Waking Up Screaming

[PennLady]

In real life, I do not like bugs or fire. My husband detests/fears snakes.

The clown thing made me remember this, and feel free to go for the plot bunny. My mom was a children's entertainer for a while, doing balloon animals, facepainting, etc., and sometimes would go as a clown, with makeup on her face, etc. So one day she gets a call and this guy is asking her to do an event and she's trying to get the details. Turns out -- and I kid you not -- the guy was asking for a clown to watch while he and his girlfriend had sex because it was some fetish the gf had.

Mom, ahem, declined, even at twice her rate. Dad said she should have held out for three times.

 

[Ironiclaconic]

The primordial fears have the most effect on me.

You are in an exposed position in the dark (trapped or in the open with nowhere to run) and something is out there wanting blood.

You have an unreasonable fear, and everyone tells you it's unreasonable and of course you know they are right, but they aren't. There really is a monster in the closet, and the people you loved we're lying to you.

Someone you love is going to die, and you could prevent it if you were there, but you aren't.

The creepy crawlies really do want to kill you and eat you a microgram at a time. They are coming.

You are tortured, and the only way to stop the pain is to betray that which you love most. The pain is worse than you ever imagined and you aren't as strong as you thought.

Your daughter marries a musician who plays the type of music you hate most in the world, and you must walk her down the aisle to its discordant bleatings. The horror. The horror.

 

[drteetho]

This might sound a little weird, but...

I used to live in a real crappy apartment building. Being single I had no need to close the bathroom door. One day, without thinking, I closed the door behind me... something I never did. And, unbeknownst to me, the bathroom door got stuck easily.

I briefly panicked as I was momentarily trapped. Soon enough I calmed down enough to force the door open. Probably not that much time had passed... a couple minutes at most. Since then until I moved out I never closed the door again, but that fear of being in such a small enclosed space with no way out has stuck with me.

 

[PennLady]

This might sound a little weird, but...

I used to live in a real crappy apartment building. Being single I had no need to close the bathroom door. One day, without thinking, I closed the door behind me... something I never did. And, unbeknownst to me, the bathroom door got stuck easily.

I briefly panicked as I was momentarily trapped. Soon enough I calmed down enough to force the door open. Probably not that much time had passed... a couple minutes at most. Since then until I moved out I never closed the door again, but that fear of being in such a small enclosed space with no way out has stuck with me.

When I was little, that happened to me -- I got locked into a bathroom at a friend's house. I do believe I panicked a bit. I was maybe nine.

Ha, this is reminding me of things that freak me out. Being lost (something I used in my story "Lost in the Woods"). Also, going to a new place for the first time -- even with a GPS. I hate it even more if I need to bring the kids with me.

When I was younger, I was also terrified of Fire Prevention Week. My mom would write notes to get me out of visiitng fire stations, etc. I used to sleep with my door cracked slightly open and my reasoning was as follows:

1. They told you to touch your door in the event of a fire. If it was warm, don't open it.

2. This meant your door was closed.

3. If my door was open, there could be no fire.

I know, totally wrong, but hey, I was eight or nine.

 

[slyc_willie]

Sinister was mentioned in the opening post, and I have to say that it was one of only a few movies to actually make me cringe. The "evil child" trope has been done to death in recent years, but Sinister wasn't about evil children. It was about typical children doing evil things, controlled by a more powerful being. The apparent innocence of the children as they murdered their own families in horrific ways was what made me cringe, particularly the scene in which the little girl, after hanging her entire family, jumps up to grab her father's foot.

That's horror. Stuff like Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, My Bloody Valentine is just slasher porn. It's gory and it may make you wince from time to time, but it's so over done and fantastic that it doesn't rate as horror to me.

About the only exception would be the Saw series which, while incredibly graphic, has a powerful story behind it. They probably went a little too far with the series (I'd have been happy if they stopped after the third one), but that's Hollywood.

 

[Saxon_Hart]

That which scares me in my very few nightmares is always unseen. I have never had a movie scare me or even linger long enough to play in my dreams. Arachnophobia creeped me out, mainly because having long hair, I kept feeling shit crawling all over me during that movie. Not a big spider fan.
I do remember an ad for a movie, and for the life of me I can't remember the name of the movie the ad was for. It was either in the late 70's or early 80's.
In the ad a girl was in an attic or a closet. There was a wall with a small crawl through door in it. She was grabbed by someone, or something that was behind that door. My best friend growing up had a closet just like the one from the ad. I used to get creeped out going into his closet.
Real life the only fears I have are spiders, and heights. I have fallen from a 120 foot tower and was saved only by my safety tether.

 

[SecondCircle]

That which scares me in my very few nightmares is always unseen. I have never had a movie scare me or even linger long enough to play in my dreams. Arachnophobia creeped me out, mainly because having long hair, I kept feeling shit crawling all over me during that movie. Not a big spider fan.
I do remember an ad for a movie, and for the life of me I can't remember the name of the movie the ad was for. It was either in the late 70's or early 80's.
In the ad a girl was in an attic or a closet. There was a wall with a small crawl through door in it. She was grabbed by someone, or something that was behind that door. My best friend growing up had a closet just like the one from the ad. I used to get creeped out going into his closet.
Real life the only fears I have are heights, I have fallen from a 120 foot tower and was saved only by my safety tether, and spiders.

Not to derail my own thread, but it almost sounded to me like you were saved by the tether and a group of spiders that were passing by at the time. My brain is fried.

 

[Saxon_Hart]

Not to derail my own thread, but it almost sounded to me like you were saved by the tether and a group of spiders that were passing by at the time. My brain is fried.

It does read that way doesn't it.....LOL I must edit.

 

[SecondCircle]

Sinister was mentioned in the opening post, and I have to say that it was one of only a few movies to actually make me cringe. The "evil child" trope has been done to death in recent years, but Sinister wasn't about evil children. It was about typical children doing evil things, controlled by a more powerful being. The apparent innocence of the children as they murdered their own families in horrific ways was what made me cringe, particularly the scene in which the little girl, after hanging her entire family, jumps up to grab her father's foot.

That's horror. Stuff like Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, My Bloody Valentine is just slasher porn. It's gory and it may make you wince from time to time, but it's so over done and fantastic that it doesn't rate as horror to me.

About the only exception would be the Saw series which, while incredibly graphic, has a powerful story behind it. They probably went a little too far with the series (I'd have been happy if they stopped after the third one), but that's Hollywood.

I really enjoyed that movie because of the psychological effects it has on an audience. I mean yeah the film is slow and kinda boring at times, but watching those old films with the protagonist is intense. You don't know who the killer is the whole time, and never suspect a child from the very family that is targeted. And the films seem so damn realistic that it chills you to see them. Ties in to the story, what with how difficult it can be to be a crime writer like he was.

Watching that mower scene? Where the mower is started and lazily guided across the nighttime yard in the rain? Has you thinking WTF until it comes to that body, at which point the movie tastefully, but effectively, doesn't show what happens to the victim but rather Ethan Hawke's reaction of shock to the scene. Still makes me shudder.

I think that, thankfully, in movies we are seeing a drift away from those "slasher porn" type horror movies into a very visceral but realistic take on fear. Horror movies are starting to use the basics when it comes to what scares people, that glimpse of the thing at the end of the hall, or that sound in the dark. Or that eerie woman in the black dress outside our window. They are playing with our base emotions now, which was the point to start with. Gore and torture and slashers were a famous trend at one time, but are now a thing to roll our eyes at. Now, what scares us is what disturbs us on a deeper level, and are usually things we can't shake free of when we go to sleep.

As it should be. Thank you modern horror films, for finally "getting it".

 

[SecondCircle]

One of my fears....

It's a thing I find that disturbs me on a deeper level.

Things that move in some sort of inhuman way, when they aren't supposed to or even when they shouldn't move at all.

A (seemingly) human being that twitches or writhes about, that moves in a way that isn't characterized as "human". It's immediately displeasing to the eye, the way they move or shamble or "spasm" around.

I'm not particularly scared of spiders, but the way they crawl around on those eight crooked legs that are both graceful and horrifically unique, is pretty unsettling.

A doll that was sitting this way when you left that is now sitting that way. A doll that moves at all for Christ's sake. A twisted limb that should cause pain to be positioned the way it is (like a possessed person suddenly becoming a contortionist) grinds my nerves.

I guess anything that doesn't readily appear natural or sensible to the eye, so much that it causes a shudder, is s trigger point to me. It bends the mind and kindles the imagination. New Evil Dead movie... the twitches of the "possessed" characters? It makes me shrink away from the screen.

 

[patientlee]

That which scares me in my very few nightmares is always unseen. I have never had a movie scare me or even linger long enough to play in my dreams. Arachnophobia creeped me out, mainly because having long hair, I kept feeling shit crawling all over me during that movie. Not a big spider fan.
I do remember an ad for a movie, and for the life of me I can't remember the name of the movie the ad was for. It was either in the late 70's or early 80's.
In the ad a girl was in an attic or a closet. There was a wall with a small crawl through door in it. She was grabbed by someone, or something that was behind that door. My best friend growing up had a closet just like the one from the ad. I used to get creeped out going into his closet.
Real life the only fears I have are spiders, and heights. I have fallen from a 120 foot tower and was saved only by my safety tether.

Any chance that was Poltergeist?

 

[Saxon_Hart]

Any chance that was Poltergeist?

No. The ad was years before Poltergeist.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

A story I'm writing ends with a powerful woman trapped in a nightmare world quite similar to schizophrenia. Her world still looks the same but now includes monsters and hideous animals and tyrants she must obey.

That is, another character slipped her a pill that dissolved the wall between her imagination and reality.

I've known folks who are trapped in their imaginations with no means to access reality.

 

[slyc_willie]

One of my fears....

It's a thing I find that disturbs me on a deeper level.

Things that move in some sort of inhuman way, when they aren't supposed to or even when they shouldn't move at all.

A (seemingly) human being that twitches or writhes about, that moves in a way that isn't characterized as "human". It's immediately displeasing to the eye, the way they move or shamble or "spasm" around.

I'm not particularly scared of spiders, but the way they crawl around on those eight crooked legs that are both graceful and horrifically unique, is pretty unsettling.

A doll that was sitting this way when you left that is now sitting that way. A doll that moves at all for Christ's sake. A twisted limb that should cause pain to be positioned the way it is (like a possessed person suddenly becoming a contortionist) grinds my nerves.

I guess anything that doesn't readily appear natural or sensible to the eye, so much that it causes a shudder, is s trigger point to me. It bends the mind and kindles the imagination. New Evil Dead movie... the twitches of the "possessed" characters? It makes me shrink away from the screen.

Jacob's Ladder used a lot of that unnatural movement, both for effect and shock value. I should have mentioned that film before, because it remains one of my favorites. It's not just a horror movie, it's a thriller and a mystery all rolled in together.

 

[SecondCircle]

Jacob's Ladder used a lot of that unnatural movement, both for effect and shock value. I should have mentioned that film before, because it remains one of my favorites. It's not just a horror movie, it's a thriller and a mystery all rolled in together.

Mama utilized this. The horror film, not my mother. Her elongated limbs and crooked posture, as well as her bent and twisted movements only shown for seconds at a time, were readily displeasing to the eye. Something about anything that doesn't move in a way that it's supposed to is a bit freaky.

Evil dead did this a bit with its "possessed" characters. Twisting and jerking their heads, and altogether moving in a way that wasn't perceived as human or natural. You could tell instantly just by watching them move, that they were no longer a person.

The brain, I think, searches for abnormalities about it's surroundings, and anything outside those boundaries is seen as a threat, or an unknown. The movements mentioned above can be jarring, and I would recommend any on this thread to give the movies a good watch on a late night in the dark.

Also, on movement, I should elaborate that things that aren't supposed to move fit the bill as well. Like "I left that doll in this position over here and now it's in that position over there," or "I'm pretty sure that damn ventriloquist dummy shouldn't be turning its head to look at us!"

 

[slyc_willie]

The brain, I think, searches for abnormalities about it's surroundings, and anything outside those boundaries is seen as a threat, or an unknown. The movements mentioned above can be jarring, and I would recommend any on this thread to give the movies a good watch on a late night in the dark.

There have been quite a few studies done about this. As a species, we are naturally attracted to, and sympathize with, anything that looks "human" to us. So when we see something that fits the part, but doesn't act the way we think it should, it is more unsettling and frightening to us than an 800-pound sabretooth tiger on the rampage. It's that notion of "if it looks human, it should act human." When it doesn't, it challenges our perceptions and preconceptions in such a way that our minds perceive it as a very dire threat.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

There have been quite a few studies done about this. As a species, we are naturally attracted to, and sympathize with, anything that looks "human" to us. So when we see something that fits the part, but doesn't act the way we think it should, it is more unsettling and frightening to us than an 800-pound sabretooth tiger on the rampage. It's that notion of "if it looks human, it should act human." When it doesn't, it challenges our perceptions and preconceptions in such a way that our minds perceive it as a very dire threat.

Dogs and cats destroy your theory.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The brain, I think, searches for abnormalities about it's surroundings, and anything outside those boundaries is seen as a threat, or an unknown. The movements mentioned above can be jarring, and I would recommend any on this thread to give the movies a good watch on a late night in the dark.

Also, on movement, I should elaborate that things that aren't supposed to move fit the bill as well. Like "I left that doll in this position over here and now it's in that position over there," or "I'm pretty sure that damn ventriloquist dummy shouldn't be turning its head to look at us!"

The above is so wrong in so many ways.

The brain doesn't search for shit, shit fits templates in the brain and then the brain gets excited IF the experience also triggers a pleasure or pain response. All ABNORMAL means is, something is outside the normal range on a distribution, that is, it deviates from the norm. Larger paychecks scare the crap outta most folks I know, as do better gas mileage and bargains. I hyperventilated and needed EMS after I found a rare book for 50 cents at the thrift store. I do the same when the wind lifts the hem of a skirt.

 

[desertslave]

Real Monsters

I'm with Lovecraft. Real, mean people and potential situations scare me more than anything supernatural.

I'm more afraid of being mugged in the subway than of being transported to another reality while on the train. I'm a skeptic by nature so a lot of the ooheyooh stuff doesn't get me all that revved up.

There was a movie, back in the 80s, Believers. It had a voodoo theme and there were several creepy scenes with snakes, centipedes and spiders (crawling out of a woman's cheek). Yes, that was all quite unpleasant to watch, but the scene that gave me a few nightmares with in the opener, when a hurried mom steps in a pool of spilled milk to reach over and unplug a smoking coffee pot. She gets electrocuted, rather vividly. (Most of the rest of the movie tended to flash on the scary then look away, just quick enough to sizzle your retinas and make you say WTF?) That very normal morning scene has made me vigilant against spills and badly behaved appliances ever since.

I read a fair amount of horror and paranormal books. It's an adventure for my mind to play with the what-ifs of magic and suspense but it rarely, if ever, translates into something potentially real.

 

[PennLady]

I'm with Lovecraft. Real, mean people and potential situations scare me more than anything supernatural.

I'm more afraid of being mugged in the subway than of being transported to another reality while on the train. I'm a skeptic by nature so a lot of the ooheyooh stuff doesn't get me all that revved up.

There was a movie, back in the 80s, Believers. It had a voodoo theme and there were several creepy scenes with snakes, centipedes and spiders (crawling out of a woman's cheek). Yes, that was all quite unpleasant to watch, but the scene that gave me a few nightmares with in the opener, when a hurried mom steps in a pool of spilled milk to reach over and unplug a smoking coffee pot. She gets electrocuted, rather vividly. (Most of the rest of the movie tended to flash on the scary then look away, just quick enough to sizzle your retinas and make you say WTF?) That very normal morning scene has made me vigilant against spills and badly behaved appliances ever since.

I read a fair amount of horror and paranormal books. It's an adventure for my mind to play with the what-ifs of magic and suspense but it rarely, if ever, translates into something potentially real.

Yeah, I tend to agree as well. Reality, or reality slightly tweaked, is more unsettling and scary than monsters, etc. This is why I have a tough time with movies that put kids in danger, or families in danger -- I have kids and I end up thinking how I would feel or (worse) how the kids might feel if such a terrible situation came up. Recently this happened when we watched "Knowing." I don't know if I can watch that again. I know it's goofy and all, but the scenes of the father worrying for his son, the mother for her daughter, the kids having to leave, the father knowing he will die, etc. -- that gets under my skin.

I never saw "Believers," but I read the book, and that ended with an Emergency Broadcast bulletin. It trailed off but the clear implication was a nuclear war ending everything.

Anyway, I can watch something like "Friday the 13th" (if I must) and roll my eyes, but I have a hard time watching "Night of the Hunter" by myself and/or at night.

Man, I need a funny movie.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I took a real life event, a Halloween tornado, and made a story of it. It was an exciting experience to be so close to such fury.

 

[R. Richard]

When I was younger, I lived (or whatever) in South Central Los Angeles. I would wake up at the end of a day's sleep, thinking that there were people out there who wanted to do me great bodily harm, probably ending in my death or worse. Actually there were people out there who wanted to do me great bodily harm, probably ending in my death or worse. I would then calmly think through things and realize that there the people out there who wanted to do me great bodily harm, probably ending in my death or worse, should have been afraid of me. I would then go out to shoplift supper and, probably, do great bodily harm to those who had it coming.
I have never understood the fascination with horror stories.

 

[slyc_willie]

The above is so wrong in so many ways.

The brain doesn't search for shit, shit fits templates in the brain and then the brain gets excited IF the experience also triggers a pleasure or pain response. All ABNORMAL means is, something is outside the normal range on a distribution, that is, it deviates from the norm. Larger paychecks scare the crap outta most folks I know, as do better gas mileage and bargains. I hyperventilated and needed EMS after I found a rare book for 50 cents at the thrift store. I do the same when the wind lifts the hem of a skirt.

People-watching in a trailer park doesn't count as clinical research, Jim.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

People-watching in a trailer park doesn't count as clinical research, Jim.

Its called field-work, like watching lions fuck and fight.

 

[SecondCircle]

Real life fear is perhaps one of the strongest for most people. It can really happen. And its something awful. That's all there really needs to be.

But I'm not necessarily talking about say a "typical" monster flick (or story or myth, remember these fears can derive from anything not just entertainment and media).

For instance, we can forget about slasher films and the spoof horror stuff of the eighties. I don't think I know a single person still frightened of any of that. At the time Friday the 13th and all that came out, that stuff was powerful because of the suspense and the shock and awe of the graphic killing. Here we are today, cheering them (Freddy, Jason, etc.) on as they cut a path through fields of teenagers.

To me, that's not real fear anyway. It's just not scary.

The movies and media nowadays are turning around when it comes to horror. Yes, monsters aren't real, but we live in an age where technology can do a pretty darn good job at tricking our senses into believing it is real, if not for a night or a nightmare. If you let them, that is.

My wife loves the new Evil Dead movie. (I know that movie's extreme in every way but it has its horror.) She will NOT let me play it at night before we bed down. I left it on in the bedroom one night, and she woke up to it playing in the night when she had to use the bathroom. She said she had to muster the courage to get up and head to the john.

None of this should mean anyone should be scared of our modern "monsters" but I just always try to challenge people to immerse themselves in the experience, turn off the lights, and stop pointing out the movie flaws lol. Skim over those minor "punctuation errors" so to speak.

Lots of the things that scare us on this forum have been techniques utilized lately in books and movies. The unseen. The unsettling movements, the very real....

All monsters aren't giant lizards that hide in our closets, or slashers chasing us in the woods.

Lately, they are glimpses of wretched things that disappear around corners in our dark hallways.