The Easter holiday celebration inspired Hailie to talk about the disturbing nature of an Easter bunny full suit and to share a joke with Eminem’s grandson based on an old horror movie.
Behind the mask
The internet posts are deceiving. Just a week ago, we were cooing over a sweet picture of Hailie’s family visiting an Easter bunny; now, we were allowed into the less idyllic experience of actually sharing a space with this suspicious creature. Hailie spent a couple of minutes talking about Elliot on her podcast.
First of all, baby Elliot felt more secure this time, on his mother’s lap, than he did during his interaction with Santa Claus. However, he kept his eyes trained on a fluffy giant not out of adoration. A little man was doing his best to keep the situation under control. “He was definitely skeptical”, Hailie reveals. “He’s getting to the age where he’s sceptical of everything. But he was still happy”.
Meanwhile, Hailie feels a little bit uneasy around big mascots. She is vigilant, and being a mother turns the volume up on all your senses.
Holding a grudge
Being cautious around sinister bunnies does not stop Hailie from appreciating a good dark joke, and now baby EM is learning some valuable lessons, too.
“Lately one of my things with Elliot is doing that noise. You remember the Grudge?”
Haile makes a throat noise unmistakably reminiscent of a jagged creak from Takashi Shimizu’s horror. She’s so good at it that Brittany, still traumatised by what they watched the night after watching the movie, was afraid to go to sleep. They were terrified. Now, years later, Hailie adopted this sound when playing with Elliot.
“For some reason, I started doing that noise with him, and then I pretend like I’m gonna eat him up or whatever”, Hailie shares and adds that there are some unexpected consequences. Apparently, baby EM is already good at making noises and capturing specific tones. “It’s funny too because now he’s doing it back to me. It’s all fun and games until he does this to me in the middle of the night. Then I’m going to be like, ‘Not funny!’ I’m terrified now”.
A running joke
This story would be a funny vignette of a family life in any circumstances. Yet seeing descendants of Marshall indulging in a dangerous game with the dark side points to a deeper meaning behind it.
Eminem is not only the Rap God but also the horrorcore rap king. In his early albums, he explored darker notions of conscience and society with abandon. But not without restraint. Of course, the indie hip hop scene was ruthless, but there was no one in the mainstream to poke at the forbidden. Indeed, how many people listened to Esham? Regretfully, a handful. But Slim Shady stepped into every suburban living room in his bloodstained apron.
But there is always a strict line between his stage persona and his warm, supportive fatherly figure, which he strived to be for his children. So, Hailie felt safe enough to expose herself to a masterfully constructed monster lurking in the dark. Yes, she was scared, but not scarred, and now she can play with this memory and with her son. Although Elliot will have to learn where those lines lie and cross them. There is a space for exploring topics that people usually prefer to leave untouched, and a space that warrants safety. It seems like Marshall has taught his children well, so Hailie will teach her son to understand this difference, all in due time.