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Original poster

Gurning & Spontaneous Human Combustion

237 replies

Underminer · 29/05/2023 23:47

Not connected to each other, but when I was little, circa mid 80s, gurning used to be a regular thing on telly, along with spontaneous human combustion being a thing we were all scared of happening to us.
Anyone else remember this? Maybe the gurning was on Record Breakers? I remember watching it on more that on occasion, my brother has a memory of old men with no teeth pulling faces through horse collars, and he thinks it was a toothpaste advert and that’s why we don’t really hear about it now? We don’t live in an area with contests.

What other random things do you remember that seem to have spontaneously combusted in history?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
17
CrawlingFromShitshowToAfterglow · 30/05/2023 23:08

CoreyTaylorsSoggyTshirt · 29/05/2023 23:52

Quicksand.

I was terrified of it and thought it would feature quite frequently in my adult life. We even had safety videos about it in school.

Never been a problem once in my life.

😂 Same here. I spent a lot of my childhood anxious about going to the beach or walking in fields in case I encountered it. But, no, not even once.

CrawlingFromShitshowToAfterglow · 30/05/2023 23:09

Changeforachange · 29/05/2023 23:50

I was fascinated by spontaneous human combustion! That picture of just the woman's feet...
And the Marie Celeste was definitely a thing & the Bermuda triangle.

Mysteries don't seem to be a thing anymore. Maybe everything can be explained.

That feet photo used to scare me.

CrawlingFromShitshowToAfterglow · 30/05/2023 23:19

Singleandproud · 30/05/2023 07:23

The Aussie programme Round the Twist used to scare me, I can't even remember what it was about now.

I used to love that programme. I think it was an Australian show about a single dad living in a haunted lighthouse with his three children.

LadyWhineglass · 30/05/2023 23:28

Round the Twist has one of the best theme tunes ever. Hang on, I’ll find it on YouTube for those who don’t know it.

fubared · 30/05/2023 23:33

@Stayinthebox

I have this book.....

DuranNotSpandeau · 30/05/2023 23:40

This thread brings back so many terrifying memories.
Quicksand and rabies were probably the biggest fears, as obviously they were the dangers I was most likely to come across 😂
Train tracks. I can still remember some clips from those videos, one was of a boy whose trainer got caught on the track and he fell onto the live line. The other I think the screen alternated between the child and the train faster and faster until you see the child's face then it goes black. Fucking hell they scared the shit out of me.
So much so that I was about 30 before i realised there's no power running through the line at a level crossing. Before that i thought you had to avoid stepping on them (but cars and bikes were safe cos rubber tyres)😂

hatty543 · 30/05/2023 23:45

just watch Charley says

tinkerbellvspredator · 30/05/2023 23:50

I remember going to sleep at my Nan's house convinced I had AIDS as I had a purple blotch on my skin by my elbow. Luckily the next day I realised it was pickled beetroot.juice once it washed off.

Original poster
Underminer · 31/05/2023 00:29

@Rockbird I remember the flesh eating bug. I got so worried about it I would keep checking my arms and legs for any sign of it starting.

OP posts:
Kona84 · 31/05/2023 00:29

Piranhas that would find me in the bath and take little chunks out of me

Original poster
Underminer · 31/05/2023 00:46

Great replies! So many memories. I had forgotten the fridge one, but there was an argument last year on the local FB group. Someone had left a fridge outside for the scrap man, and another person went on the group to rant about how dangerous it was they they hadn’t put it face down so a child couldn’t climb in it and die. It kicked off a virtual slanging match that turned into a real doorstep fisticuffs. Must’ve been someone who remembers the fear of it as a child.

OP posts:
Hotpinkangel19 · 31/05/2023 00:48

Phenomena was the book I read. There was another huge heavy one that was scarier, I had nightmares and was terrified of SHc, horrible.

Original poster
Underminer · 31/05/2023 00:55

Oh yes and Grange Hill and American tv shows with their high schools had me scared about going to secondary school. I was sure I would be getting my head flushed down a toilet or a milkshake thrown on me. Never happened.

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snumpy · 31/05/2023 01:41

@themidimit I remember watching Arthur C Clarke's strange and mysterious TV program and being absolutely terrified of Stigmata.

BakedTattie · 31/05/2023 05:44

Great thread! Oh the nostalgia!

does anyone remember a book, I think it was a series of 3. I can’t for the life of me remember the name. But it was one you got in the 90’s at school book fairs. Colourful front cover. It was about unexplained things. It included the green children of woolpit, raining frog stories, ufo’s etc etc. I’ve tried googling and can’t find it at all. It was just a small paperback. I’m sure I have a copy somewhere. Going to hunt for it!

I was always terrified of the public service ad for crossing the road. The wee girl is crossing the road and a car morphs out of the tarmac and hits the girl. The tag line was ‘cars can come from out of nowhere’ I actually tell my children that now 😂

JustDanceAddict · 31/05/2023 07:08

Omg yes 😆 I was really scared of spontaneous human combustion. My parents had some Unexplained phenomena’ book me and my friends used to read to shit ourselves up - why?!
I remember gurning too but it hasn’t stayed in my consciousness as much as SHC!!!

JustDanceAddict · 31/05/2023 07:17

AtomicBlondeRose · 30/05/2023 08:12

Is this one the book anyone had? I have it next to my bed 😂 I introduced DS to the world of the unexplained and he loves all the same stuff I used to. Some of these stories don’t really seem like mysteries now. There’s some “mysterious disappearances” which just scream out “kidnapped and murdered” and some of the tales I felt were stone-cold irrefutable proof of weirdness when I was a kid just sound like the ramblings of drunkards now.

Def the one we had!!

Imeldatryagain · 31/05/2023 07:40

MillicentTrilbyHiggins · 29/05/2023 23:52

I was fascinated by spontaneous human combustion. And the Bermuda Triangle
And terrified of quick sand.

I had a book all about unexplained mysteries. I've bought about eleventy billion Unexplained Mystery books in the last few years, but none of them are 'mine' :(

Oh my, yes! I remember once losing a shoe on a really rainy sandy beach and was totally convinced the sand would swallow me whole. I remember screaming for my dad to come and save me. 😂

CrackedSkull · 31/05/2023 07:45

My great grandmother swore she saw Spring Heeled Jack

CrawlingFromShitshowToAfterglow · 31/05/2023 07:46

Does anyone remember the cards you used to get in the PG Tips tea packs? There was a series of unexplained ones - ghosts and suchlike. Used to scare me silly.

There was also a TV show called "Friday Film Special" that was on on BBC after school on a, wait for it, Friday teatime. I can't remember it fully, but recall some it was quite scary. No one remembers it in RL so I'm not sure if I've made it up, but I can still visualise the opening credits.

Also, the BBC adaptation of "The Children of Green Knowe" was scary, especially the episode where the statue of St Christopher came to life and dragged itself across the garden. Couldn't sleep for weeks after watching that.

I remember the fireworks video, where the child burnt their hand on a used sparker they tried to pick up. I didn't do sparklers until I was in my 30s because of that video. Still get palpitations around Bonfire Night when my kids ask to do sparklers!

The 80s and early 90s were traumatic times for children.

CrawlingFromShitshowToAfterglow · 31/05/2023 07:51

Singleandproud · 30/05/2023 20:42

I have to cross a railway line on foot twice a day to get into work and I still feel worried everytime I do it, I check both ways about 8 times despite having a light, a siren and the trains always whistle. I hate driving across level crossings too. I put it down to those videos.

I also thought standing on the rails would actually electrocute you until I was far older than I should have been to realise its the line above carrying the current.

Are you telling me you can't get electrocuted walking on train rails??? I've been telling my children you can. In fact, just the other day we had a conversation how people can get electrocuted walking on them, but pigeons can't. I'm sure they've told their friends. Oh well, my fault why another generation will grow up with a fear about something that's not quite true!

QueenOfThorns · 31/05/2023 07:51

Also, the BBC adaptation of "The Children of Green Knowe" was scary, especially the episode where the statue of St Christopher came to life and dragged itself across the garden. Couldn't sleep for weeks after watching that.

St Christopher was good - he was rescuing the children from the fucking terrifying walking tree! The sound of a peacock screeching still terrifies me to this day Blush

Giselletheunicorn · 31/05/2023 08:05

@CrawlingFromShitshowToAfterglow

Depends on the type of train. London Underground trains and quite a few 'light rail' services carry current in the rails - absolutely strong enough to electrocute you. Most Network Rail services in the U.K. carry current in the service overheard wires. And there's still the odd random track that's not electrified at all and requires diesel trains.

Giselletheunicorn · 31/05/2023 08:06

@CrawlingFromShitshowToAfterglow (I used to work for Transport for London - it's disturbing how much nerdy crap I now know about trains! 😂)