Grave Robbing for Morons
| Grave Robbing for Morons | |
|---|---|
 A still from Grave Robbing for Morons | |
| Starring | "Anthony" |
Running time | 26 minutes |
| Country | United States |
Grave Robbing for Morons is an American short film that purports to serve as a tutorial on grave robbing and body snatching, most likely created in the late 1980s or early 1990s. After being uploaded to YouTube in 2014, the film has been the subject of a viral Internet phenomenon, with users of sites such as Reddit involved in a collaborative effort to identify its authors.
Summary
The nearly half-hour-long film, likely shot on a VHS-C camcorder,[1] features a young man giving detailed instructions on how to steal body parts and bones from graves, based on his claimed personal experience as a grave robber.[2] In his hands, he holds a dirty human skull, on which he demonstrates how to extract bones from the ground.[3] He also presents other human remains he owns to the camera.[4] The man identifies himself only as "Anthony".[3]
"Anthony" claims that he robs graves for fun, but he does also sell the body parts for money. He ends the film by saying that he plans to rob the grave of Harry Houdini, and that he will record another video with more details.[3]
Release
Grave Robbing for Morons was originally sold on VHS tapes. It circulated within the bootleg movie community since the 1990s.[3] In 2009, it was featured on a bootleg DVD collection of four disturbing short films, titled Ensuring Your Place in Hell.[1] On August 9, 2014, the film was uploaded to YouTube. In the years that followed, it received significant attention from horror websites.[1]
Analysis
Despite online communities' efforts to identify the people responsible for creating Grave Robbing for Morons, they remain anonymous. The authenticity of the film as a genuine tutorial made by a real grave robber is also debated.[5] It is not known what year the film was recorded in, only that it was made sometime after 1987, as a VHS tape of Evil Dead II is visible in the room that "Anthony" is in.[1]
According to Jesse Pollack, an American author and filmmaker, the human skull that "Anthony" holds in the film is likely an authentic one, as "no prop shop, especially in the late 1980s, was making fake skulls with that level of detail". The skull is probably that of an elderly woman and has an elongated styloid process, indicative of Eagle syndrome.[1]
It was noted that "Anthony" speaks with a New York accent, indicating that he might be a New York City native. This is supported by his mention of planning to loot Harry Houdini's grave, which is located at the Machpelah Cemetery in Queens. The Houdini gravesite was, in fact, vandalized in 1993, but no remains were stolen.[1]
Specific pieces of advice given by "Anthony" regarding the handling of human bones were noted to be fairly accurate.[3] However, some tips given by him are unreasonable and humorous, making people doubt the authenticity of the film.[1] Notably, he says that if there happen to be any witnesses to the grave robbery, they need to be knocked unconscious to make them believe that what they had seen was just a dream.[3] He also tells people to wear a jacket in July because it is cold.[1]
Theories
Pollack theorized that Grave Robbing for Morons might have been inspired by the 1987 book Say You Love Satan, which is a fictional telling of the murder of Gary Lauwers by Ricky Kasso. The book mentions "a store in Greenwich Village that pays five hundred bucks for a skull", and "Anthony" says a similar phrase in the film.[1]
"Anthony" has a unique stutter.[1] Near the end of the video, immediately after saying his name is Anthony,[3] he makes a noise that sounds like "Ksssssss… Ah Ah Ah".[1] People analyzing the video noted a similarity of that sound to the surname of Anthony Casamassima, a cemetery caretaker in New York City arrested in 1999 for stealing stained glass from mausoleums.[1] However, Casamassima was born in 1959, making him significantly older than the man in Grave Robbing for Morons at the time the film was recorded.[1][3]
Independent film producer Christopher Bouchie was accused of directing Grave Robbing for Morons because he used to sell the film on VHS via his online store,[1] and because "Anthony" in the video mentions an associate whose name sounds like "Bouchie", "Poochie", or "Pucci".[3][1] This theory was debunked, as Christopher Bouchie could not have produced Grave Robbing for Morons because he was born in 1987, making him a child at the time the film was recorded. Furthermore, his surname is not pronounced in the same way that "Anthony" pronounces his associate's name.[1]
Legacy
Grave Robbing for Morons has been subject to commentary by YouTubers.[5] It was referenced in academic discussions concerning the public's reaction to grave robbing.[6] The film inspired a found footage horror short film Grave Robbing For Morons II: Dead by Dawn (2024), directed by Josh Folan.[7]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "The Mystery of the "Grave Robbing for Morons" Video". ForenSeek. 2020-05-27. Archived from the original on 2026-04-23. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
- ↑ Haag, Chad. The Philosophy Of Ted Kaczynski Why The Unabomber Was Right About Modern Technology - Chad Haag. pp. 41, 220.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Platt, Patricia (2021-09-23). "Does The Notorious 'Grave Robbing For Morons' VHS Footage Feature Actual Advice From A Ghoul?". Ranker. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
- ↑ Millican, Josh (2017-07-21). "Wanna See Something REALLY Scary? Grave Robbing for Morons". Dread Central. Archived from the original on 2025-12-12. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
- 1 2 Jones, Rachel (2023-06-29). "Top 10 Creepiest Unsolved Mysteries of the Internet". Listverse. Retrieved 2026-03-27.
- ↑ Huffer, Damien; Charlton, Nathan (2019), "Serious Enquiries Only, Please: Ethical Issues Raised by the Online Human Remains Trade", in Squires, Kirsty; Errickson, David; Márquez-Grant, Nicholas (eds.), Ethical Approaches to Human Remains: A Global Challenge in Bioarchaeology and Forensic Anthropology, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 95–129, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-32926-6_6, ISBN 978-3-030-32926-6, retrieved 2026-03-27
- ↑ McAndrews, Mary Beth (2024-10-31). "'Grave Robbing For Morons II': A Found Footage Nightmare Ready to Be Discovered [Watch]". Dread Central. Retrieved 2026-03-27.