. The Cat in the Hat. The same
13. 1:16one out of the book my parents used to read  to me when I was little, except he was real,
14. 1:21but wrong. He looked like if The Cat in the Hat  was a stray. He was staring right at me. Standing
15. 1:27right across from my house, he smiled as his arm  moved to wave at me. I began backing away slowly,
16. 1:33not taking my eyes off him, retracing my steps  back into the garage, then closed the garage door.
17. 1:39I kept staring back at the Cat in the Hat for  every single second it took for the door to finish
18. 1:44closing. Then as soon as it touched the ground, I  ran into the house. Tanya was still watching TV,
19. 1:50but I grabbed her hand and dragged her to  the front door. Hey, what's going on? Shh,
20. 1:55look. The Cat in the Hat is outside, but  he's not even real. I'm serious. Look,
21. 2:02I don't see anything. Oh, come on. He was right  there a second ago. I swear. H, stop making stuff
22. 2:11up. I'm trying to watch Family Guy. But I'm  serious. Shut up. Tanya didn't believe me.
23. 2:17It really hurt my feelings, but I couldn't make  her leave. A few hours later, Tanya couldn't stay
24. 2:22awake any longer. She asked me to make a place  for her to sleep. So, I went upstairs to my room
25. 2:28while she kept watching TV. I didn't have space  on my bed, only on the floor, but I had enough
26. 2:33extra comforters in my dresser to make it work. I  turned on the lights, pulled out a couple drawers,
27. 2:39trying to do my best for my friend, but then  something caught my eye. Something out my window,
28. 2:44I got on my tiptoes and peered over the dresser  down into the street. There he was again, the Cat
29. 2:50in the Hat, staring up into my window, smiling,  waving. This time, I didn't waste a moment. I ran
30. 2:57downstairs as fast as I could to get Tanya and  force her to look out the window again. But just
31. 3:02like before, there was nothing there. Uh, this  isn't a funny prank. It's honestly sad. I think
32. 3:08I'm just going to walk home. Wait, Tanya, don't.  What if the Cat in the Hat gets you? Yeah, well,
33. 3:14what if I call my mom and tell her you wouldn't  let me leave? Then she'll call the police and have
34. 3:18you arrested. You want that? No. Then let me go  home, you creep. It's like 5 minutes away. I'll
35. 3:24be fine. And just like that, Tanya left. My only  company gone. She would rather risk running into
36. 3:31the Cat in the Hat than hang with me for another  minute. I worried for her. She didn't understand
37. 3:37that it wasn't safe, but there was nothing I  could do to convince her to stay. Afterwards,
38. 3:42I tried staying up to watch TV, but I just wanted  the [music] night to be over, so I went up to my
39. 3:47room. I couldn't sleep, though. I laid in bed,  staring up at the ceiling, wishing Tanya was
40. 3:52still with me. [music] Hey, you still awake? Come  down here. Tanya, is that you? Did you come back?
41. 4:00I made a mistake, but I was still near. Oh,  I'm just glad you're okay. I'll be right there.
42. 4:06I swore I could hear her voice. She was so close,  just downstairs. I slipped out of bed and made
43. 4:12my way back to the living room, but the house was  empty. Nobody in it but me. I thought I must have
44. 4:19been dreaming. It just sounded so real. She had to  be around. Maybe, I thought. I was half asleep and
45. 4:25heard her talking at the door. I looked out the  window, making sure nobody was watching. The coast
46. 4:30seemed clear. I opened the door, but Tanya wasn't  there. Not a soul in sight, except Tanya's phone
47. 4:37was on the welcome mat. The screen was shattered.  The case covered in blood. I knew what it meant
48. 4:42immediately. The cat in the hat had got her. I  slammed the door shut, ran upstairs, locked myself
49. 4:48in my room, and called the police. They came and  they said they would look for her, but they didn't
50. 4:53believe me when I said what happened. They said  she probably just [music] got lost on her way
51. 4:57home. But that couldn't be true. It was just a  short walk. Something happened to her. I just
52. 5:02know it. Ever since then, nobody has been able to  find Tanya. Everyone thinks I'm hiding something.
53. 5:08Like I had something to do with [music] it. They  think the Cat in the Hat is some lie I made up
54. 5:13or that I'm crazy. But I know the truth. The Cat  in the Hat is real and he is still out there.
55. 5:21Viral images purporting to show a life-sized  version of the Dr. Seuss character, Cat in the
56. 5:26Hat, on the streets after dark have sparked fear  and confusion among residents. The post seen by
57. 5:32millions have convinced people that the character  is real and that they might encounter it,
58. 5:37prompting police forces in Ireland and the UK  to issue statements confirming that the images
59. 5:42and videos are fake. I was having a sleepover,  [music] but everyone started watching Cat in the
60. 5:47Hat videos. It was 3:00 a.m. I wanted to go home.  When I started walking down my friend's driveway,
61. 5:53I got totally freaked out that [music] the Cat  in the Hat was going to jump out. I had to call
62. 5:57my mom to pick me up. One user said, "Despite  the [music] pictures and videos being fake,
63. 6:03along with unverified claims that the Cat in  the Hat has been involved in violent assaults,
64. 6:07it has still caused alarm  amongst the public. [music]
65. 6:27Hey Marlin, want to watch cartoons  with me? Aw, that's a good kitty.
66. 6:35Who's the best kitty man ever? Is that  you, Marlin? It's you, isn't it? Kitty man.
67. 6:40Kitty. Kitty. Mar. What's wrong, boy? Oh, I'm  leaving now, [ __ ] You'll get your money.
68. 6:49Hi, Mom. What do you want? I just wanted to  say bye. Ow! [screaming] No! Marlin, come back.
69. 6:56God damn it, Mom. Why'd you let him run away?  Don't you swear at me and my own house, you little
70. 7:02[ __ ] You think I care about some stupid ass cat?  It wants to run away. Fine. That's one less mouth
71. 7:08to feed. The only cat you ought to worry about  is the one you came out of, you ungrateful prick.
72. 7:13The one that feeds you and keeps a roof over  your head. Not that mangy flea bag. I'm sorry.
73. 7:19You better be. On top of everything else I have  to deal with, you always got to stress me out. I
74. 7:25didn't mean to cuss at you, Mom. It's all right.  I know you learned it from me. You going to be
75. 7:31okay on your own tonight? Yeah. I'll miss you,  though. And Marlin, word of advice. Don't be
76. 7:37a [ __ ] unless you want to get screwed. Okay,  Mom. All right, then. You've held me up enough.
77. 7:43I may or may not be home tonight. I don't know.  There's ramen in the pantry if you get hungry.
78. 7:50[snorts] Marlin, please come back.
79. 7:57I hate my mom. I hope she never comes  home. I just wanted to be me and Marlin.
80. 8:08God damn that stupid TV. It never works. Oh, what  the hell is this? Come on, change the channel.
81. 8:17Turn off. Do something. What? No, not that. If  you break, Mom's going to kill me. Great. And it
82. 8:25burned in, too. Awesome. Meow. The speakers must  still be working, I guess. No, they're all dead.
83. 8:35Must be one of mom's shows. Go on,  turn around. No, you're not real.
84. 8:42Cute, but it won't work. It's just an after image.  Just Just a glitch. Come on, don't bore me, Dor.
85. 8:52[panting]
86. 9:00[panting]
87. 9:09No, no, no. Who's there?  How'd you get in my house?
88. 9:16Huh? Marlin, is that you? [screaming]  I knew you wouldn't run away.
89. 9:25I've been working on my impressions.  What do I do? Come on, tell me.
90. 9:33What are you? You mean you really can't see?
91. 9:40I'm the Cat in the Hat. No, you're lying.  Do you know why they call me that? You're
92. 9:48not real. They call me that because of  what's under my hat. No, Marlin. No,
93. 9:57this can't be happening. And how does that make  you feel? I want to wake up. I don't want to
94. 10:03wake up because I think I found my next meal.  No. No. Let go. Get away. Get away from me.
95. 10:15I think that's enough. So, just do  me a favor and sing. [screaming]
96. 10:23This Cat in the Hat story was inspired by an  alarming incident that took place in West Colona,
97. 10:28BC. Police say they're looking for someone  who was wearing a Cat in the Hat costume
98. 10:33when they allegedly chased a teenager walking in  the Okonagan community. Police have not released
99. 10:38additional details other than saying the girl was  able to get home safely and the suspect has not
100. 10:43been identified. However, what makes the whole  ordeal chilling was how a photo was released
101. 10:49showing the suspect standing on a street at  night wearing a full Cat in a Hat costume
102. 10:54complete with the character's distinctive red and  white striped hat. Police describe the incident
103. 10:58as a concerning prank and say wearing a costume  is not a criminal offense, but following another
104. 11:04person in [music] a manner that causes them to  fear for their safety may constitute criminal
105. 11:08harassment. Police are asking anyone with dash  camera or security footage to contact them.
106. 11:30[screaming]
107. 11:31Back in 2016, I remember when the clown epidemic  happened. I was a little kid then and it scared
108. 11:37the life out of me. Then I started seeing  this new rumor going around. Not about clowns,
109. 11:43but about something even more ridiculous, the Cat  in the Hat. I was killing time at school one day,
110. 11:50scrolling through Instagram when a row of  suggested accounts came up. As I happened to swipe
111. 11:55through that list out of boredom, I saw something  peculiar. The Cat in the Hat. The username looked
112. 12:01like the 15th attempt to get a unique ripoff of  The Cat in the Hat, and the profile pick was a
113. 12:06blurry screenshot from one of the viral videos,  but I decided to check it out. The account only
114. 12:12had a single post. It seemed random at first. the  Cat in the Hat standing in a street in the middle
115. 12:18of the night until I looked closer. The street was  familiar. I almost always saw it during the day,
116. 12:26so I nearly didn't realize it, but it was right  outside the front of my school. Sure enough,
117. 12:32the caption even called out our school  mascot, asking us what was up. Honestly,
118. 12:38it gave me the chills, but I didn't let it show.  The post had zero likes. This had to be some loser
119. 12:44at the school trying to get attention. I thought  something funny I should show my friend sitting
120. 12:49next to me. I got his attention and showed him  the post. He smiled like he was going to laugh,
121. 12:55but then without hesitation. He reached over and  doubletapped it. Dude, what the hell? That's sick,
122. 13:02bro. You like that [ __ ] Shut up. You like it,  [ __ ] What are you scared he's going to find you?
123. 13:08No, I'm not scared. I'm just going to unlike  it. What if he already saw it? then it'll be
124. 13:13your fault if he kills me. So, you do think he's  real? Shut up. I tried my best to laugh it off,
125. 13:20but it actually got to me. Either way, I had to  move on. I had quizzes to take at the end of the
126. 13:25day and then more work to do after school. I  was there about 2 hours after main dismissal
127. 13:31after most people had already gone home. Even the  sun was going down and I had to walk all the way
128. 13:37home before it got dark. To save time, I decided  to cut through the park. As far [music] as I could
129. 13:43see, I had the park to myself, except it didn't  sound like I was alone. Somewhere behind me,
130. 13:50someone was [music] pounding the pavement to keep  up with me. I looked back and made it obvious,
131. 13:55but the path was empty. Was I going crazy or  something? [music] Maybe it was just the leaves,
132. 14:01I thought. But it couldn't hurt to make  sure. I stopped and looked all around.
133. 14:07Who's there? I know you're following me. Don't  mess with me. You don't know how crazy I am.
134. 14:13Meow. No way. No goddamn way. Last I checked,  bushes don't meow. It couldn't really be. No,
135. 14:21I didn't stick around to find out. I ran at  top speed until I got home and locked the
136. 14:26door behind me. My mom asked me why I was out  of breath, but I didn't want to sound stupid.
137. 14:31I told her I was rushing to get home. She said I  was just in time for dinner. After picking up my
138. 14:36food for half an hour, I was finally allowed to  go upstairs. I was supposed to do my homework,
139. 14:42but there was no chance I could focus.  I picked up my phone to distract myself
140. 14:47just to see a new message from Instagram. It was  from the Cat in the Hat. I wanted to just chuck
141. 14:53my phone out the window, but I couldn't take  the chance. I had to look. He texted me saying,
142. 14:59"Come outside." and then a picture, a selfie  of him standing in my driveway. Immediately,
143. 15:07my blood turned eyes. I thought I might only have  seconds before he came in and took everyone by
144. 15:12surprise, so I ran downstairs screaming. My  dad came rushing over. I kept repeating that
145. 15:18someone was outside, but I didn't say who. They  thought I was panicking too much, and I was,
146. 15:24but I was afraid they wouldn't take me seriously  if I told them the whole truth. After telling me
147. 15:29to be quiet and go to the back of the house, my  dad went outside with a baseball bat while my
148. 15:34mother called the police. They didn't find anyone.  That bastard always manages to hide before anyone
149. 15:40can catch a glimpse of him. Eventually,  when my dad came back in with the cops,
150. 15:45I had to fess up and tell everyone what [music]  was really going on. I was positive they would
151. 15:50laugh at me or at best roll their eyes and  do nothing. To my surprise, it led to school
152. 15:55being [music] closed the next day. Apparently,  I wasn't the only student who had been stalked
153. 16:00by the Cat in the Hat. The reports added up until  the [music] principal had to take them seriously.
154. 16:05Last I heard, they were investigating a handful of  students they [music] believed to be responsible,
155. 16:11but I haven't been given any confirmation. I'm  glad they seem to be genuinely working on it.
156. 16:16But until we know for sure, I have to [music]  assume the Cat in the Hat is still watching.
157. 16:23A viral trend involving an image of the Cat in the  Hat has caught the attention of law enforcement,
158. 16:28prompting schools around the country to cancel  classes or increase security out of an abundance
159. 16:33of caution. A Florida teen was recently arrested  in connection with online Cat in the Hat threats
160. 16:39linked towards McCracken County High School in  Paduca, Kentucky. School administrators closed the
161. 16:45high school on August 31st after a Cat in the Hat  post sparked safety concerns. In another unrelated
162. 16:51incident, news outlets reported that another  teen who identified themselves as the Cat in
163. 16:56the Hat was connected to threatening messages  sent to multiple students in Allen County.
164. 17:02While there is currently no information indicating  a credible threat associated with these posts,
165. 17:07we take all reports involving school safety  seriously. Our homeland security unit is
166. 17:13actively reviewing information related to these  incidents, working with school administrators,
167. 17:18and investigating the origin of any post  that may be causing alarm. Police said
168. 17:23Heat. Heat.