SCAREDY CAT discussion

I was wondering the other day what really scares a person. Since we are all different and have our own phobias and hidden demons, it is hard to determine what one person fears compared to another. I guess in my case I would have to say humans that are unhinged. The movie THE EXORCIST was scary, but nothing compared to the first time I saw THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. That one really blew me away, because it could very easily happen in this world of crazies.

Any psycho with a mask on and wielding a knife, scares the $&@& outta me. Example: the Purge

I'm a big burly biker dude. Nothing scares me... except those big nasty flying palmetto cockroaches we have down here in Florida. ;)

Bugger!

*Roach image deleted due to excessive creepy-crawliness.

The movie that really creeped me out was THE RING. I'm not sure why. I think when I watched it my children were not that old. My son had a friend over and my husband was out of town. I was so scared. We have a TV in our master and I just kept thinking it was going to turn on and scare the snot right out of me.

When I was in college we watched ROOTS. When I went to bed I got so scared!! I kept thinking about how the man said he'd just jump in the ocean and swim back to land, but when he was permitted to come up on deck all he could see was ocean and no land...he was amazed an so frightened. Being a bit less than in my normal state of mind, I went to bed and started thinking about aliens. What if they came and got us (me!) and I got up in the universal above the stars and I looked out and could not longer see my planet and I was being taken to a foreign planet to be used as a slave. I honestly believe that is the most scared I have ever been in my life.

Pamellia, your recollection of being abducted by aliens is uncanny to the nightmarish events that I depicted in my last novel "Souls of the Desert." I'm not plugging my book, I'm just giving you a heads up if you ever contemplated reading it.

My wife, and it seems like most women aka Pamellia seem to have a great fear and disgust for mice and particularly rats. Now we won't go into Sigmund Freud's theory of rodent fear, but I must tell you about an unusual sport from my youth.
When I was a teenager we would drive to the city dump late at night with our .22 rifles and shoot rats. We had to tape our pants leg cuffs to keep them from running up our legs. There were thousands of them scurrying about. Now does that seem like a date night or what?

People, strangers I do know, that get too close to me in proximity, creeps me out. Stay in your own space.
And heights, I can't even watch a video with heights, I have an anxiety attack. YIKES!!

I agree Lisa. Like people who have to get close to your face when their talking. Even worse, they are usually smacking gum or have bad breath.

No kidding. Ewww, lol.
Certain people just creep me out in general. You know the type, you can just tell.

Thanks Lisa! Now I have another inferiority complex to worry about. Lol

Lol. I don't think you have to worry.

Ahh yes the close talkers. They talk into your mouth like you're a clown at a drive-through

V. T. Eric wrote: "I'm a big burly biker dude. Nothing scares me... except those big nasty flying palmetto cockroaches we have down here in Florids. ;)

Bugger!: "

I'm also a Floridian and I'll take that bug any day over a snake in the yard! Doesn't matter how big it is. They are my biggest fear. Now, my hubby and bugs are like you. If one landed on his shoulder, he'd probably dislocate his arm trying to get the bug off! :)

A funny story...

Well, it wasn't funny at the time. Anyway, many years ago, after an evening of fun and debauchery, I rode up to my driveway on my motorcycle. It was late in the evening. I walked up on my porch and stood in front of the door jingling around for the proper key on the ring to open the door. Something fluttered against my ear. I just nonchalantly knocked it away and proceeded into the house.

Once in the house, I went into the bathroom. In the bright lights, whilst standing in front of the mirror, I saw *HORROR* one of those nasty palmetto roaches entwined in my long locks (my hair was down to the middle of my back in those days)! I without hesitation reached up and grabbed the trespassing nasty and, along with a rather large patch of hair, yanked the offending insect from me. I tossed hair, roach, et. al. into the toilet and flushed.

Gads! My skin crawls just thinking about it and it was probably 30+ years ago.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Oh, and snakes... myeh. They don't bother me at all; spiders either. Those nasty roaches, though... ;)

~Eric

Eeeuuuu I hate palmetto bugs. I also live in south Florida and they are the nastiest bugs/roach I've seen, except.....

When I went to Dominican Republic and saw the roaches there, our palmetto bugs look like babies. These 'roaches' have to be killed by driving a golf cart over them. I saw a few of them hanging out by my hotel door, smoking,drinking and chilling out. I threw them my hotel key and told them to have fun. They actually caught my key in their gross legs and yelled "gracias" as I ran out of there.

@ Aileen... well, when they get that big, they're easier to shoot. ;)

Eric, yes, I can see where that story had to be terrifying at the time! But I had to smile reading it. I can't imagine ripping a clump of hair out! Ouch.

Aileen, our palmettos look like babies! Oh, that doesn't sound good.

I'll take our palmettos any day over those dirty little roaches. Those I don't like at all. We were eating in a local restaurant one morning and there was one on the ledge by the window where we were sitting. I squished it in a napkin cause remember hubby has that bug phobia and was ready to bolt!:) When the waitress came to check on us, I handed it to her. She said oh, okay. No sorry about that. Took the napkin as if it were an everyday thing which maybe it was!? Needless to say, we have never returned to that restaurant!

Lol Cindy, that's so funny about your husband but I can totally relate. At work, there was one walking across our floor. I've never thought I could scream like I did while my body lifted itself (in one leap) on the top of my desk. Papers and files flew everywhere but I didn't care because I was not touching that floor until that evil spawn was taken care of. Every time the roach moved, my voice would go up another octave.

@ Cindy... Oddly enough, I didn't feel a thing when I ripped that handful of hair out of the side of my scalp; adrenalin is a wonderful thing. ;)

Oh, and those little ones... German cockroaches. They don't bother me except for the fact that once you get one, you'll have a colony with the population of London before you know it. The worse place to get them is from storage facilities. They are major breeding grounds for those little guys, so check your stuff thoroughly before bringing it back into your home.

Lol Eric that story is too funny,

I don't know why but it creeps me out when I have to go into the garage at night. The garage is attached and there's a light. It doesn't bother me at all during the day but, at night, I get a creeped out feeling in there and avoid it.

Well, you folks that live around the gulf coast have another bug issue. Love bugs! Those disgusting creatures that are every where in late August through September. Our car was completely covered where I couldn't even see out the windshield. Plus they are connected in midair like a circus trapeze.

Laura wrote: "I don't know why but it creeps me out when I have to go into the garage at night. The garage is attached and there's a light. It doesn't bother me at all during the day but, at night, I get a cre..."

Who knows what mischief is being perpetrated by unknown entities when the lights are off out in that garage late at night. Does sound a bit creepy, doesn't it?

Robert wrote: "Well, you folks that live around the gulf coast have another bug issue. Love bugs! "

You think they're fun in a car. You should try 'em while riding a motorcycle down the Interstate at 75mph. ;)

Aileen wrote: "Lol Eric that story is too funny,"

That's one of the good things about aging. As you get older, stories that weren't particularly funny when they happened provide many laughs when you tell them 30 years later. ;)

The stories are like the County Fair too. They get bigger and better with every passing year.

HA! That's the truth there, for sure. ;)

I think I'm quite brave for a girl... I will happily scoop up any bugs that jump out on us in the office. Also spiders in the bath - my sister would be screaming the place down and I have no problem putting them back out in the garden. But saying that - the British bugs that we get here are possibly a little smaller than the ones you guys have to encounter!

But when it comes to snakes...

UGH!! I am terrible. Even turning the page of a newspaper and seeing a picture of one makes me jump a mile in the air. Then I have to throw the paper away!!

But the thing that really gets me when reading books, is stuff that can get inside you and under your skin. Has anyone ever read The Ruins by Scott Smith? Snake-y type vines that hiss and get inside of you? Just about finished me off, that one.

The Ruins was indeed a creepy story.

Does anyone like the TV show DEAD FILES on Saturday Night on the Travel Channel? I like to watch it and my wife always falls asleep. I'm still not sure the whole thing is on the up and up. I think the people who are experiencing the paranormal activity are earnest. I am just not convinced in all seriousness that the sensitive or medium has the abilities she claims. It just seems too out there, even for a weirdo like myself.

Never seen it. I don't have any of them thar fancy-schmancy cable or satellite channels; just the crud that comes over the airwaves for me these days. :)

V.T. hang on to those rabbit ears and that leisure suit, they may be worth something someday.

Rabbit ears? C'mon... I'm a techie. I have an outside antenna on my house. Leisure suit? Umm... I don't do suits; too hot in Florida. Besides, I don't have a "suit attitude" at all. I'm more the t-shirt, shorts, flip-flop type. ;)

Leisure suit Larry

Robert, feel the same way in Dead Files, not sure if it's real

Friend saw a pair of red eyes in the bushes when she was walking her dog with a flashlight this evening...I don't recall any animals having red eyes, do you? I thought they turned white in the dark when light beam hits them?

No, I don't know of any animals with red eyes. Mine have been that way in the morning after to much to drink though.

Lol yes, I've been there too Robert. I told her it was probably a reflection from a car's rear light. She told me there were no cars around. Creepy.

Yes I watch that one. The medium's been around a long time. she also shows up on an older show, maybe A Haunting? I like the format with the excop and all. I was buying it until one episode. The lizzie borden house. They made a big deal about hiding all evidence of which house it was. Someone commented that, previously, the medium had mentioned being fascinated by the case. Even with all the stuff hidden, she knew what city she was in, and had probably seen pics of the house, so it was a little far fetched she had no idea where she was. Since then, I've been more skeptical. But I still watch it.

Laura, I remember that episode too. Another thing is you would think there would be one house where she would absolutely find nothing ever happened. Also, it's never mentioned that a spirit she encounters speaks to her in a foreign language and she hasn't a clue what it is saying. Good show if you keep an open mind.

People, they scare me the most, especially after I had my son. Back in high school I could not wait to see the next slasher film but now, I cannot watch any movies that can 'really' happen. Saw made me sick to my stomach. I stay away from them, but give me aliens, monsters, or end of the world and I can laugh and enjoy. People on people, I can just watch the news if I want those kind of nightmares.

People are definitely scary.

People ARE the scariest. Almost all the "new" monsters are people. Let's see, there's Freddy, Jason, Michael...hmmm am I forgetting anyone?

Oh God V.T., every time I open this discussion, I come across your roach pic!

Looking for some good creepy book suggestions. Let me hear some titles.

Roy wrote: "Looking for some good creepy book suggestions. Let me hear some titles."

One of the creepiest books I've ever read...

Richard Matheson's Hell House.

Hell House

Wait till this winter when it's dark and cold outside to read it... by candlelight, preferably.

Aileen wrote: "Oh God V.T., every time I open this discussion, I come across your roach pic!"

Better now, yes?

Thanks!

V. T. Eric wrote: "Roy wrote: "Looking for some good creepy book suggestions. Let me hear some titles."

One of the creepiest books I've ever read...

Richard Matheson's Hell House.

Hell House

Wait ti..."

Billie, I'm into the Aliens as well, and quite fascinated by the subject and even wrote two fiction books on it. Primarily if they are seeking other intelligent life, why would they come here?