Have you ever felt evil or that something was deeply wrong?

[crochetmonkey74]

Inspired by an experience I had recently that has really rattled me. It's very outing as I've talked to everyone in my real life about it, it bothered me so much so I'll keep it brief.
I met some people I hadn't met before to buy an item from FB marketplace. Its a fairly rare item, and an expensive one so I went off to see if it was the right thing. The house was beautiful, it was a very large manor house that has been turned into huge expensive period flats,the grounds were amazing and the people were nice but a few odd things happened that were boundary testing and also some oddly timed things happened. While I was there I felt OK, it was a beautiful place, very quiet and entrancing but as I drove away I had this overwhelming sense of relief that I was leaving, and I was scanning my brain for any information I'd told them about myself in case they could find me. I am not a scared person or one prone to flights of fancy , this has never happened to me before. I had a physical reaction to the street they live on when I drove past some days later. My brain said "I'm never going up there again" and I keep having that feeling of having been in a bubble, it bursting and me being glad to be away from it. A weird story I know. Anyone had similar? I just know there was something deeply wrong there. I even asked my lovely neighbour to send a prayer up for me to protect me , and I would consider myself a non believer!

Went on a date about 5 years back
It was a spur of the moment tinder thing and I didn't really vet the guy. Id intended to go to my local park as it was a nice day and i just happened to mention that in our first convo and he said could he come too. So I thought, fuck it, why not.

But I was waiting at the park for him and the second I saw him, from about about length of a football pitch away - i had this massive feeling of being in danger. Just a sick dread mixed with the instinct to run.

I could have just bolted but i was worried he would follow.

He looked like a normal fellow and it was broad daylight so I pretended nothing way up and had the date. But the whole way through my gut was like 'run, run now'. He was a narcissist or similar from the hints I picked up too. And I had the feeling he was trying to veer me off to a quiet place.

Luckily I managed to get away safe but that night he was messaging me to come out again. I made my excuses and blocked him.

Still convinced he was a rapist or something. Definately meant me harm. Never felt anything like it before apart from the time i never got mugged. It was the same feeling.

I think we can sense evil intentions.
I would have said due to body language or sensing thermones or something but...the guy was ages away when the feeling first hit, so there must be more too it than that.

*the time I nearly got mugged

Good that you listened to your instincts.

I think its very real, I was walking alone with my dog a couple years ago, a long way in the distance I could see a man walking towards us. Something made me feel incredibly unsafe despite being in a very open public place I felt the need to leave immediately. I grabbed my dog and started to leave when the man began to harass me, trying to block my path, saying inappropriate things and being really intimidating. I thought I was going to have to fight him, luckily a couple she what was happening and came to help me. I cannot say what it was that told me to leave was, he was so far away when I first saw him but instinct, sixth sense whatever you want to call it told me I was in danger...and it was right.

I’m really sorry OP but I find this type of thing fascinating.

Wether it’s feeling an uneasy presence (atmosphere, spirits?) or having a gut feeling that something is about happen. I think I’ve experienced both.

When I was a child I went to an old stately home for a day trip. I remember wandering off and going into a room alone and just had the most overwhelming feeling that I shouldn’t be in there. It was summer but I instantly felt freezing cold and my ears started to ring. I do believe in spirits but that’s for another thread😂

A few years ago I was at Alton Towers. In the queue for the Smiler ride and suddenly everything just felt off. I needed to get out of the queue. Didn’t go on the ride. A few hours later it was on the news that the ride crashes and 2 girls had a leg amputated…

I’ve had this at a supermarket checkout, the man serving me gave off evil vibes, I was honestly filled with dread the whole time, the way he looked at me made my hair stand up on edge, he smelled ‘off’ got out of there quickly as I could and honestly never went back.

I went to London with my DP at the time to collect a classic car he'd bought, we got the train down and needed to catch the tube across London to where we were going (Wimbledon maybe? Can't really remember) I'd never been to London before and the second we got on the escalator down to the tube I had an overwhelming sense of dread, I could barely breathe and I needed to get out. I felt that something terrible was about to happen and I couldn't get on the tube. DP was furious with me but I wouldn't get on the tube at all. Anyway we got an overground train, collected the car and drove home in stony silence.

The next morning we woke up late having driven home into the early hours. When we turned on the radio, news of the 7/7 bombings was on there. I felt like I'd been punched in the gut.

@Adversity . Google the name Christine Darby.
Many years ago I lived in a large Georgian building when I worked for the NHS. The building had a more modern building joined onto it. I had a friend who lived in the modern bit. There was something horrible about the modern building and nothing would ever induce me to go there on my own. If I was in my friends room, I felt safe, but in the communal areas it felt really scary. I am a Christian so would not normally be freaked out, but that place scared me siily.

Odd that the newer part would have these vibes, and not the Georgian part.

Need some advice - is The Gift of Fear frightening or worth a read? I feel quite vulnerable at the moment, not in a great place, but I want to protect myself. However, I'm already (now) quite cautious, and don't want to make things worse. Has anyone read it and did it help, or did it make you anxious? Thank you.

I am just asking because it is mentioned a lot on these type of threads. Thanks :).

Yes I've had this before. I was once in a club toilet cubicle. The toilet was unisex. I had this overwhelming feeling that the person in the next cubicle was not good, had committed evil acts. I exited the cubicle to see the person exiting at the same time. It was the toilet attendant. A man in his mid thirties. He smiled at me and I know instantly that the feeling I had was true.

Tbh it's a chilling read and deeefinitely brings out the anxiety and paranoia

The points that stick out are 'trust your intuition, it's based on subconscious attention to detail' and basically 'don't be polite.' And a list of techniques predators use like forced teaming, with examples.

Honestly it's basically common sense and I wouldn't read it if you're prone to being freaked out by stuff like that, because there are a lot of abduction/attack stories that still stick with me after reading it 10+ years ago.

I once went to an outlet shop to look at a table and chairs I'd seen online. It turned out to be in quite an isolated trading estate and when I walked in, it was a medium sized shuttered warehouse with no windows. No one else in the shop but three salespeople and when I went to look at the table, I felt this immense sense of foreboding as the three gathered around me. I honestly felt like I was being cornered and I suddenly realised how vulnerable I was. I made my excuses and no joke, as I left, one of the salespeople also got in his car and followed me for about the next 3 miles. I nearly turned into my road but decided to go straight on and eventually he turned left and I lost him. That night I had this awful dream about him, that he was killing me. I never really have nightmares but I woke up, heart pounding and felt really creeped out.

Weirdly, as I'd enquired about the table and chairs through FB, they sent me 2 or 3 messages over the next few days asking if I was interested and that I was welcome to go back for a 'second look'. Not a flipping chance!!

I have a strong faith and I believe we are given discernment for a reason. Sometimes your mind picks up on things that you cannot tangible describe or see. It's always wise to listen to that gut sense!

This may be outing me but I've felt that things were very wrong in two places:

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub in London toilets - I was on a ghost tour but I felt really chilled there, as if evil things had happened there or would happen to me, couldn't wait to get out and told my friend I was with not to go upstairs without me. On another occasion when I went there, used same toilets, felt absolutely nothing, which was strange. I think I'd only had 2 alcoholic drinks that night too.

And funnily enough, toilet in Conquest House too in Canterbury. I just got a really weird, freaked me out, similar dread that evil things would happen to me, but this was in the day with another friend. Had only had tea/juice/food. Was by myself but couldn't wait to get out of the place. We were there because there was a sort of shop there selling fresh produce and unboxed goods (has moved apparently) but also to see the part of the building which had events, music etc.

I was invited to an event a few years ago with a special attendee.

I have a visceral reaction to this person, if I see footage or a picture I start to feel very nervous and have teared up at times. I cannot explain why I feel so uncomfortable, it's really strange and when I was randomly presented with the opportunity to be at an event where this person was in attendance, I had an overwhelming feeling that I should not go. I feel uncomfortable thinking of them as I write this.

I just feel I could not make eye contact with this person and never should. It sounds ridiculous so I've never mentioned it but it's actually a kind of relief to write this down. There is no reason for this, I've never met them, they are popular and everyone else was excited to go. I cannot explain it but it's as if my nervous system was warning me and I couldn't ignore it, so I made excuses not to go.

They've never met me, theres no connection. Its the closest I've felt to a real darkness and it makes no sense.

Dh and I once went to view a house that was absolutely perfect on paper and in the pictures - my dream house.,

From the outside it was still perfect, but once inside it gave me the creeps - there was a horrible atmosphere. I couldn’t wait to get out again.
I had never sensed that before in a house, and never have since.

OTOH both the houses that dds eventually bought had lovely warm atmospheres - you could tell they’d been happy family homes. Others were just neutral, nothing either way.

This is not at all about a place per se, but I went on a date years and years ago with a guy that I met online. I must have been early 20s, so erm, it was a few decades ago now. We planned to meet at the cinema and see a film. I met him in the car park and we were intentionally early so we could have a chat before the film. He just made me feel really uncomfortable. Like there was something bizarrely dangerous about him, quite soulless and calculating. We chatted for 20 minutes and then I made an excuse, jumped in my car and left.

Several years later, I worked for a children's charity. We had a volunteer apply (not this guy!), but he gave me the same feeling. All his DBS checks came back fine and on paper, we had no reason to refuse to allow him to volunteer with our children. But my instinct said, no, something really not right about this one. My line manager agreed to refuse to take him and he complained and it went all the way to the national HQ and the organisation wasn't happy about a potential volunteer making a fuss like this. My line manager stood by me and said she trusted my instinct on this one. He eventually backed down and disappeared.

In the process of trying to see if I could dig up any information about him, I was searching online for any (sexual) crimes or crimes against children in the area where he lived. I didn't find anything, but I did find a newspaper article about the guy I nearly went on a date with years earlier (they live in the same area of town). He was arrested for a violent rape and kidnapping about 6 months after our date.

Then several months later, I opened up the newspaper again and saw that the volunteer I'd nearly lost my job over rejecting for a role with our organisation had been arrested in an sting for trying to meet a 14 year old to he'd been grooming online. When you know, you know. I generally trust my instinct now and have actually been right in two other occasions since about people who you never would have guessed were bad uns.

@Nightjars, the scoffers will have a field day with this, but I remember reading about some very famous person, IIRC an actress, who said she’d once met a man she knew she’d never met before, but she felt a very strong emanation of evil from him. She ‘knew’ that she’d known him in a previous life and that they’d been involved in something very wicked together.

OK. Thanks. I think in light of that now is not the time to read it. I don't want to become more anxious and I don't think reading stories about that would do me any favours right now. I would love to know the tips about keeping yourself safe, but maybe I can look those up elsewhere. THANK YOU :) ).

I think you're right. It's actually incredibly disturbing.

Yes when I met Myra Hindley, her eyes.

And that’s not because of who she was, I’ve met many violent offenders, only one other has given me an evil vibe, as opposed to violent, chilling or intimidating and not all murderers give off bad vibes

I was once asked to interview a candidate for a company I worked for and was sent his CV. Nothing obvious at first but I felt something was off. So I googled him and found him. He had an unusual and distinctive name and the personal details lined up with what I found: a report in a local newspaper of his conviction for serious crimes against children.

i spoke to my colleagues and told them under no circumstances would I interview this man and he was NOT going to work for this company. They cancelled the interview and agreed to vet people a bit more carefully in future.

Yes. Was buying a second hand car. Didn't like the car salesman one bit. Refused to talk to him, shake his hands. Or even let the DC sit beside him on the test drive.

My DH thought I was taking the "hate the car salesman" act a bit too far.

He made me feel ill.

Months later he went on to rape and murder. Made the news.

DH now trusts my instincts. He's seen them in action a few times now.

Yes , the arches. Horrible feeling I agree.

A few years ago, pre pandemic, I bought a Big Issue off a man. He complimented me on my looks, which was a bit unnerving, but the way he looked at me - Uggh I feel strange just typing it. He looked at me with a horrible, chilling interest. Like a predator looks at a prey animal. I was with my DH and children but they had gone into a shop, I sped after them and told DH about the feeling. I haven’t seen him since but I am nervous every time we visit that town in case I see him again. It wasn’t that look when a man fancies you, it was something much less human than that.