Monday, September 6, 2010

Nightmares, Dark Creatures and Elementals


I used to love horror movies when I was young. I loved the feeling of my heart pounding in my chest, and my imagination whirling, looking for monsters within the dark corners of our home. I loved apocalyptic and dark, creepy movies that involved dreams; my favorites then were the “Nightmare on Elm Street” and the “Omen” series.

I was such a scaredy cat, so I had no idea why I kept watching films like these. I even made sure I had the proper atmosphere: lights are turned off, the airconditioner set at full, a bag of chips on my lap, and a thick cotton blanket around my shoulders.

Then when I got really scared, and I couldn’t sleep because I felt that someone was staring at me the second I closed my eyes, I’d creep into my younger brother’s bedroom and sleep at his feet. He’d try to kick me out (literally), but he never could; I’d be too stubborn and afraid. At some point, he’d let it go. He’d be too sleepy to care.

There was something about the warmth of another person’s body, even a foot, that made one less afraid. A certain comfort with numbers, I think. That if some thing ever came, at least we had a better chance of fighting it. Or someone could have a better chance of escaping. Or we could both die, but at least you’ll have someone with you.

My head reeled at the possible ways I could outthink my imaginary enemy. I’d walk into a room and scan possible weapons. A tennis racket? I could use that as a club. A couple of Mongol pencils? I could stab it in the eyes with that. A soft plush toy? Perhaps if I throw it really hard, it’ll be distracted, and I could run. Or maybe I could bribe the thing with it. Or I could trick the thing into believing the plush toy was alive. Dark creatures, according to a lot of movies, are stupid.

I once told my sister I saw a ghost in my bedroom. It was 3am, and I opened my eyes suddenly, inexplicably. And there it was. A faceless, old, pure white monstrosity floating at the feet of my bed. I closed my eyes and hoped I was hallucinating. When I opened my eyes again, it was gone. I wanted to run the hell out of there, but I decided not to. I turned on the TV and watched Nickelodeon instead.

That’s another tool I used to turn away monsters. Cartoons. I don’t know, I’ve always thought of them as a talisman that turned away evil creatures.

My sister told me I was probably hallucinating. I told her she’d be perfectly welcome to sleep in my room while I slept in hers. She never took up the offer.

When I told my parents about the white lady thing, they said that, in the place where my bedroom is now, there used to be a very old tree where, they said, lived an elemental. I thought that was cool. I didn’t see a ghost, I saw an elemental. It was like I had powers or something.

I never did see the white lady thing again. Sometimes I imagined her, at the corner of my sight, while reading or studying. But I’d always assumed it was just my imagination.

Then I moved out of the house, and the childish need I used to have to be scared out of my wits disappeared. Perhaps it was because I lived alone, and the idea that I could always sleep at another person’s feet when things got bad was simply not there anymore.

Featured photo taken here.

29 comments:

  1. This should be a Halloween post. It's just the start of September. LOL

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  2. I seriously love scary movies. Lol! I love the whole feeling and everything. But, I can't watch scary movies that are true. Like, if they happened for real. Because, for some reason, those REALLY scare me. Lol
    -Jodie-Ann

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  3. Great post. As a kid I always loved scary movies and that feeling that maybe.. just maybe.. there really IS something in the closet. I'd gotten away from the horror movies as an adult until meeting my girlfriend. She is a big fan of them, including all the really crappy, cheesy ones.

    But they don't scare me anymore. At least thats what I say while the lights are on.

    SD
    http://simpledudecomplexworld.blogspot.com/

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  4. I *LOVe* horror movies, but I don't watch them cuz even though it's a thrill at the time, my oh-so-overactive imagination stops me sleeping at night.

    I agree with being with a person though. I used to creep into my mom's bed! LOL :P

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  5. is this post in any way related to recent events this past weekend?

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  6. I LOVE watching horror movies too...my parents never saw the sense in me watching them n then getting scared....lol...bt i nvr stopped!! Even my sister loved watching horror movies....bt jst so she wouldn't get scared...she wud watch in the day n at times ruin it fr me....n i wud take revenge by scaring her later! :p

    Roflmao....i rememeber wen i threw a fake hand on her bed...n she ran away screaming her head off...lol!! :p Mum later discovered the hand n i gt a real scolding!

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  7. I am a Horror movie fanatic! I absolutely ♥ The Nightmare Before Christmas. Course, I am the one that laughs during all the Horror movies. It take a great deal to scare me, but they are awesome non-the-less.

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  8. I just watched Shrooms last night and I have to say I was totally scared lol. But that feeling... I think I watch the movies because I know that I both love and hate the feeling. But uh, never alone. Lol.

    PS
    I have never lived alone... If I did, I don't think I'd ever watch scary movies!

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  9. Hate scary movies, life was too scary as a kid anyway!Love the elemental, you were lucky.

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  10. I DIG HORROR FILMS! I MIGHT SOUND MORE THAN A LITTLE INSANE WHEN I SAY THIS...I SECRETLY ROOTED FOR THE BAD GUY!

    I had secret (non sexual) crushes on Freddy Kruger and Pin head from HELLRAISER! And even today, I get goosebumps watching any one of the SAW movies! I love it!

    I love the blood and guts of it all...I'm just weird like that!

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  11. love the use of the Tim Burton character at the top totally hooked me with that.

    http://becca-mycrazystuff.blogspot.com/

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  12. HHHMMMmmm... interesting concept that the perception of safety elicits the need for terror?!?! Nothing worse when you ARE alone after reading/viewing horror, you hear a tree branch scraping on the roof, then you realise there ARE NO trees around your house!!

    Happy travels ...

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  13. @Gasoline: That's right! I should have done that.

    @Jodie: I liked "true" horror stories when I was young. Made the whole getting scared out of my wits more legit. But it made sleeping at night harder. Haha.

    @Pragmatic: LOL. Don't knock the white lady. She'll come for you.

    @Simple Dude: That's what I say too as long as there's another person in the room.

    @Ali: I would have crept into my mom's room if they had space. Hahaha. And I could bully my younger brother into staying in his room.

    @flight: Maybe. Yuck. Don't remind me. Hahaha.

    @Phunk: I would have done the same thing. And probably would have exacted revenge by dumping spiders in your bed or something. :-p

    @BeMistified: I love love the Nightmare before Christmas. Classic. And I wish I didn't scare easy too. Now instead of watching horror movies, I read about it on wikipedia.

    @Liz: Never a good idea to watch horror movies alone. It will drive you bonkers.

    @Von: Was I? Hahaha.

    @Falen: That does sound a little insane. Hahaha. Pinhead is freaky. But I understand rooting for the bad guy (sometimes). Most of the characters in horror films are annoying.

    @becca: Thanks!

    @Red: Ooh. That is creepy.

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  14. This is scary!!! I have always imagined creatures creeping around our house but i just shrug it off and think that there's someone powerful than them. :)

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  15. Fear is such a primal emotion. So much so that it could as addictive as its counterpart, ecstasy.

    I too have been fond of scary films from such a young age, but unlike you my taste for it didn't not wane or waiver. Rather, it evolved. Now simply spooky doesn't cut it anymore. Gory, psychological and absurd are my standards. Thing is, it takes a lot for me to get spooked. I have my third eye open, so I guess that helps. Truth is, watching scary movies give me a high. A thrill. Because being spooked is not something I can easily achieve in my reality.

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  16. @Novie: We all have our own little quirks. :-) Congrats on the blog of substance award.

    @Red: I wish I was like that, but I'm not. And I hate not getting enough sleep because I'm scared so I stopped watching. It was easier that way. Hahaha.

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  17. FC, thanks! I awarded you one too. Check it. You totally deserve it. :)

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  18. thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment, feel free to follow as well! I'm just starting out in the blogging world and would love more followers! canadianbloggergirl.blogspot.com

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  19. My friends think I'm crazy, but I LOVE to watch scary movies by myself with all the lights turned off. I think it's the feeling of adrenaline...or I am just crazy:)

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  20. @brooke: A lot of my friends like doing that. That's not crazy I think. Scary though. Hahahaha.

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  21. There's no sitting on the fence about the scary thing. Either you are lovin it or hatin it.
    I love to be scared from movies. Seems like it gets harder to go there.
    Not sure what to think of the white ghost . . . think there is a whole club of past ghost viewers. I know I had them. I used to be terrified of the flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz movie when I was a little kid. And my brother tormenting me about all things terror. He had it down to a science.
    Thanks for stopping by.

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  22. I used to watch scary movies with the lights out and the chair pulled up to the tv so the whole room was at my back. I'd leave the doors unlocked, and then afterward I'd walk through the house in the dark.

    I never could get scared enough. I love doing things that scare me. That explains all the doctor visits, too, you know.

    I'm in the process of revisiting my love of horror with my current WiP. I decided that's the genre I most love, and whether it's dead or alive or undead, I'll stick with it.

    - Eric

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  23. This is a great post, beautifully written, the sign of a true writer.
    Thanks for dropping by my blog too. ;O)

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  24. @Eric: Hahaha. I'm the exact opposite. I'm easily scared. And good luck with writing!

    @Madeleine: Thank you. :-)

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  25. i flippin love horror movies. i love them. i will go and see literally ANY scary movie. but i would say 95.675% of the time i end up scared out of my skull, sleeping with the lights and tv on, refusing to take the dogs out at night and walking through the house with a flashlight if i wake up in the middle of the night to pee.
    essentially what this means is- i am a huge weirdo who should not watch scary movies. ever. but i'm already planning on seeing "let me in"... crap.

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  26. At a very young age, I watched the Amityville Horror without my parents knowing. I don't think I got a sound night of sleep after that for 12 months.

    The cartoon trick does make sense though.

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  27. @jess: Hahaha. I used to be like that. Until I realized I hate being scared out of my skull.

    @slamdunk: The cartoon trick works! Guaranteed.

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