Things which scared you as a kid and have stayed with you...

[GinJeanie]

I’m talking about things which scared the bejeezus out of you at the time and you would still hate to encounter as an adult- no doubt irrationally. I have two examples and suspect if I revisited them, they wouldn’t be as bad as I remember. I won’t though - still too scared!
The first is a book called A Candle in Her Room. It’s about some sisters who have an vile, evil wooden doll in their house and horrible things keep happening to them. It was a children’s book but I found it terrifying. I’m a middle-aged woman but NOTHING would make me read it again. The thought makes me want to vomit.
The second is a public safety film called Apaches which was shown in the 1970s. It involved a group of children dying one by one on a farm (all had horrible accidents)... I know I will never watch that film again even though it’s readily available on YouTube. My terror is too great.
Anyone else?

Sea Devils on Dr Who in the 70s.

@hopeishere

A public safety advert for grain storage where a doll was sucked into it. Terrifying. I was also very worried about rabies.

Basically ANY public safety advert. Yes what was going on with rabies, I remember being scared of possibly seeing a dog frothing at the mouth

I started out reading this thinking nope, nothing like that for me, but Have been reminded of SO many by the above.

Wheelers from Return to Oz (see pic)

The Raston Warrior Robot from the Doctor Who film “The Five Doctors” (see other pic) - that thing had no features and would disappear by leaping into the air and reappear somewhere else randomly to kill things. Probably behind you. Right now.

Also the guitar riff from the musical War of the Worlds when the saucer first starts to unscrew.

Also a short story - long forgotten - that left me convinced on wild rainy nights that if i opened the curtains there would be a white face pressed up against the glass, its finger nails scratching on the pane. Scritch. Scratch. I NEVER opened the curtains before morning.

Another one for Samuel Whiskers or the Tale of the Roly Poly Pudding.
A cassette tape about lake district ghosts with something called the Claife Crier absolutely terrified me as a child.

Triffids.

There was a Benetton advert in the 90s with a bloodied newborn baby. I was 5 around the time and it scared me shitless! For some reason the umbilical cord creeped me out most because it looked so pale and rubbery and I think at the time I had no idea what it was supposed to be used for. I memorised where those billboards were on my school routine and would shut my eyes when I had to go past.

Not surprisingly, that properly put me off childbirth. Fortunately I ended up having an ELCS (for other reasons) so I didn't get to see or touch my own umbilical cord. Also, my baby wasn't bloody in the least, just pink and covered with vernix.

Found a Guardian link here with a pic of the ad!
www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2011/nov/17/benettons-most-controversial-adverts

As an adult I'm quite impressed by how groundbreaking many Benetton ads were. Doubt anything similar would be possible today! And a shame the brand got diluted into another generic clothing shop and lost their edge from the 90s.

@Knucklehead101 that Pink Floyd video with the walking hammers still makes me feel like screaming and being sick. i hate it.

i grew up semi-rurally and Apaches was shown to the whole primary school once a year. nobody was allowed to leave the hall no matter how small or scared they were.

the kid who drowned in the slurry pit. christ.

also when i was small rod hull and emu terrified me. like, behind-the-sofa terrified. i’m still not keen.

Bloody Fantasia! God I hated that, especially the bit with Mickey and the magic brooms!

All of the Public Information Films from the 70s/80s

Also, we had a poster in school about consequences of chucking fireworks at each other....a kid with both his eyes burnt out

@cathycomehome what is THAT? I remember it but cant place what tv show it is from!!!

The Candyman film. Never even watched the whole thing but the adverts, and the bits I remember watching many years later, terrified me and I still wouldn’t say it five times in a mirror for a million pounds.

The gap between the platform and the train.

Railway safety lessons and genuinely frightening railway safety videos at school - "train trained" as it was called.

The threat of nuclear war, or WW3.

Stand and deliver by Adam ant the noise of the horse scared the crap out of me. Also plug holes in the bath my dad said I’d get sucked down if I didn’t get out of the bath before I unplugged them. I still hate them now

Swimming pool drains, can't go near them.

Michelin man. When I was growing up there was a large inflatable one flapping about. Hate him to this day.

An old horror film from late 70s / early 80s called the Changeling

Omg was TERRIFYING

Thunderstorms at night, especially hearing them approach in the distance or go away and come back.

*ginjeanie I remember that safety film, was probably about 9 or10!!

@Saucery and @Snooks1971 - there was also an image of the lower part of an old man's legs - complete with slippers still on feet - over a burnt hole in the floor. Still gives me nightmares!!

My mum used to tell us our toes would suffocate if we left our socks on to go to sleep. I always had visions of the toes tumbling out when the socks were removed, I still couldn't wear them in bed even if I was freezing 😬

Worzel Gummidge changing heads, and Willow the Wisp used to terrify me.

Mr Soft....

He scared the sh?t out of me

@TeenPlusTwenties

Tom Kitten and the Roly-Poly Pudding (or whatever it is called) by Beatrix Potter

Ticking clocks at night give me bad dreams

That Beatrix Potter story terrified me as a child! (Especially the tv adaptation) I think of it from time to time and it still makes me feel really uncomfortable as an adult!

Quicksand in Tarzan (the Ron Ely ones) and gap between the train and the platform. Still convinced I'm going to fall Dow it.

I remember those safety ads from my school days (60ties).
I remember on were lots of mums and dads set out in their cars to drive to work - but one would not return! (of course it had to be the single mother, as well) . How they ever thought that we 8 year olds would benefit from that, I still don't know.

And a certain type of buttons!