Be afraid . . . Be very afraid . . .

[peter johnson]

It's a cliche . . .It's such a cliche . . . The line:  Be afraid . . . be very afraid.   It's been made fun of in The Addams Family Values & countless B-bad comedies.  But WHAT is the first damn film to use that line as either a line of dialogue or as a tag for advertising?  Was it, in fact, Cronenberg's remake of The Fly?  Or was there a film before it, and we just think The Fly remake (Gina Davis delivers the line) was the source?
This ties in to one of those endless detail arguments with which we are all familiar I am sure . . .
Votes and suggestions, please!!
Thankyou very much . . .

[Squishy]

I always assumed it was The Fly that started that line; I can't recall ever hearing it before Geena Davis uttered it. Prior to that, it was always "DON'T be afraid..." in movie titles and dialogue, which of course was the point of that particular line in Cronenberg's movie...

TASTELESS STUPID GAG WARNING: Pictured a sick, sick parody of the poster/box art of The Fly way back when: The Adult Version. Remember how the poster showed a bright glow pouring out of a barely visible telepod, with a human arm and insectoid leg emerging from within? Replace the ridged form of the telepod with the wide-open zipper of a pair of jeans. Something looms inside the glow. Something...big.

John Holmes
The Fly
Be Well Lubricated...Be Very Well Lubricated.

Too adult for Mad, too obscure for Hustler.

(Yes, I have already "sought help."  The meds didn't work, the lobotomy made things worse. Thanks for asking, though!)
_____________________________________

"Look! Up in the sky! It's Super Fly!"
--Bart Simpson, overly optimistic about the potential results of his own version of Seth Brundle's experiment

"Aw, I was hoping to be humungous! Well, at least I don't have two butts!"
--Bart, trying to look on the bright side afterwards

[Steve.]

I can't think of a movie before The Fly that used "Be afraid...", although it does sound like a tag-line for some 50s schlocker.

[Dr. Freex]

I'm going to vote for Cronenberg's The Fly also - The line was featured very prominently in the trailers, which helped make it common coin. Like the ads for A Few Good Men had us all yelling "You can't handle the truth!"

[Flangepart]

Be afriad,be very afraid of the Dark,because size matters,because in space,no one can hear you scream,hasta La Vista,baby,seeing as this is a 44. Magnum, and could blow your head clean off, ask your self one question,Do i feel luckey,well do ya' punk?Go ahead, make my day, the night has a million eyes, this is the city,i carry a badge,fill your hand, you son of a b***h!,............okey, i'm pooped.......you take over......................................................................................................

[Steve.]

You talking to me?.......I will show you where the iron crosses grow......I go with you, Jefe.......Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia!.......Answer me,  you have a civil tongue in your head. I know, I sewed it in there......Wanna date? Got any money?.....It's alive, It's alive!!......Is that an African or European swallow?

[Mofo Rising]

Steve. wrote:
>
> You talking to me?.......I will show you where the iron
> crosses grow......I go with you, Jefe.......Bring me the head
> of Alfredo Garcia!.......Answer me,  you have a civil tongue
> in your head. I know, I sewed it in there......Wanna date?
> Got any money?.....It's alive, It's alive!!......Is that an
> African or European swallow?

May God have mercy on your souls.

[Squishy]

Save thy pity for Paul Westbrook; for verily, he saw Pootie Tang. (See recent thread.)

[peter johnson]

Thankyou everyone!  Great thread, too . . .

[chili]

grooovy!

[Chris1]

" I don't think were in Kansas anymore Toto."

[N. E. Moses]

"I'll be back"