As the Halloween season approaches, people are getting in the mood for spooky fun. Watching horror movies, buying pumpkins, thinking about costumes, sharing scary stories—it’s all part of the Halloween mood.
On Reddit, people are talking about the things that terrified them as a child—and I can’t think of anything more deliciously Halloween-related than childhood frights.
Whether it was the creepy basement you tried to avoid (where a monster could be lurking), lightning, or finding your grandfather’s dentures sitting on the bathroom counter, childhood can be terrifying.
1.
“My grandmother’s wallpaper at night.” — shaneswa
2.
“Opening the shower curtain, I was SURE there was some monster or murderer waiting for me behind it.” — They-Were-Wrong
3.
“My bedroom as a kid was a den converted into a bedroom/laundry room and one wall was covered in a black mirror with gold paint flecks, very 70s. But at night the shadows combined with the dark glass and paint made me imagine faces, figures, etc. It really scared me and I would line up my stuffed animals along my bed to protect me.” — SqwuggyGuts
4.
“Catching fire. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to get set on fire at all, but the amount of Stop, Drop, and Roll lessons I got in kindergarten made me think this was going to be a once-a-year thing at minimum.” — Kabufu
5.
“Asking my grandpa a question. Man was he intimidating to talk to as a kid. Now I love talking to him when I can.” — I-Fucked-YourMom
6.
“Bees and wasps. To be honest I still prefer they don’t buzz around me but when I was little I remained a SAFE 5 meters away from them.” — floppy-the-whale
7.
“Paint. I thought if you got it on you it would never come off since it never came off of the walls.” — illustriouscpa
8.
“There was a huge abandoned windmill in our neighborhood that once pumped water from the river. At random, the windmill blades would start to turn at night, never in the day. As kids that used to hang out nearby, it felt like the windmill was haunted as it ‘came to life’ at dark hours.” — Back2Bach
9.
“A straight row of fully grown trees. Grew up in the desert. Trees were around but not packed densely and were mostly palo verde trees or palm trees. But there was a row of trees that looked like what I consider most would imagine ‘typical trees’ look like. And that one row of trees was also in close proximity to a large prison. My brother told me that’s where Mr. Boogedy lived and where the escaped murderers would hide when they’d break out of prison. (Oh yeah, did I mention we had a guy break out of prison and murder the town Librarian when I was a kid).” — lilygalathynius
10.
“Thunderstorms. I used to hide under the covers and could only run from the room between flashes. Now I will sit at the window and watch. I love a good thunderstorm now.” — maybe_kd.