Judderman

The Judderman was a scary TV advertisement that aired in 2000. It was a commercial for Metz (an alcoholic schnapps drink) and featured a creepy elf or sprite who turns an unwary traveller into a puppet. The ad clearly has its origin in European Folklore and Fairy Tales.

In the advert, the Judderman is some kind of creature or ghost with long spiked hair who haunts the forest in Winter. He lures you into his domain and forces you to drink alcohol which causes you to “judder” and then turns you into a puppet.

There was also a weird poem to go along with the commercial:

Beware the Judderman, my dear,
When the moon is fat.
Sharp of tongue and spindle limbed he is
and cunning.
With sweetened talk of schnapps and Metz
And the deliciousness of Judders.
But schnapps though sweet, has teeth, my dear,
And sharpened ones at that.
Beware the Judderman, my dear,
When the moon is fat.

So many kids were terrified by the creepy commercial that it became notorious. It was ranked #31 on the list of 100 Greatest Scary Moments and, in the UK, it was voted the scariest TV commercial of all time.

It’s not all that scary, but it does make you wish that The Judderman was a real urban legend.