Things that absolutely terrified you as a child.....

[lisaJN1986]

And still scare you all these years later?

I'll start... 😂

And later, When the Wind Blows

The opening credits to the 1970s children's TV show Picture Box, the creepy whirlitzer style music and glass box spinning round. Also I remember my sister getting teen mags in the 70s. Sometimes they would have scary stories such as young girls meeting a "dreamboat" lad who turned out to be a werewolf, or would they would go hitchhiking and be kidnapped by evil goblins. I remember one awful article in said magazine about how to predict your future by reading your own palm. I convinced myself that I was heading for a grim life.

The baddie in the programme they used to make us watch at school 'Through the Dragon's Eye'. Some terrifying evil bird man called Charn. Just freaked myself out googling the photo now

Orm and Cheep

Traumatised me as a child in the 80s…

Daleks
Horror movies (still do)
The dark

The wardrobe door being open.
The central heating control lived inside my childhood bedroom’s built in wardrobe and, with my appalling eyesight, I thought the light was a pair of red eyes looking at me. I’m now 52 and still have to have everything shut before I can go to sleep.

Stranger danger public information films we watched in primary school in the 70s
The Black Death
That weird craze where kids made each other faint. Freaked me out!
And leprosy

Yes, Rod Hull & the Pink Windmill "Oh there's somebody at the door.."

Salem's Lot - sometimes I like to scare myself shitless by looking it up on Youtube, no idea why, it gave me nightmares at the time - that scratching and the rocking chair scene.

Also - a kiddies' programme in the 80s, 1 episode the children had made guy-fawkes-type dummies (I think with paper plates for faces) to put in the audience of a little show they were doing, at the end of it the dummies started clapping & came alive, really freaked me out. Does anyone else remember it/know the name of the show?

The TV test card

Fish (especially smallish ones like goldfish). Always thought they’d jump out the tank and the thought of them squirming on the carpet repulsed me. It still does.

Daleks. More the voices than the actual Dalek.

A scene in a kids tv show where there was a small terrier type dog with a man’s head. No idea what it was but I can still remember it and find the thought really scary even now.

skulls. There was a report on the news of an important archaeological find and for some strange reason I’d convinced myself they’d bring it round to peoples houses to show them it. God knows where I’d got that idea from.

Grave marker slabs on the floor of churches/cathedrals. I was convinced if I accidentally stepped on one, I’d catch death. One time I stepped on one and refused to wear my new Startrite summer sandals again. DM being totally unreasonable wouldn’t replace them with ‘non-deathy’ ones. I also tried to hold my breath as long as possible in churches and cathedrals that had these stones in. It was impossible though as my parents liked a good old look around which took longer than the 20 seconds I could hold my breath for.

The vacuum cleaner due to both DBs telling me that it would suck me up. I’d be nearly hysterical by the time DM got to whichever room we were in.

The bin van/bin men due to both DBs telling me the bin men would take me away and put me in the rubbish eating part of the van.

Watership Down.

How that is a U and suitable for little kids I don't know! It's the stuff of nightmares

This was absolutely terrifying

Triffids

I also came here to say looking into mirrors in the dark.

Also Alf that hairy alien thing from the TV programme.

And I can't drive behind any vehicle carrying logs or scaffolding without thinking of Final Destination.

But I love the luck dragon from Neverending Story and David Bowie in Labrynth!

The 'Curse of the Crying Boy' picture. My grandparents had one hanging in their hall, and yes, one day there house did catch fire (thankfully just cosmetic damage), my gran did throw the picture out after that though!

Murder, mystery and suspense and Tales of the unexpected.

Bambi. Who on earth thought that was a good idea for a children’s cartoon? I will NEVER show it to my DCs.

@LaQuern I was just coming on to say Armchair Thriller

The opening credits of Armchair Thriller (very old😅)

@StarCourt well that's me not sleeping tonight

Ooooh, spooky cross post @StarCourt!!

Shouldn't laugh but that made me giggle.

Getting locked in the toilet because of the song 'oh dear what can the matter be'

Spontaneous human combustion. You never hear of it nowadays.

@Beeinmybonnets is that the one where the stranger stood over the victim at the end or was like a shadow over the victim? I can’t remember the details but I am still frightened by it.