Yes, yes, yes. I am a total chicken and I am easily freaked out. I hate to be scared. The meanest thing you could possibly do to me is jump out at me. Not funny. I can't fathom why people go to haunted houses and pay good money to be stalked by people dressed like axe murderers. How is that entertaining?
One of my first irrationally scary experiences was in third grade when my best friend told me a story about getting into bed and having her ankles grabbed by something, but when her Dad came into her room there was nothing under the bed. I took this as gospel truth (rather than mean, sadistic friend messing with me) and altered my bedtime routine for decades. I might still be doing it if I didn't have a platform bed with drawers filling the underneath space.
For no particular reason (other than being a total scaredy-cat), I would NOT go into the basement of my childhood home by myself after dark. I'd get all creeped out and shivery and almost start to cry and have to RUN out as fast as I could. Now that I'm a homeowner I can do it in my own house, but to this day I get chills if I have to go into my parents' basement at night
So, as a life-long wimp, you have good reason to question this next part. The summer I was 13, I stayed up late with a friend and watched "The Exorcist" on TV. This was before video tapes. Heck, this was before cable. Channel 38 was one of the six channels we got, and it ran a great program called "The Movie Loft". They played all kinds of un-cut movies that you couldn't see anywhere else. If there was a movie you were too young to see in the theater when it come out, chances were you'd eventually see it on the Movie Loft. So for some reason, I got it in my head that I wanted to see the Exorcist even though I HATE SCARY THINGS. Big mistake.
Okay, so now I'm totally creeped out. Thankfully it's daylight. I wrote this post in the morning before work so I could have all day to recover. Wish me luck at bedtime.
I totally get the 'thing under the bed' problem. My bedroom was at the end of a hallway. I would get just into the hallway and take off running and jump Superman style into my bed so that whatever was under my bed wouldn't grab my ankles. (wonder if we had the same friend.) No one in my family likes horror. No interest in the scary part of Halloween here. Didn't watch the Exorcist or Poltergiest. Got trick into the first Friday the 13 and sat sick to my stomach, slumped in my chair through every slash. So....you're not alone!!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI Swear i have the same fear of ankle grabbers. i mean, my bed is flush with the floor, so no one can be beneath it, but i am POSITive that if i do not wrap my feet up tight tight in the blankets (nevermind that it's like 103 F) then the ghastly spirit of demonic sleep disturbances will come and touch my feet.
ReplyDeletebecause these spirits,
they have Nothing better to do.
xxa
It must be something common because I had that same fear as a child....something was under my bed. And to this day, I've never seen The Exorcist! Reading the book was enough for me.
ReplyDeleteFunny! I'm okay with a scary Halloween as long as I'm the one doing the scaring. My house is the one with the fog machine and tombstones....falling spiders and spooky music playing...
ReplyDeleteBut I hated those as a kid....I like them from afar anyways...haha!
My 5 year old told me we have to have a non-spooky Halloween next year cuz I'm giving her nightmares....oops! Don't they say it all starts at home...heehee!
These are just great, fear is real and I used to be afraid of the dark too.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading the Stand by Stephen King and not being able to sleep after, even if I read it in the daylight. xox Corrine
I too was scared of our basement as a kid (there was a section with a dirt floor and this super old boiler ... i mean how creepy?!) and I was certain if my window shade was not pulled all the way down that Frankenstein would be able to peek in at me. (Guess I figured he roamed the suburbs of N.J.)
ReplyDeleteI also saw parts of the Exorcist and knew it would damage me! But my girlfriends, they all loved scary movies and pulling pranks. I actually hurt my neck the other week while in the grocery store ... a woman with her kid in the cart wheeled by and I swear that kid made spoke in that voice of the kid from "The Shining" ... "it's Tony Mrs. Torrance ..." I snapped around and strained a muscle!
I am loving these snippets into you :)
xo Lis