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Child Item

What Really Scared You As A Child?

JupiterKid

When you were young, what were the things that scared you to death?

Monsters under the bed?
The Boogeyman that lived in the wardrobe?
The thunder and lightning on a stormy night?

For me it was skeletons and skulls on particular. Mo matter how many times my mother or older sisters would reassure me as a 7 year old that skeletons were just our own bones and couldnt harm me, I simply did not believe them.

The sight of a skeleton would really frighten me.

There was the poster for a horror film called One Dark Night, it was in the cinemas circa 1982, around the time that ET was released in the silver screen, and just seeing that poster, featuring a decomposed skull like figure in a cloak with his bony hand menacingly reaching out, gave me nightmares.

In my bedroom at night I was terrified this evil figure was just around the corner of the room, ready to kill me.

So what frightened you?

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heldel00

A programme that used to be on called "Strange but true". Shouldn't have been watching it at all. One story of a man driving alone at night and glancing in rear view mirror and seeing a person in back of car. To this day i adjust the mirror if I'm driving on my own at night

Also, the scene in Mad Max where they chain yer man's hand to towbar of car and take off at speed..... Jesus I'll not sleep tonight!

castletownman

This ****er

da-grunt-caveman-animated-toy-furry_1_7390aeb3dcbe6809e07c23c873b0d469.jpg

Dad had it stored in the press, and used to activate him now and again for the **** and giggles. Minus the giggles.

twowheelsonly

Dogs.
I was absolutely petrified of ALL dogs and that carried on until my mid-teens.
Probably owned 9 or 10 dogs since then !!!

corner of hells

Nuns , I firmly believe they turned into bats when they died .
Also the threat of the "wooden spoon " , my mother would actually throw it at you , if she couldn't catch you.

Zirconia

When I was a young child my parents would say they would give me away when they were annoyed with me. It had a terrible effect on me, resutling in me having panic attacks whenever I was left alone for any brief length of time away from our home. For example when my mother was pregnant with a younger sibling, she brought me into the Rotunda hospital when she went for a checkup. I was left in a waiting area on my own and after about 20 minutes I was convinced she had left me there as threatened previously and I had a serious panic attack. I can remember a number of similar situations. It had an ongoing effect on me to this day.

byhookorbycrook

There was a series called “ Children of the Stones” ( we didn’t have multi-channels so must have been on RTÉ) We we’re TERRIFIED of it . Bought it on dvd years later , it was laughable then.

Jimbob1977

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

There was a series called “ Children of the Stones” ( we didn’t have multi-channels so must have been on RTÉ) We we’re TERRIFIED of it . Bought it on dvd years later , it was laughable then.

One of the most atmospheric and creepy children's TV series I have encountered.

The wailing singers and the claustrophobia of being stuck in a small village.

gingernut79

when the screen went white at the end of the Doctor Who theme, as if it had exploded. late 80s maybe?

tabby aspreme

I was terrified of crows for a few months after watching Hitchcock's, The Birds, aged around 10 at the time

Zaph

Quicksand - I believed it was a lot more prevalent than it actually is and we all need to be on the lookout for it. I think it must have been in a couple of TV shows or films I saw fairly close together, I can't think of any other reason it would bother me, especially as I don't recall it ever being reported in south Dublin.

Gremlinertia

Rotary phones, between the Joker using them to gas people and our one getting blown off the wall by a lightning strike i can see how that came about

Nuns, thanks primary school :mad:

[Deleted User]

Ready Brek ad with the fella with the lights around him doing break dancing. Freaked the shít outta me.

And a bit later the unsolved mysteries ghost stories when it was presented by Robert Stack.

KilOit

Pennywise and bath lady from shining kept me awake at night for weeks, slept top of stairs till parents went to bed

Mehapoy

Stephen Hawking!

Strumms

Power cuts were about the only thing and an old psycho school principal. Where we lived there would be about four or five power cuts a year. But they’d put the fear into me. if it happened during the day, or daylight I wouldn’t give a **** but at night, darkness, I’d hardly sleep with the fear in fact. The loudness of the quiet, no tv, no radio..

I was rarely in trouble in school but the odd time where I was sent to the principals office he’d welcome you in with a smile, sit you down, give you a biscuit, listen to why you’ve been sent down, then..” ok, just stand up for me, *still smiling* hold out your hand” *smack* he’d take a bit of an old picture frame out of his drawer and it would be across the palm of your hand with maximum force.. the false smile still etched on his face like a proper psycho..

KungPao

The aliens in V when they revealed themselves to be hideous reptiles.

The Omen, and the music in particular Ave Satani...Satani....SATANI! Love that music now, still creepy though.

Frederick Krueger.

Mostly just stuff I was too young to be watching really which stuck in my mind, had no other real fears I don't think except the dark.

[Deleted User]

We were out for a Sunday walk in Birr when I was a small kid, and a black helicopter (not a Garda helicopter) landed and some detectives got out of it.
My Mum said one of them had a gun, and we had to leave, at the time it seemed very exciting.
We found out they were after some Spanish rapist who had attacked a woman, or women, and was on the run.

I didn't know what a rapist was, and it didn't seem to matter, because it surely meant "serial killer". No doubt he'd be after us as potential witnesses. Me, specifically, for some reason. I became genuinely afraid of what I called "The Spanish Lad", and it was often used against me.
It was "Don't go to the river the Spanish man will catch you" or, "Come in before dark or the Spanish will get you" (there was a mildly racist undertone).

The threat of Santa's Bad List was trivial compared to the certain catastrophe of the Spanish lad ever locating me.

Writing this how, I wonder if there ever really was a Spanish man. Either way, he kept me on the straight and narrow between the ages 7 —10

Church on Tuesday

Banks.

Having to go into a bank and talk to a clerk was anxiety central.

castletownman

May sound bad, but I used to be afraid of people with intellectual disabilities or down syndrome when I was 4/5. I really hope I wasn't the only one at that age.

sunbeam

The Incredible Hulk terrified me as a toddler.

The threat of nuclear war when I got a bit older. I actually watched The Day After for the first time last week when it was randomly suggested to me on YouTube. It would probably have terrified me at age 11, but Threads makes it look like a Disney movie. Good job I didn't see that as a kid, or I'd never have slept again.

Errashareesh

Going to the doctor.

A TV series called Sapphire & Steel - which I was far too young for, and couldn't make head or tail of (still can't) yet loved it despite its unbelievable creepiness.

The TV series of Day Of The Triffids - the sound that the plants made was terrifying.

Numerous fairy stories were horrific!

Clowns - I don't know why they're so sinister, but they are.

And those public information films - e.g. the kid drowning in the paddling pool or the dog attacking the sheep, or the risk of your nightie combusting if you stood too close to the fire (that one was hosted by the aforementioned witch from Fortycoats - frightening woman!) And the nun shouting "Bah!" into the kid's ear to check their hearing. :eek:

Four Phucs Ache

80s Scotch video tape tv ad.

I'm highly confident because of these ads that I am a master of the word Fook and every version of it.

nthclare

Holy pictures used to frighten me, and concrete structures where there's water.
Like dams and drains, big pipe's etc

Open culverts, there's something creepy about them and water works such as pump houses etc

The still give me the shivers.

I was scared of those even before the first Stephen king movie IT came out these buildings and feats of engineering gave me fear.

Four Phucs Ache

nthclare wrote: »

Holy pictures used to frighten me, and concrete structures where there's water.
Like dams and drains, big pipe's etc

Open culverts, there's something creepy about them and water works such as pump houses etc

The still give me the shivers.

I was scared of those even before the first Stephen king movie IT came out these buildings and feats of engineering gave me fear.

With you on the concrete and water, went on a day out to turlough hill circa age 8. Crisp grey concrete and endless black water sticks with me.

Arghus

Thoughts of the devil, hell, eternal damnation.

emo72

Space 1999 dragons domain episode. How the **** did this pass the censor for children's TV. Oh yeah we had to censor out the suggestion of a nipple on TV, but tentacled life force flesh stripping aliens? Yeah that's fine.

https://youtu.be/tvyWfwT5nwU

Lobsterlady

Nuclear war....think it may have been When the Wind Blows that put the fear into me, plus my older brother telling me we lived only 30 minutes from Shannon Airport which would be a definite strike by the Russians. We'd all bleed out from our eyes and asses....and that would be it. That and Jaws .....never felt comfortable swimming in any sea water that was murky since.

punisher5112

That's just trolling

nthclare

Lobsterlady wrote: »

Nuclear war....think it may have been When the Wind Blows that put the fear into me, plus my older brother telling me we lived only 30 minutes from Shannon Airport which would be a definite strike by the Russians. We'd all bleed out from our eyes and asses....and that would be it. That and Jaws .....never felt comfortable swimming in any sea water that was murky since.

I remember that in the 80's aerophlot used to land in Shannon and their pilot's and cabin crew would stay in local apartments.

We used to think they were spies.

Although the Russian women were quite attractive.

But during the first gulf war us kids/teen-agers thought Sadam was going to nuke the town any day soon

[Deleted User]

The 'Lonely Water ' ad from the 70's, where the grim reaper lurked beside the waters, just waiting to drag you down down into the murky depths...