Tickling is a just bit of harmless fun, right? It's what parents do to their young kids when they're messing around, gentle physical contact that makes them laugh because that's what happens when you tickle someone. But as reporter/filmmaker David Farrier found out, there's a very sinister side to it, too, As this trailer for a new documentary called Tickled shows:
If that's not one of the most scary and bizarre things you've ever seen, then you've seen some truly terrifying and bizarre things.
It all apparently started when Farrier, who seems to be a bit like Louis Theroux in his obsession to investigate all things weird, stumbled on a video online of "competitive endurance tickling". We've all been there, right?
He decided that this could be a good subject for him to concentrate on - because who wouldn't be interested in a story about young men getting paid to be tied up and tickled? - and reached out to the company about it.
What he got in return was a shocking reply that mocked Farrier's sexual orientation and threatened legal action if he dug any deeper. So, of course he did, and the result is a documentary that, if the trailer is anything to go, starts out just a little bit weird and takes a nasty turn for the downright sinister.
We've yet to watch the whole thing but it poses so many questions. Firstly, who would actually want to be tied up and tickled for a long time? Because as we all know, if you get tickled for too long it just becomes painful. Even if the people involved seemingly make thousands from doing it.
Secondly, why are they paying people to be tickled and thirdly, where does all their money come from? According to the blurb on YouTube, Farrier ends up "discovering secret identities and criminal activity...despite increasingly sinister threats."
The whole thing has, erm, definitely tickled our interest. We know what we'll be doing later. No, not getting tied up and tickled - just watching that happen to other people and trying not to get too freaked out about the murky world of tickling, tickle cells and the hold that the company in question seems to have on those who are part of it. Although it's already too late for that.
Featured Image Credit: Magnolia PicturesTopics: Entertainment, TV and Film