If you’re a Hulu subscriber, you’ve likely seen advertisements for the recently released nostalgia-fueled horror movie Mr Crocket. The film, which offers a sort of twisted take on the wholesome and friendly vibes of classic 1970s TV hosts like Mister Rogers, premiered on the streamer on Oct. 11 and immediately made massive waves with critics and general audiences alike. Since the film is so fresh, many critics are doing their best not to spoil the shocking narrative, though viewers far and wide are already in search of answers regarding a few open-ended conclusions. Luckily, we’ve got you covered, with a comprehensive breakdown of the plot, themes, and ending of Mr Crocket, as well as a look at the potential future of the franchise.
Needless to say, there will be major spoilers ahead, so please be sure to bookmark this page and return later if you haven’t finished watching the Mr Crocket film in its entirety. For those who have seen the film, let’s dive right in, and see what we can learn by unpacking the twisted ending.
What Is ‘Mr Crocket’ Based On?
Despite the complex world-building and genuine feel of the movie, Mr Crocket is not based on a true story. Of course, if watching the trailer left you with a deep sense of uneasy deja vu, you may have previously seen an iteration of the narrative on an episode of Hulu’s Bite Size Halloween. The original story, presented as a proof of concept in the anthology series, was only 6 minutes long, but offered the same basic structure as the feature film, as a charismatic TV host begins doing away with parents and snatching kids after spreading his influence through a series of cursed VHS tapes.
The character of Mr Crocket is also clearly designed to replicate several pop culture staples. His series’ set design, attire, and his general demeanor are written to evoke memories of Mister Rogers, while his status as a Black television icon reminds viewers of early pioneers in mainstream Black entertainment such as Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor. The creepy theme music to Crocket’s series, Mr Crocket’s World, offers a similar tune to the famed Barney & Friends music, with a slowed and chopped presentation that makes you feel as though you’re being drowsily transported directly into your television while succumbing to sleep paralysis. This is fitting, as the Barney theme tune “I Love You” by Bob Singleton was once used to torture prisoners of war in Guantanamo Bay, per a 2008 report in The Canton Repository.
What Happens in ‘Mr Crocket’?
The narrative of Mr Crocket takes place in 1993, in the fictional suburb of Shurry Bottom, Pennsylvania. As parents around the neighborhood continue sharing videotapes of child and family-friendly media with their kids, unspeakable horrors begin to pervade the quiet town. Children begin mysteriously disappearing while parents all across town are found dead or gravely injured, raising alarm bells that leave some to believe a serial killer or cult of devil worshippers is on the loose. As we come to learn throughout the film, the 1970s television host Emanuel Crocket is the true culprit, wreaking havoc on the area from beyond the grave.
Crocket is revealed to have struck a deal with the devil just before his death decades earlier, allowing him to continue living, as he carries out the devil’s order to bring children back to a seemingly idyllic “paradise” of sorts. In a shocking twist, we later come to learn that Crocket may not be the monster we think he is, as he uses these powers to specifically target children who are being abused by their parents. This explains why the deceased TV host chooses specific houses in the Shurry Bottom area, as he seeks to liberate these children from their monstrous parents, before killing the abusers in a ritualistic fashion. The children are then hypnotized by the cursed Mr Crocket’s World VHS tapes, and compelled to join Crocket in a magical land beyond space and time.
Why Does Crocket Strike the Deal?
While plenty of people are terrified of dying, it remains unclear at first why the television host would choose to strike this bizarre deal with the devil in the first place. As we learn through the narrative, however, Mr Crocket was a victim of abuse throughout his entire childhood. As a young man, he had a lot of darkness in his life, eventually culminating in him killing his own father in retaliation for years of violent physical abuse. After staging his father’s death to look like an accident and eventually separating himself from his past, Crocket sought to become a professional comedian and make people laugh. His career took a few hard turns, and Crocket eventually stumbled into the role of children’s television host, even though that wasn’t in line with his original dream.
Once the budding performer began working on Mr Crocket’s World, he met an 8-year-old boy named Anthony. While working alongside Anthony, Crocket learns that the boy is being abused at home. Rather than reporting the parents to the authorities, Crocket resolves to kidnap the boy and engage in a violent confrontation with the police when they come looking for him. Mr Crocket ultimately dies taking a bullet for the child, prompting him to strike a deal with Satan. While the still-traumatized Crocket believes he is doing the right thing by liberating children from their abusers, he fails to see that Satan is using him as a puppet. When the host murders the abusive parents of the children in front of them, it not only perpetuates the cycle of trauma, but it also gives the souls of the deceased to the devil and enraptures the children in a permanent state of hypnosis.
What Happens to Summer and Major?
By the time Mr Crocket starts terrorizing Shurry Bottom, he comes across the home of Summer and her 8-year-old son Major. Unlike most of the parents in the film, Summer is not abusive to her son, though she does tend to say cruel things when she is upset. Crocket enters the home just in time to hear Summer tell her child that she wishes she could quit being his mom, which he seemingly recognizes as a sign of abuse. As a result, Crocket takes Major away, only for Summer to come to regret her words shortly thereafter. When Summer goes searching for Major, she eventually locates a portal leading to Crocket’s child paradise, where he brings his underage victims. After traveling through the portal, Crocket attempts to kill her using Major’s body as a physical vessel.
Just as it seems like Major is going to murder his own mother in cold blood, Summer gets him to snap out of it, breaking the spell and trapping Crocket’s influence inside the confines of the boy’s mind. Before departing through the portal, Major snatches Mr Crocket’s magical marker, which was crafted by the devil to maintain his power. In doing so, it seems as though the young boy has officially broken the curse, and freed the children from their eternal hypnosis. While the thrilling conclusion of Mr Crocket leaves a few loose threads behind, it seems to offer a happily ever after for Summer and Major, who serve as the emotional core of the story.
Will There Be a ‘Mr Crocket’ Sequel?
While no sequel has officially been greenlit at the time of this writing, it seems clear that fans far and wide are loving Mr Crocket, and would be more than happy to see the story continue. As stated, there are numerous loose ends that could be exploited to return to the twisted world of this budding horror franchise. For starters, the soul of Emanuel Crocket may still be trapped within the mind of innocent Major, which could have damning ramifications on the boy as he grows older. Even if Crocket himself is defeated for good, there’s still the matter of Satan’s deal, which the evil creature is unlikely to simply wash his hands of.
A sequel could see the devil coming after Summer and Major and demanding a similar deal with them, or even switch gears and introduce a whole new set of characters, turning the franchise into an anthology. For now, the options are seemingly endless, though the potential for a sequel will likely be determined by the overall streaming success of Mr Crocket. If Hulu execs are pleased with the figures through Halloween and beyond, we can certainly expect to hear more sequel buzz for the electrifying new franchise.
