Film & TV4 min(s) read
Truth behind creepy viral Rumplestiltskin video that is giving people nightmares
A creepy video supposedly from an old Rumpelstiltskin movie has been making the rounds online, leaving viewers convinced they found a piece of forgotten cinema.
But according to a movie and TV blogger who investigated the footage, the viral clip does not actually appear to come from the 1987 movie.
The real Rumpelstiltskin movie came out in 1987
Rumpelstiltskin is a 1987 musical fantasy movie based on the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.
It starred Billy Barty in his only lead role as the title character, alongside Amy Irving as Katie, the miller's daughter, and Clive Revill as King Mezzer.
Irving's brother, David Irving, scripted and directed the film while their mother, actress Priscilla Pointer, played the Queen.
The musical adaptation follows Katie after her father boasts that she could turn straw into gold by spinning it on a wheel.
Rumpelstiltskin, a magical dwarf, comes to her aid and produces the gold, which then leads to marriage and motherhood for her.
However, he demands her firstborn baby as payment, and the only way Katie can get her baby back is to discover his name.
The viral clip appeared to show a disturbing scene
The film has recently found itself in the center of online attention because of a clip from a supposed scene showing Rumpelstiltskin creeping up behind Katie as she cries.
After she notices him and moves away in fear, he puts his finger to her mouth to signal her to be quiet, before touching her hair and dancing around.
He then spun to create gold coins for her, which delighted Katie as she stood up and clapped for him before kissing him. He then abruptly transformed into a man.
The strange scene convinced viewers that they were watching a genuinely old movie scene.
Blogger says the scene is not from the film
A movie and TV blogger named Kevin Smith, who goes by the handle @moviemanmanman on Instagram, addressed the clip on Monday (October 5).
"So by now I'm sure you've seen this clip that is going absolutely viral across many social media platforms," he said, adding two clips of the exact same "scene".
Although he admitted he finds the clip "incredibly unsettling and kinda creepy," he said it’s not "from a real movie".
"For some reason, a lot of people believe that that clip is from 1987's Rumpelstiltskin, but it's not," he continued.
Some viewers believed the person in the clip was Billy Barty, but Smith shut that down, adding: "Yes, Bill Barty was in Rumpelstiltskin, but he was 63 years old when that movie came out."
The clip has convinced many people because it looks as though it could have come from a decades-old fantasy or horror production.
But Smith believes that appearance was artificially created.
"I feel like the clip is throwing everyone for a loop because it looks like, it genuinely does look like an old time, '60s, '50s film, but this is 1000% generative AI. Like, it's AI," he said. "I have been combing the stratospheres of the internet trying to figure out if this is from a real movie. It's not."
However, he was open to somebody identifying a source he had missed.
The revelation surprised commenters, especially since the old look had led some to believe the footage was real.
"This was the first time AI has tricked me because I thought it looked like some weird Italian horror film," one user said.
Another chimed in: "I thought it was real until I saw the way he moves around. They didn't have special effects like that when this movie was supposedly made."
Others were more focused on how disturbing they found the clip.
"That thing is terrifying," one person wrote. A second penned: "It's an absolute tragedy that this is now the way the world is."
"That clip is AI?! W**?! I mean the special effects at the end of the clip seemed off but holy s**t," one more reacted.