Waking Up Screaming

[SecondCircle]

So I know that it isn't a big favorite topic of many, and I've prodded for several similar responses from Litsers before, but I had sort of a poll for ye at the AH.

Yes, horror. Sorry, I know, tired subject of mine, but I was having a few drinks with some friends and talking about some of the horror flicks that have come out in the past few years. Most of which have been pretty damn good. We talked about Insidious, and it's upcoming sequel, Sinister, Evil Dead, The Conjuring, Mama, etc.

The discussion turned to what parts scared them and why. My inner author of course became pretty alert. There was some pretty good input on what hits their buttons when it comes to scares. Someone mentioned omens, or signs that herald the immediate coming of an evil force, like the tornado/fire siren in Silent Hill signaling the shift in worlds, or even the radio squelch when some abomination came near.

It was interesting to hear what gave my friends the creeps, and I made mental notes of all that they said, call it pulling plot bunnies from their holes by the ears.

Made me wonder about the different people and personalities in the pool of authors and readers here at Lit. It's been established that EH is a mixed bag when it comes to what scares the readers here. But everyone fears something, be it small or large.

So, Lit, I'll ask you. What scares you? Why? How would you classify it? Is it real world monsters living nearby or on your morning news? Pagan witchcraft? Demonic entities? Ghosts or wretched spirits trapped in a loop of never ending torture? Creatures that should not be? Heights? Deep water where who knows what could lurk? Space and time dimensional twists? Miley Cyrus?

Are there specific films you watched that flipped a terrifying switch that linger in your memory? A story you read that had you startled by every sound? A childhood fear that hasn't quite gone away? A strange phobia? Clowns?

There's my 16 part question. I should answer for it for myself soon, since that's only fair.

 

[patientlee]

So I know that it isn't a big favorite topic of many, and I've prodded for several similar responses from Litsers before, but I had sort of a poll for ye at the AH.

Yes, horror. Sorry, I know, tired subject of mine, but I was having a few drinks with some friends and talking about some of the horror flicks that have come out in the past few years. Most of which have been pretty damn good. We talked about Insidious, and it's upcoming sequel, Sinister, Evil Dead, The Conjuring, Mama, etc.

The discussion turned to what parts scared them and why. My inner author of course became pretty alert. There was some pretty good input on what hits their buttons when it comes to scares. Someone mentioned omens, or signs that herald the immediate coming of an evil force, like the tornado/fire siren in Silent Hill signaling the shift in worlds, or even the radio squelch when some abomination came near.

It was interesting to hear what gave my friends the creeps, and I made mental notes of all that they said, call it pulling plot bunnies from their holes by the ears.

Made me wonder about the different people and personalities in the pool of authors and readers here at Lit. It's been established that EH is a mixed bag when it comes to what scares the readers here. But everyone fears something, be it small or large.

So, Lit, I'll ask you. What scares you? Why? How would you classify it? Is it real world monsters living nearby or on your morning news? Pagan witchcraft? Demonic entities? Ghosts or wretched spirits trapped in a loop of never ending torture? Creatures that should not be? Heights? Deep water where who knows what could lurk? Space and time dimensional twists? Miley Cyrus?

Are there specific films you watched that flipped a terrifying switch that linger in your memory? A story you read that had you startled by every sound? A childhood fear that hasn't quite gone away? A strange phobia? Clowns?

There's my 16 part question. I should answer for it for myself soon, since that's only fair.

Thomas Harris scares me. Silence of the Lambs scared the shit out of me. When I read Red Dragon, I was so terrified that I couldn't close my eyes to go to sleep. (So, of course, I just stayed up all night and finished the book.)

Haha- when I typed his name the first time, it crashed safari on my phone. Spooky.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Its a question I ponder all the time. WHAT REALLY SCARES THE SHIT OUTTA PEOPLE?


At the bottom of the psychic well the fundamental horror is the complete destruction of what sustains us.

I just wrote a story about a couple I usta know. His thing was kinky sex, her thing was loyalty. She traded submission to sex for his commitment to her. I knew them since 1959 when we kids and neighbors. They married as soon as we graduated high school.

Anyway, 25 years later theyre active swingers; she said she hated it but did it to keep him from leaving her. I think she liked it but it was risky cuz he might find a woman he liked better. And that's what happened. He found a woman who lit his candle, and he dumped his wife. She was crushed. She was so crushed she killed herself. She talked to me about it because I was a therapist, but she couldn't talk about it to her daughters or sister or mom or friends. She wanted me change his mind. I tried but he's impossible, always was. And he was mortified that I knew what was up.

So that kind of betrayal is horrific.

I wrote a horror tale about an asshole boy who feeds his sisters puppy to his snake. Didn't wanna spend money on a rat.

I had a case where a kid comes home from school and finds daddy hanging in the garage.

But the worst horror is usually some gross betrayal. Like mom making her boy exercise vigorously after he gets the mumps.

 

[SecondCircle]

Its a question I ponder all the time. WHAT REALLY SCARES THE SHIT OUTTA PEOPLE?


At the bottom of the psychic well the fundamental horror is the complete destruction of what sustains us.

I just wrote a story about a couple I usta know. His thing was kinky sex, her thing was loyalty. She traded submission to sex for his commitment to her. I knew them since 1959 when we kids and neighbors. They married as soon as we graduated high school.

Anyway, 25 years later theyre active swingers; she said she hated it but did it to keep him from leaving her. I think she liked it but it was risky cuz he might find a woman he liked better. And that's what happened. He found a woman who lit his candle, and he dumped his wife. She was crushed. She was so crushed she killed herself. She talked to me about it because I was a therapist, but she couldn't talk about it to her daughters or sister or mom or friends. She wanted me change his mind. I tried but he's impossible, always was. And he was mortified that I knew what was up.

So that kind of betrayal is horrific.

I wrote a horror tale about an asshole boy who feeds his sisters puppy to his snake. Didn't wanna spend money on a rat.

I had a case where a kid comes home from school and finds daddy hanging in the garage.

But the worst horror is usually some gross betrayal. Like mom making her boy exercise vigorously after he gets the mumps.

Betrayal is a fear I think we all have. Its a pretty basic one, but a pretty damn good one. Placing trust means having safety, which is craved by every living being. Fear itself is a tool of living beings utilized to avoid danger or death, so being safe is always paramount. We trust people everyday, with little things and big things, both actively and passively. We trust other drivers not to wreck into us and maim our bodies in a pile of twisted metal. I read a story bout a king who made such an observation about trust while being shaved by his barber, who could easily have slit his throat with the razor.

We trust our loved ones and friends all the time, and sometimes we have that trust and faith returned with betrayal. We don't have to ever trust them, but we do so out of love. That's why it hurts so bad. That's why we fear it so much.

Great example of a basic human fear, but I'm more interested in... what scares you JBJ? There may not be much, but we all have our own individual fears. We all have had our heart nearly stop from terror at some point. What is your thing? I know what scares us all, what scares you?

 

[PennLady]

I enjoy a good monster movie -- or book -- but it's not usually the monster that's scary. It's the "what if" and the "what will happen". Also, I find suspense is as much part of the fear as anything. In "Night of the Hunter," the fear comes from the suspense of will The Preacher get to the children, especially as he takes his own time following them.

In books, I remember that "Pet Semetary" scared me when I read it in college, although I don't know what I'd think now.

But again, a lot of fear has more to do with the human element than the supernatural or superhuman. "Misery" is scary because you don't know what lengths Annie will go to to keep Paul there, until you find out. The revealing of new pieces, new layers, can (and should) keep you unsettled.

Last night my husband watched "The Road," which may not be your typical horror movie but sure as hell had elements of horror in it, and most of it from the people involved.

Personally, I'm always squirming when watching "children in danger" situations and I often avoid movies or stories when I know that's a main element.

 

[Bananaspoon]

I fear that if I were to reveal my fear on the internet, I'd wake up in a dark room having to face my fears. And Billy the Puppet would be my host for the duration of my remaining life, on his signature red tricycle.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Betrayal is a fear I think we all have. Its a pretty basic one, but a pretty damn good one. Placing trust means having safety, which is craved by every living being. Fear itself is a tool of living beings utilized to avoid danger or death, so being safe is always paramount. We trust people everyday, with little things and big things, both actively and passively. We trust other drivers not to wreck into us and maim our bodies in a pile of twisted metal. I read a story bout a king who made such an observation about trust while being shaved by his barber, who could easily have slit his throat with the razor.

We trust our loved ones and friends all the time, and sometimes we have that trust and faith returned with betrayal. We don't have to ever trust them, but we do so out of love. That's why it hurts so bad. That's why we fear it so much.

Great example of a basic human fear, but I'm more interested in... what scares you JBJ? There may not be much, but we all have our own individual fears. We all have had our heart nearly stop from terror at some point. What is your thing? I know what scares us all, what scares you?

I don't know how to answer the question, cuz I've dealt with over the top stuff all my life. I think the closest I ever came to being overwhelmed by raw fear was when my new born daughter came down with pneumonia, and it was touch-and-go for a week. Later one of my clients burned his home to the ground, and his little sister wasn't around when they counted heads. Turns out she was with mom, but mom had been warned not to leave the boy alone, unsupervised. He immediately set fire to a teddy bear and threw it under the bed when mom pulled outta the driveway.

Snakes I hate, but don't really fear.

Guys with guns and knives are difficult to deal with but don't scare me; I don't really feel personal danger. Now what scares me at times, is when I recall some of the stunts I pulled when I was young. I let co-workers tie a rotten rope around my waist and lower me off the roof of Tampa Stadium (150 feet) to fix something. One time I was working 100 feet above the ground, opened a crate that was full of wasps. I was standing on a 6 inch beam at the time, and couldn't run away. So I took it and walked slowly away.

 

[Bramblethorn]

So, Lit, I'll ask you. What scares you? Why? How would you classify it? Is it real world monsters living nearby or on your morning news? Pagan witchcraft? Demonic entities? Ghosts or wretched spirits trapped in a loop of never ending torture? Creatures that should not be? Heights? Deep water where who knows what could lurk? Space and time dimensional twists? Miley Cyrus?

Heights. I used to get twitchy climbing two feet up a ladder to change a bulb. Then some friends took me to a climbing gym... even with a safety rope I'd lose my nerve about ten metres up, until they suggested wearing a blindfold. Surprisingly effective; I made it all the way to the top of a twenty-metre climb, and while I'm still scared of heights, it's more controlled than it was.

In storytelling, one of the things I find really enhances fear is the revelation that changes the context of events already described. The scariest moment in '28 Days Later' for me was the part where an Infected child speaks, because of the implications. This isn't just a mindless zombie trying to kill him, it still has something recognisably human in there.

 

[SecondCircle]

I enjoy a good monster movie -- or book -- but it's not usually the monster that's scary. It's the "what if" and the "what will happen". Also, I find suspense is as much part of the fear as anything. In "Night of the Hunter," the fear comes from the suspense of will The Preacher get to the children, especially as he takes his own time following them.

In books, I remember that "Pet Semetary" scared me when I read it in college, although I don't know what I'd think now.

But again, a lot of fear has more to do with the human element than the supernatural or superhuman. "Misery" is scary because you don't know what lengths Annie will go to to keep Paul there, until you find out. The revealing of new pieces, new layers, can (and should) keep you unsettled.

Last night my husband watched "The Road," which may not be your typical horror movie but sure as hell had elements of horror in it, and most of it from the people involved.

Personally, I'm always squirming when watching "children in danger" situations and I often avoid movies or stories when I know that's a main element.

Yes, its the natural elements of uncertainty and danger that drive and power our fears. Our mind can only comprehend what is natural, so it scares us to think of how far Annie would go to keep her beloved author hostage. We fear what we can't prepare for, or what we don't understand, because we are unsure of how to survive it.

But that's understood by most. But there are catalysts that get our fear working. Be it that monster or a frightening scenario. These are the things that have grabbed my interest. My friend was talking about Mama, (hope not to drop spoilers) and the sound of her wailing in the dark. I totally agree with him, though I never thought a sound would chill me to the bone. We spoke of the quality of the wail itself, like the yowling of a cat mixed with the throaty groan of a wounded being, all muttered and garbled as though produced by a deranged mind.

Its not like I say, "I'm scared of creepy screams in the dark." That would not do it justice. There's just something disturbing about the sound. This triggers the fear, the uncertainty, the suspense of terrible danger. The "what if" as you say.

I'm searching for Lit's trigger points. The thing that flips your switches. The point where we move past simple fear of uncertainty feel actual trembling dread of what is to come. We all feel uncertainty. It's natural. But what is so terrifying or creepy that it makes you say, "Aw Hell Naw!" (as a guy in the theater said about Dead Silence's talking clown puppet).

One of yours, Mrs. Penn, as apparent from many examples you gave, is the fear for your children, which is completely understandable. The Road does well at building this suspense, what with a child thrown into a dying cruel world where he must depend on his father to survive. And what happens without his father when he's at the mercy of the wretched world?

Pet Semetary also includes themes of children in harms way, what with the terrible idea of a child bring run over by a truck in the highway. I'm sure the horrifying thought would cross your mind for Pennboy if there was a "Pet Semetary" behind your house. The book played on your natural maternal emotions. Its clear that you were born to be a mother (even if you hadn't had kids at the time of the reading).

A mother (or father at times) would do anything to guarantee the safety of their children, even if it meant going to the extreme. (Such theme is central to the survival horror "The Last of Us, where a man would doom humanity if it meant saving a young girl he loved as a daughter.)

A prime fear. The fear for our children.

 

[SecondCircle]

I fear that if I were to reveal my fear on the internet, I'd wake up in a dark room having to face my fears. And Billy the Puppet would be my host for the duration of my remaining life, on his signature red tricycle.

Hahaha... wait... is that a thing?

 

[SecondCircle]

Heights. I used to get twitchy climbing two feet up a ladder to change a bulb. Then some friends took me to a climbing gym... even with a safety rope I'd lose my nerve about ten metres up, until they suggested wearing a blindfold. Surprisingly effective; I made it all the way to the top of a twenty-metre climb, and while I'm still scared of heights, it's more controlled than it was.

In storytelling, one of the things I find really enhances fear is the revelation that changes the context of events already described. The scariest moment in '28 Days Later' for me was the part where an Infected child speaks, because of the implications. This isn't just a mindless zombie trying to kill him, it still has something recognisably human in there.

I can sympathize. I also have something of a fear for heights, though not as bad as that I don't think.

Deep water holds the same for me. Don't get me wrong, I can swim like a fish, and the seas fascinate the hell out of me. Every time there's an "ocean" special on Discovery or something, I'm glued to the set and late for all conflicting appointments. The creatures in the sea are amazing to me, but I have those chilling moments in deep water where I become conscious of all that water below me, and what unseen things could lurk there. Especially in the ocean, where giants and predators roam. Water isn't exactly a humans environment. "They" have all the advantage there.

I guess that's one reason why Howard Phillips kinda spooked me with the idea of a massive ancient creature at rest in the deepest depths, awaiting the time for his return.

 

[MSTarot]

Nothing I can see.

That being said the things that are just beyond sight but you know they are there.

The aliens in the corn field in 'Signs'.

The things hidden in the fog in the movie "The Mist''

The noise making thing in 'Blair witch' when the lights are out and all you can do is hear.

and others on the same vein. Show me the monster, creature, thing, whatever and it is no longer scary.

 

[lovecraft68]

I still occasionally suffer from night terrors.

Nightmares of things that were done to me-and to my mother in front of me-by my father.

I wake up shaking and at times it takes quite a while to not only calm down, but to get my head together to realize where I am and how old I am.

Many times when I wake from these I swear I can smell beer and vomit, the two scents I associate with dear old dad.

So in the grand scheme of things(and also coupled with a couple of years I spent in the joint many years ago) there really is nothing in any book, movie, or story that has any effect on me other than to say, "wow that's pretty good"

A case of truth is stranger-and far stronger-than fiction.

 

[patientlee]

SotL

The scariest part of The Silence of the Lambs movie for me was when Starling was in the completely blacked out house and Jame Gumb has the night vision goggles on. All you could hear was her gasps as she fumbled in the dark, and you knew he saw every move she made.

In real life I'm afraid of ledges. I think I have a fear of my life crumbling out from under me.

I have made great strides in my fear of spiders, however, when I brought in the garbage can this afternoon, there was a huge orb weaver spider on it. I saw something fly through the air in transit, and I couldn't find the spider when I put it down. I couldn't strip my clothes off and get in the shower fast enough. I'm still afraid that it is on the bookbag that I threw down near the door. I hope the laptop and iPad survived the fall. Living without those would be terrifying!

 

[StrangeLife]

It's been a few decades since I last had a movie give me nightmares. It was It - more specifically Tim Curry's Pennywise. Never been fond of clowns since then.

 

[SecondCircle]

Nothing I can see.

That being said the things that are just beyond sight but you know they are there.

The aliens in the corn field in 'Signs'.

The things hidden in the fog in the movie "The Mist''

The noise making thing in 'Blair witch' when the lights are out and all you can do is hear.

and others on the same vein. Show me the monster, creature, thing, whatever and it is no longer scary.

This. I think little else is underestimated as much as that moment when your mind plays tricks on you... if that's really what's happening. How can you tell?

Great example with the cornfield in Signs. Such a tiny moment that in reality would send people scrambling for the safety of their house, babbling like a toddler to their family about "I saw something".

Great example from Patientlee as well. The NVG scene from Silence of the Lambs. Its there, he's there, they are there... something is there, but you can't see it. You can possibly hear it, which is worse because your mind paints you pictures of what it could be.

That peripheral phantom that isn't there when you look. That glimpse of the thing that just disappeared. That shuffling in the closet.

The betrayal of our senses. Good one.

 

[SecondCircle]

I still occasionally suffer from night terrors.

Nightmares of things that were done to me-and to my mother in front of me-by my father.

I wake up shaking and at times it takes quite a while to not only calm down, but to get my head together to realize where I am and how old I am.

Many times when I wake from these I swear I can smell beer and vomit, the two scents I associate with dear old dad.

So in the grand scheme of things(and also coupled with a couple of years I spent in the joint many years ago) there really is nothing in any book, movie, or story that has any effect on me other than to say, "wow that's pretty good"

A case of truth is stranger-and far stronger-than fiction.

The REAL monsters. Made even scarier because they could happen, DO happen everyday. Be they a killer, deranged mind, abusive parent or spouse, corrupt political figure or nation, or actual beast or animal, these are the evils that we wade through every day.

I still struggle with night terrors, though I denied for some time that I had such a thing as PTSD. I thought my experience wasn't even that bad, or so I told myself. But you mentioning the smell of the vomit, the alcohol... these are the things that makes it difficult to escape these fears. They remind us of how real a monster can be... no matter its form.

Good example of fear, something that is REAL.

I once drove by a church sign that summed it up I think.

It read "There are monsters out there."

 

[SecondCircle]

It's been a few decades since I last had a movie give me nightmares. It was It - more specifically Tim Curry's Pennywise. Never been fond of clowns since then.

Doesn't have to be a movie, really, just anything that triggers your fear.

But your example of a clown (and perhaps one of the freakiest) is nail on head.

Fucking clowns. Why are they so freaky? Even the ones that aren't supposed to be? I'm not personally terribly scared of them, but my wife hates them. She's terrified of them, and especially ones with read hair for some reason. What was meant to entertain us has made us shit our pants for quite some time now.

Why is this? For me, I guess, it's because they have painted faces that hide what they really are underneath. They act happy and silly, but we know that's not really them. I dunno why this is such a big thing with just clowns, I don't think of actors this way.

Perhaps it's because a clown works with children, and its frightening to think of something that could possibly use the guise to prey on the most innocent of victims.

And they just look... wrong. Either way, clowns are damn freaky.

 

[MSTarot]

There is a camp site I go to in Mississippi that hosts a large SCA event. About 5000+ people show up for it, huge party that last for a week every March. Great time.

It's not in the middle of nowhere but you can see nowhere from there real easy. Well, the house hold I'm in also goes down there for a House meeting once a year to help clean up and maintain our camping area.

About 30 of us.

Well, I went to walk down to the bathhouse one night. It's not that far and I didn't feel like hunting through the tent for my keys to crank the truck. It was like three in the morning anyway. Crank a truck up and you'll wake people.

So I'm walking in the dark down a dirt road the only thing I can see is the light outside the bathhouse and the glow of our fire behind me. I know that the sounds I was hearing in the night around me were mostly birds. Just birds hunting for bugs to eat.

Moving branches, shaking leaves. Little sounds, off in the dark all around me as I walked.

I was spooked before I was half way there.

Then suddenly a wild pig (They are bad down that way) came running out the middle of one of the empty camp sites and shot across the road right behind me. Maybe all of five feet from me.

It took me two hours to get my heart to stop pounding out my chest. I was a wreck for the rest of the weekend, jumping at every snapped stick.

Just a pig in the dark... nothing to be scared of right?

 

[desireinyellow]

To this day I can't remember what I was dreaming about but when I woke up I had tears streaming down my face, my heart was racing, and I was so scared I sat up in bed ready to run. Couldn't go back to sleep after that.

 

[Lovetolisten]

Nightmares...

It's the sound of my own screams that wake me up. Sweating, crying... and fighting. Always fighting. Kicking, striking out at people who aren't there.

My H gets angry at being so rudely awakened... so no comfort there.
I have to get out of bed, go downstairs. Somewhere else to calm down. I usually don't remember the dream, but I can never forget the events that caused them.

 

[CDWilder]

In real life, spiders. Deathly afraid, I have been paralyzed several times in my life when confronted with larger specimens.

In the literary world, I have never read a single sentence that was as scary as the final four words of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.

 

[TE999]

When 'The Shining' first came out, I was reading it at night in the game room downstairs. My family had gone to bed and the house was quiet. I got to the part where the boy finds the dead woman in the bathtub and she rises up to get him when the furnace went on, the fan motor roared and I about shit myself. That is one creepy-ass book, the movie was so-so.

When I was a kid, the giant ants in 'Them' scared the hell out of me. I kept imagining they were outside my bedroom windows waiting to get me when I fell asleep for weeks afterward.

I also fucking hate spiders.

 

[StrangeLife]

Fucking clowns. Why are they so freaky? Even the ones that aren't supposed to be? I'm not personally terribly scared of them, but my wife hates them. She's terrified of them, and especially ones with read hair for some reason. What was meant to entertain us has made us shit our pants for quite some time now.

There was apparently a guy in Switzerland renting himself out as evil clown a few years back.

I can't imagine that business model being very successful. Could be a great prank to pull on your wife though... especially if you don't mind sleeping on the couch for a few months...

 

[SecondCircle]

There was apparently a guy in Switzerland renting himself out as evil clown a few years back.

I can't imagine that business model being very successful. Could be a great prank to pull on your wife though... especially if you don't mind sleeping on the couch for a few months...

Actually, she and I throw a big thing for the neighborhood on Halloween every year, something we are passionate about. We dress up for the Trick-or-Treaters and have a scene set up in the yard to scare the crap out if them. It usually involves me in prosthetic makeup dressing as some crazy creature. The year before last was a red haired clown. She couldn't look at me the whole day, until nighttime when I acted the part for the kids, handing out balloons and acting mental.

Never thought it would fly, but she loved it cuz it creeped out the neighborhood. And I made a pretty good clown. Still on good sleeping terms. : )