Aahana Swrup
Hulu’s ‘Mr. Crocket’ is a horror film featuring an unpredictably uncanny source of terror that threatens to ruin children’s lives. The film is set in the late 1990s and revolves around Summer, a recently widowed mother who’s having trouble reigning in her young son, Major, in the wake of his father’s death. However, things begin to look up when she finds a VHS Tape of an old children’s show, “Mr. Crocket’s World,” which quickly captures the kid’s attention. Nevertheless, the same ends up becoming Summer’s doom when Mr. Crocket somehow materializes out of the television and lures young Major away from his mother.
Thus, Summer realizes Mr. Crocket has been going around town abducting children and trapping them in his spell. As the woman goes up against an inexplicable, demonic force, several truths about the past emerge, unraveling the mystery behind the menacing Mr. Crocket. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Mr. Crocket Plot Synopsis
In Pennsylvania in 1993, Darren, a young boy with a hot-headed step-father, finds himself in for a big surprise. Unfortunately, the boy and his mother, Rhonda, have had to get used to Kevin’s short fuse, which usually manifests as verbal abuse. Nonetheless, this time, when he tries to force-feed Darren, a man lurks out of their television and brutally slaughters the stepfather. However, afterward, Darren’s savior—Mr. Crocket from the television show—ends up taking the boy somewhere with him through a magical portal. Consequently, Rhonda is left alone and disoriented, setting off on a search for her son.
Months later, Darren’s disappearance has faded in the news as the town’s beloved high school coach dies, leaving behind his wife, Summer, and their son, Major. Although Summer does her best to manage Major’s attitude, the boy remains a handful. Intriguingly enough, the duo’s path crosses with Rhonda—who is now homeless and perpetually frantic. Therefore, they quickly drive her away when she tries to take Major away, warning Summer that someone is coming for her son. Eventually, as the now-single mother continues struggling with Major’s tantrums, she randomly finds a VHS tape of an old children’s show outside her home.
Surprisingly, the show—Mr. Crocket’s World—works like a charm on Major, who becomes glued to the television screen. Soon enough, his screen time becomes concerning. However, the kid has an unexpected outburst when his mother tries to cut down on Mr. Crocket-time. As a result, a big fight breaks out between the two, and Summer ends up saying some regrettable things. Much to the woman’s horror, Mr. Crocket claws out of the television the same night and coaxes Major away from his mother and through a portal. Thus, Summer is left frazzled and grieving her son.
Eventually, Summer learns about an accident in the neighborhood involving the mysterious death of a drug-addicted father and his daughter’s disappearance. Interestingly enough, the television in the house has a broken screen. Recognizing the parallels between this situation and her own, Summer goes to the local library to research kidnapping cases and Mr. Crocket. To her surprise, she discovers that the host of Mr. Crocket’s World died a decade ago in a confrontation with the police after he kidnapped a young boy.
The situation’s gravity heightens when a stranger, Eddie, approaches Summer, claiming to be another parent whose child fell victim to Mr.Crocket. Consequently, the two join forces and decide to look for the strange woman who had warned Summer about this threat all those days ago. As a result, the pair tracks down Rhonda, who has been living in a tent where she has established a system to tap into the same wavelength as Mr. Crocket, even if at the cost of great mental strain.
Once Rhonda identifies the man’s next target, she, Summer, and Eddie drive out to stop him and return the kidnapped kids to safety. Nonetheless, the confrontation quickly goes south as Mr. Crocket’s powers—an all-granting magical marker—bests the trio easily. With no cards left to play, Summer and Eddie decide to follow in after Crocket’s portal as a last-ditch effort to locate the missing kids. On the other side, they find themselves in a hellish version of the set of Mr. Crocket’s show, where he has been stashing the kids, brainwashed and under his control.
Mr. Crocket Ending: Why Does Mr. Crocket Kidnap Children?
The story opens with Mr. Crocket’s introduction as he enters young Darren and his family’s life. From the get-go, certain things about his character are established. Mr. Crocket befriends kids and punishes those who torment them. Nevertheless, the punishment he doles out remains evidently disproportionate and brutally gorey. Furthermore, in the aftermath, Darren’s disappearance also becomes apparent. Therefore, Mr. Crocket’s more menacing side begins to come out. Eventually, the children’s show host reveals his true evil once he targets Major as his next victim.
Although some of the kids whom Crocket kidnaps genuinely come from unsafe or toxic homes—such as Carrie and Darren—Major’s relationship with his mother is never once abusive. The duo are simply struggling in the wake of the death of Major’s father, which paves the way for arguments. Crocket exploits this vulnerability in their relationship to trick Major into leaving with him. Ultimately, Crocket’s intentions are clear—he wishes to gather a group of children, steal them away from their families, and keep them all to himself. The same, of course, has roots in his tragic backstory.
As a kid, Mr. Crocket—born Emanuel—grew up under a violently abusive father who took every chance to exhaust his anger on the kid. For the same reason, the boy grew bitter and eventually killed his own father, making his death look like an accident. Afterward, he tried to move on with his life and pursued his dreams of providing a safe space for kids. Nonetheless, his anger issues remained apparent to the cast and crew. Still, he managed to run a successful children’s show called Mr. Crocket’s World. One day, he spotted a sad boy, Anthony Williams, in the live audience and decided to follow him back home.
Thus, Mr. Crocket realized that Anthony had a rather bleak home life and offered to let him stay at his place, completely disregarding the numerous laws he breaks in the process. Soon enough, the cops track the kid down to Mr. Crocket’s house and storm the place. In retaliation, the host hides Anthony and fights back against the cops. However, once Anthony witnesses Mr. Crocket stabbing officers to death, he becomes scared and flees from his hiding spot right into the line of fire. Hence, Mr. Crocket ends up taking the bullet for the kid, submitting to his own death. Nonetheless, he doesn’t give up—even in death.
Due to his own awful upbringing, Mr. Crocket is desperate to help other children—perhaps to make up for his own childhood trauma. Therefore, he makes a deal with the devil to return to the mortal realm with the power of his handy marker that can be used to draw anything. Although his intentions are good, his efforts are tainted by demonic energy as well as his own selfish desire to hoard the kids’ affection. Therein remains his ultimate purpose behind kidnapping the kids—Mr. Crocket’s abusive past compels him to crave a family of his own, and he’s willing to cheat, lie, and kill his way into getting it.
Who is Eddie, Really? Why Does Mr. Crocket Kill Him?
After Summer and Eddie arrive at Mr. Crocket’s terrifying lair, the latter manages to hide himself in the shadows, leaving Darren’s mother to become the sole target. Thus, as the host delves into his backstory, the flickers of guilt flashing across Eddie’s face remain evident. Initially, Eddie told Summer that he was looking for Mr. Crocket because his daughter, Lauren, was kidnapped. Yet, once Crocket brings the kids out, Lauren seems to be nowhere to be seen. As such, the curtains go up on Eddie’s act.
As it turns out, Eddie has been conning Summer all along. His child never fell victim to Mr. Crocket. Instead, he is actually the latter’s first victim. Eddie’s real name is Anthony Williams—and he is the same boy who was kidnapped by Mr. Crocket in 1979. During the altercation between Mr. Crocket and the cops, Anthony grew scared of the situation’s violence and fled—which resulted in the host’s death. In the aftermath, the police returned the boy to his family. However, Anthony was displeased by this turn of events.
Anthony’s home life was truly abusive, and Mr. Crocket offered an escape from the same when he kidnapped the boy. As a result, he began idolizing the man, preferring him to his real family. As he grew up and stories began circulating about abducted kids, he figured out Mr. Crocket’s possible connection to the events. For the same reason, he sought out Summer and Rhonda to track the man down, hoping for a reunion with the man who made him feel accepted as a child.
Nevertheless, once Eddie—or Anthony—emerges from the shadow, pulling his gun on Summer, a different reality awaits him. Even though Eddie cares about Mr. Crocket and wants to return to him, the latter’s demonically revived version has no love lost for the boy. This Mr. Crocket only cares for young, impressionable children whom he can manipulate under his control. As an adult, jaded and hardened by life, Eddie no longer fits the bill. Furthermore, it’s possible that Mr. Crocket also holds some contempt for the part the other man played in his death as a kid. Thus, when the moment comes, Mr. Crocket tells Eddie that he no longer belongs in this place, which drives the other man to insanity. In the end, the host’s trusty monster, Blue, devours Eddie, bringing an end to his story.
How Does Summer Save the Children From Mr. Crocket?
With Eddie gone, the game board has returned to an even balance between Summer and Mr. Crocket. Since the latter is supposed to be the epitome of morals—at least in his children’s show—he offers the woman a chance by letting her talk to Major. If she can break the boy out of his spell and convince him to return home with her, Mr. Crocket promises to let them go. Although Summer almost succeeds at the same, Major quickly goes back under Mr. Crocket’s spell once he reminds the boy that Summer had told him she no longer wanted to be his mother. As such, deciding that he had won the round, Mr. Crocket unleashes his monsters—and mind-controlled kids—on Summer in a dreadful game of hide and seek.
In the end, once they have Summer cornered, she attempts to reach out to Major one last time by blowing a whistle to remind him of their relationship. Back in the early days of his father’s absence, Summer had given him the same whistle to call out to her as a reminder that they would always be on the same team. Now, it becomes the mother’s last cry for help. Meanwhile, Mr. Crocket turns to the boy to encourage him to kill his mother like the former had killed his own father. As he draws up a sword with the magic pen, Major approaches his mother with the intention of stabbing her.
Yet, the same never occurs. Summer’s hail mary attempt to win Major back had helped, and the kid woke up from Mr. Crocket’s spell. Therefore, when accepting the sword from him, he also went in for a hug—and stole his magic marker in the process. Consequently, now he hands the marker to his mother, who uses it to slash Mr. Crocket in two equal parts. Without the marker by his side, the man loses all his powers—breaking the kids free of his mind-controlling spell. As such, Summer opens up a portal of her own and herds the kids back into the real world—including her own son, Major.
Is Mr. Crocket Dead or Alive?
Once Summer and the kids return from the mouths of danger, they are able to return to normal life. Most of the kids have to be sent to foster care since their parents are all dead. Still, kids like Major and Darren are able to reunite with their families. On his part, Major goes on to grow closer to his mother as the two become one unit. Still, certain issues linger around the family. After a few months, Summer receives complaints from the school, with evidence that Major has been acting violently towards his classmates and teachers. The pictures the school has to show for it include heavily bruised hands.
Not only that but most kids are scared of being around Major because he often talks about a man who will come for them and take them away. The school’s representative is under the impression that this aggression is coming from Major’s new father figure. However, Summer is perplexed at the idea that her kid may have any parental figure in his life except for her. That is—until certain pieces click into place. Apparently, while working on his family portraits, Major has been including a man with a mustache and colorful clothes in the image. He considers the man—who bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Crocket to be his father.
Shortly after, while Major works on his drawing upstairs, the magical marker appears in his pencil bag along with Mr. Crocket’s voice from beyond the grave. The voice calls Major his son—something the boy is all too happy to hear as he accepts the marker. Consequently, doubt emerges about whether or not Mr. Crocket is dead. Narratively, it’s important to remember that Mr. Crocket is actually a demonic entity who came back to life after a deal with the devil. He lives on another plane and interacts with the mortal realm through a television screen and a VHS tape.
For the same reason, it is fair to assume that even though Summer cut Mr. Crocket in half, the man never truly died. Instead, he only grew weak but still has the potential to return to his power. As such, the malevolent spirit attached to Mr. Crocket may attach itself to Major, especially since the boy has accepted the older man as his father. On the other hand, thematically, Mr. Crocket’s last-minute return to the narrative speaks to the cyclic nature of generational trauma and parental abuse. Even though Major’s parents weren’t necessarily abusive, his time with Mr. Crocket changed something inside him—giving birth to an evil force.
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