PART TWO HORROR MOVIES THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE (OH YEAH, I DID THAT ALREADY)... LET'S CONSIDER SOME MORE GREAT REDDIT RESPONSES...

Reddit Users Are Both Creative And Too Damned Young

The snow is still here, probably because I'm trying to get this out before it melts and that means I only have hours to do this and so here we go:

So. Enough jabbering and let's look into someone else's brain pan for a bit (again):

Does Anyone Actually Have One Of Those Dreams Where You Sit Up Gasping Or Screaming?

I forgot to tell the reason I asked this. I've personally NEVER done this, no matter how bad the dream. I watched a couple of seasons of Medium on Netflix and all I could think of was if she were my wife I'd make her sleep in her own damned room (she sits up and gasps several times an episode which ALWAYS wakes up her husband). I mean once in a while you can't help it, but every night? So I asked and this is what people said:


1. As far as not remembering them I get that sometimes too. Just waking up choking with a strong sense of uneasiness. - thegreatbrah


2. Honestly RECALLING the dream is not as scary as HAVING the dream was, I'm not sure anyone would actually be that interested in a story about a zombie virus that I managed to cure when Stanley Kubrick told me where to get the flower to compile in the computer and something about airlines. But I guess I could try to make it into a proper narrative, if you really want. :O - lyssavirus  Miss Murder says nope, your dream sounds scary and inventive enough, I'm not gonna ruin it...







Has Anyone Had An Interesting Lucid Dream? I Mean, The Kind Where You Look Around And Try To Remember Things Because You Definitely Know You Are Dreaming?

I realized I forgot to say why I asked this... with me, lucid dreaming is a definite mood lifter. After I have one, I always feel better, no matter how horrible or sick I felt when I fell asleep. Yes, I fly, or visit strange places, or see people I've never seen before. Our minds are a terrific mechanism that no one quite understands. I say I've never seen the people in my dreams, but obviously I've seen them somewhere, and they are stored in my brain, even if I can't remember them.

The best are, of course, of flying - although I have had some as 'tame' as simply being able to float about six inches off the floor. A silly one I was fully aware in was shopping at the grocery store, pushing the cart along but never touching the ground. For me, flying in a lucid dream is problematic. See, I can fly, but if I overthink it in my dream and realize that I AM dreaming I also realize that I can't really fly and sometimes I crash. 

I've seen familiar sites (like the Columbia Gorge) except in bright color like you'd find in the painted desert of Arizona. I've stood loving all the colors, knowing full well it was a dream.

The most vivid (and fun) was one of the first I'd ever had. I was at a fair (rides and cotton candy, the whole bit) and I knew I really wasn't there so I made it a point to focus on the people. Sometimes in lucid dreams, attempting to focus on faces or printed words will knock me out of it but this time, I remember faces, what they wore, the smells, even the garbage. I did not know a single person I saw. That was so damned cool, I was almost euphoric when I woke up. 


1. I have them all the time. One of my favorites was where I found myself in a forest looking at a well. All I could think was "Why the fuck would that be there?" And then, Samara started crawling out of it. So I noped the fuck out. And ended up in another place entirely, far away from the creepy little girl. - annarchy8


2. Sure, depends what you consider interesting. Usually I just fly around or have conversations, stuff like that. I got interested in trying to practice lucid dreaming after seeing Waking Life and I can pull it off on occasion but it usually doesn't last very long. - RobAChurch

What Is The Creepiest Thing A Doctor Ever Said To You? 

1. Doctor went to have me turn my head and cough bare-handed. I asked her if she was gonna put on gloves. She said, "I only do that with ugly or gross b@||s. Yours are nice enough." My wife was in the room... We changed pcps after the apt. My son's Dr. asked recently if our son ever stared at the moon for long periods. I told him no, and asked why. "No reason," was his answer.

What Is The First Horror Movie You Ever Watched - I'm Talking About Your Earliest Memory?


I asked this one because I remember watching Wait Until Dark and Play Misty For Me when I was very small - and getting in trouble during PMFM because I wouldn't cover my eyes during the ax scene... One mentioned Tommy, which wasn't technically a horror movie but scary as shit nonetheless... I had seen that one too and learned three lessons from these movies: 1. Leaving the refrigerator door open will kill you (misunderstanding WUD), 2. If you watch too much TV, poop will come out and make you swim in it (misunderstanding Tommy), and 3. Killing someone with an ax is okay as long as you close your eyes (misunderstanding PMFM). Anywho:

1. I think mine was The Legend of Boggy Creek or Cat People. Both are pretty early memories. - dondo09


2. First I truly remember is Child's Play. I refused to go to bed, even after my parents told me they were planning on watching a scary movie. They turned off all the lights in the house, and proceeded to watch Chucky with their 4/5 year old in the same room. I was absolutely terrified of the killer doll, and further more, too scared to leave the room since the rest of the house was dark.

My parents got a kick out of the lesson they were teaching me about disrespecting their orders, but for years after that I was insanely scared of Chucky. I couldn't go into movie rental places If there were Chucky posters on the wall, or the movie was on the shelf. I would have to walk by and cover my eyes, repeating: "The Brain, The Brain, The Brain" because for some reason The Brain was a good guy in my eyes, and he would keep me safe. Needless to say, my mom was reaping what she sowed when people saw and heard me doing that! :P

It wasn't funny, though, kids just saying his name in school or on the bus would make me break down into hysterics. I was teased relentlessly over it.

I finally decided one day to beat this fear... Stared in the mirror and just kept repeating his name until suddenly, out of the blue, it was okay.

Anyway, I was never mad at my parents about what happened. I love all things horror now, and I thank my past for that. :P - Vore


3. Saw Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare at the age of 3 one year in Florida when on vacation in Disney World with my parents. Went to a theater nearby and they knew I enjoyed horror films from what I always chose to rent at the video store or watch on TV. They didn't give me the 3-D glasses though for fear that I'd get too scared (I guess there's a line somewhere). I remember watching the whole movie and being pretty well-behaved for a 3-year-old. It was one of the experiences that started my love for horror, pointless sequels, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and gave me everlasting nostalgia for a film that everyone else hates. - HESPECTtheCHRIS


4. King Kong at 4 - parents let me stay up late to watch in on BBC2. Not really a horror film as such, but had elements of horror. Also Theater of Blood, as a New Year's treat with the family when I was 7. - Gorshiea


5. Amityville Horror. My aunt opened a bible on the tv and we wrapped the movie in a plastic bag and left it on the patio. We returned the tape the next day. - OnlyTookTenMinutes


6. Nightmare on Elm Street when I was about 6, a baby sitter put it on and let me stay up to watch..... I didn't sleep properly for months! Loved it though :) - Subver5ion


7. It was either The Boogey Man (1980) or Sisters (1973), I really can't remember. There were images from both films that lingered with me from being about 3 years old (born in 79) but it wasn't until the internet picked up that I managed to find out what they were both called. - fatguy666


8. These weren't my first because my parents woke me up for the 3rd feature HOUSE OF USHER because they knew I'd want to see it (and in fact insisted) but I remember seeing THE CONQUEROR WORM and HOUSE OF USHER at the drive-in when I was 5. Awesome! - darklordrob


9. The original Evil Dead. I think I was 4 yrs old. - Pssshhhttt


10. I watched Freddy's Dead on UPN on Halloween Night '96 as a 5 year old. The fact that I didn't find it scary speaks volumes about the quality of that film. - ratey


11. The Shining. It was my favorite movie when I was five. unyieldingwish


12. It was either Jaws or The Exorcist. - daymanuahh


13. Alien. My dad loves that movie. - misfitxj


14. The first movie I remember being truly scared by was the relatively age-appropriate "Watcher in the Woods" at 6 or 7 years old. The funhouse mirror scene in particular kept me up at night, as I recall. - abilliontwo


15. They Live - beige4ever


16. Salem's Lot. - PoopyMcpants


17. Stephen King's IT for me as well. I remember my dad was out of town on business and they were going to air the first part that night. I BEGGED my mom to let me watch it. Hell, she already let me read the book and it is on TV, I figured it can't be that bad...

I went to bed that night and all I could see was that clown, the lifeless eyes of adult Stan and the blood written word IT on the bathroom wall. That shit stuck with me for a LONG time.

Now that I am an adult with kids of my own that want to get into horror, I feel it is my duty to work the way up to that type of film for them. But they will see it. And I am sure, Pennywise will haunt their dreams as well. - theenigma31680


18. Friday the Thirteenth part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. I was about seven and I remember watching it with my grandfather, who was asleep for most of it. Watching Jason kill a teenager with a hot sauna rock is my first slasher/horror death I can remember. That's what I call letting off steam. - Blackwaltz25


19. For me it was sitting in a movie theater as a three-year-old with my mom and seeing the trailer to Cronenberg's The Fly I remember the quick green cuts of the writhing fly-thing and Jeff Golblum sobbing "Help me" at the end over the title card.

For YEARS I thought about that trailer and never knew what it was until I rented the Fly on DVD in my mid-twenties and watched the special features. It was serious closure. - Montese_Crandall


20. Creature from the Black Lagoon. I was in love with Scooby Doo and monsters, so I became hooked on the Universal monster movies. I saw Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein earlier, but it is not exactly counted as a horror movie. - AtomicAnarchist


21. First movie I remember watching that freaked me the f*** out? Parents took me along to the original theatrical release of The Dark Crystal. Not horror, but, when you're two years old (Born in 1980), those Skeksis are pretty damn scary... Screamed so damn bad the folks left the theater five minutes into the movie...

First legit horror movie I ever saw? My dad sat me down and we watched Alien and Aliens back to back when I was around 6 or 7. I didn't process much of the story line in the films, as I was too busy being scared shitless. I think my birth father, as scarce as his presence was during my childhood, was the main contributor to the horror fanatic that I grew up to be. Hell, I remember he used to read me IT as a bedtime story in elementary school. Yeah... - Cornelius_Talmage


22. Nightmare on Elm Street. Cousin showed me while he babysat me, lead to a wonderful love for horror movies. - heypuddin


23. Child's Play. I felt so guilty because I watched it at a friend's house and I knew that my parents wouldn't have wanted me to see it haha. - Matty_James


24. Pet Semetery - bayraycoon


25. I saw part of a Frankenstein-esque movie when I was about 5 or 6 (looking back, it seems like it could have been Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the Robert DeNiro one, but the details I remember are a little different). I distinctly remember people's hearts getting ripped out of their chests. It scared the crap out of me, and for a while after that I cried at every bedtime because I was convinced that the monster was going to come in the night and rip my heart out. - PenelopePickles


26. It's Alive. Not sure how old I was... less than 10 for sure, and way too young to see it. All I remember is the initial scene in the delivery room, blood being spattered all over the walls, seeing this thing and then me saying "nope nope nope nope" as I hightailed it to the theater bathroom. - danthebaker


27. Stephen King's "It". I remember something about hoovering, and my mum telling me to go outside and play but I was scared shitless. This may have happened in the film; I actually haven't seen it since! - NoMoreAnxiety


28. Child's play when I was 4. I was both traumatized and completely obsessed by it. - There-Wolf


29. True horror movie? Night Of The Living Dead. I was forced to watch so that boys wouldn't have me run to their arms if we went to see a scary movie. Movie I saw and had nightmares about is Tommy - the musical. Man, I can still see that iron maiden of drugs. - ilookedinthebox

30. Event Horizon. Still scares the shit out of me. - THBlueSquirrel 

31. I'm thinking Freddy Vs. Jason was the very first one I remember watching. - The_Other_Dragonborn 

32. Either The Lost Boys or Fright Night. - emf13

33. I'm still young (19) but probably The Ring shortly after it came out. One of the first horror movies I didn't nope out of as a kid. - brightfalls

34. The first one I remember seeing was Suspiria, when I was about 4. I was more awestruck than scared. For years afterward I couldn't remember the name of the movie, but I remembered the flowers on the wall and the girl falling into the barbed wire. It took me forever to find it, because those two scenes were all I had to go on. I watch it at least once a year now. - staygoldponygirl88


35. Can't remember specifically, but my dad would watch King Kong, Frankenstein, Wolfman, etc with me since I was 4 or 5. - SauzaPaul


36. The Thing, John Carpenter's version. I know there were earlier films I saw, but I can't remember them. That one, coming out when I was 5 (I saw it at a friends house a year or so later while his brother was watching it on HBO) simply obliterated all memories of horror films previous. It was monumental in my childhood. - GaijinSama


37. The one i remember the best is probably IT (the one based on the stephen king novel). That scene where the little kid goes to pick up his paper-boat from the sewer drain and Pennywise shows up, is still stuck in my head. Very creepy. - danigazm


38. Poltergeist. - murderface403



There's probably more and I promise once I get back upright again, I'll print them as promised and I thank everyone who were willing to share the weird and the wonderful stuff in their minds...

                        

HORROR MOVIES THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE IN YOUR COLLECTION... WAIT A MINUTE, THAT TAKES TWO SENTENCES, SO LET'S CONSIDER SOME GREAT REDDIT RESPONSES TO MY QUESTIONS...

I Took So Long The Seasons Changed

Yes, today (November 13) it has decided that it is now winter in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, which usually doesn't happen until January or so, if it happens at all. Of course, this one inch of white splendor may well be gone in the morning. If there is one thing about living in the Gorge I have learned is that seasons only happen when they damn well feel like it, and sometimes not at all.


We've had two-day springs before (that period between freezing weather and searing heat), and our falls can be gorgeous - tons of trees in every shade of green and orange and yellow that you can think of. For a little while. Then one day there's a blasting wind and BOOM - no more leaves, no more fall. That was a couple of days ago and now we have our first snow. Now we were supposed to get absolutely blitzed, but they tamed that down to just being 'dusted'.

So although I started this column in one 'season', I'm finishing it in another... but you're not surprised by that, especially if you've read even a few of my reviews.

That's OOP, NOT oops... I think...

I was thinking, which is always dangerous, about how much I depend on streaming services for my horror movies, although I do have a decent amount of DVD's in my collection that I'm pretty proud of. Since my brain won't let me clean up and publish all the reviews I have right now, I thought I'd list a couple of suggestions for those who want a decent horror movie collection without having a whole room full of 'em.

Then I came to my senses and thought hell, I HATE it when a horror 'expert' tells me what I should like and what I shouldn't - much less what I should own and what I shouldn't. I mean, I've found treasures that I personally adore that 'critics' called garbage. So why listen to me?


My advice which you can promptly forget if you want to: Get the movies you love. If you can't go a week without watching it, if just looking at the DVD cover makes you happy, if you have it 'cause you're crushing on an actor in it, or if you just have it 'cause it looked interesting, go for it. Don't think you have to have certain titles to have a 'respectable' collection and certainly don't let others determine for you what you spend your money on.

There are certain movies I will watch several times a week - and if I had to rent those, that would add up pretty fast. There are certain movies that aren't offered anywhere - because they weren't popular, or are old, whatever. I have a few that are OOP (out of print) that I really had to search for - but I love 'em.

So. Enough jabbering and let's look into someone else's brain pan for a bit:

After discovering the joys of Reddit (and the trolls, don't forget about those 'cause they're everywhere) I decided to ask a couple questions of my own. I was actually shocked and pleasantly surprised by the fast answers and promised to publish them as is (stories are in italics). Now some are here but I've taken so long, the rest will be on the next entry:

Does Anyone Actually Have One Of Those Dreams Where You Sit Up Gasping Or Screaming?

I've had a bunch. I once dreamed that an entire town had turned murderously rapist and were coming for my girlfriend of the time (now my wife). For some reason, Dream Girlfriend had become entirely intellectually vacant, and didn't realize what a terrible position we were in. I kept thinking it didn't matter as much if they caught me, so long as I was able to keep her safe.

Her new-found idiocy was making that difficult though. The entire dream consisted of me dragging her by the arm to different locales populated by increasing numbers of rape-happy townies. Every corner we turned, every dark hidey hole I led her into was quickly discovered and assailed by them.

Near the end, I tried to escape with her in a self-driving cab (dream tech, I guess). Much to my surprise, after I got in with her, the doors locked, and I realized one of the townies was in the backseat with us. I planted my fist in his face, but he shrugged it off and beamed back at me as if to say "I'm going to start with her." So I put my all into it, over and over again, with him smiling back at me like he was enjoying a light breeze.

With every smile he threw my way, I focused more and more; then, without warning, I broke that smile along with the majority of his teeth. He frowned, spittled out "shit" with a bunch of loose chiclet teeth and blood, and I used the distraction to unlock his door and boot him out of the cab.

So it was the end scene. The camera shifted to the outside, and I sat comfortably in the cab with my challenged girlfriend as we happily drove off into the wild blue yonder. Then, I realized that the cab didn't seem to be moving very quickly. Also, that it was made of cardboard. When I looked around, I realized that the wild blue yonder was painted like a set. Then the horizon fell over flat, and we found ourselves having been carted into a large gymnasium filled with everyone in the town. The doors were closed behind us by a wall of people.

The last thing that I got to experience was being ripped away from my girlfriend by an entire town, her stupid face frowning but not fully understanding what was going on as she was buried under a mass of writhing humanity. Gasping and wakefulness was had. - InDevitoVeritas

Now THAT would be a movie I'd pay to see - even in 3D!






Has Anyone Had An Interesting Lucid Dream? I Mean, The Kind Where You Look Around And Try To Remember Things Because You Definitely Know You Are Dreaming? 


1. Usually I become lucid the same moment I realize it's a nightmare. Last one I had I dreamt I was in my dorm room at night which also has a bathroom. I was in the bathroom preparing to go to bed when I look in the mirror and see a ghostly figure (low of stature with an actual white sheet over their head) and from the familiar feeling of gloomy dread that I get I know it's a nightmare.

I have a feeling I could have unveiled whatever was under there but I really didn't want to instead I immediately try to kick the ghost and yell loudly to seem intimidating which is a force of habit I've developed. But no sound comes from my mouth and my limbs feel heavy. I clumsily clash with the figure and it just disappears like it was nothing but a vision.

I make my way into the bedroom where the ghost is now stranding. It's at this point I decide to wake up. It was a silly monster but the feeling of dread and uneasiness from the unknown threat was real enough. - Sporocarp


2. I have them all the time. One of my favorites was where I found myself in a forest looking at a well. All I could think was "Why the f*** would that be there?" And then, Samara started crawling out of it. So I noped the f*** out. And ended up in another place entirely, far away from the creepy little girl. - annarchy8

What Is The Creepiest Thing A Doctor Ever Said To You? 

I asked this question because of my personal experience that happened just a couple of weeks ago. I went in for, uh, female things and the doc - also female - wanted to do a breast exam. Sigh. Many of you know how fun THAT is. I'm freezing in a paper top laying down and out of the blue the first thing she says is, "Who did your bellybutton?" Uh, what? I just looked at her and she continued, "I've never seen a bellybutton done like that, who did yours?"


Now if I was sharp and had all my wits about me I would have just shrugged and said, "God, I guess," or maybe "The doctor thought a smiley face would be cool to carve in a newborn's stomach." Instead I just stared at her wondering what the hell... I have no piercings so I had to ask - she said my bellybutton was, and I quote, "neither an innie nor an outie, it's just flat." Uh huh. Nurse, check please!


It wasn't until I got home that I realized that I never DID get that breast exam. Meh. I thought that had to be as creepy as it could get - but I was wrong. I guaranteed anonymity (I didn't want anyone embarrassed, and this way they could vent and not worry) and here's what I got:


1. Went to go my blood taken one of the nurses messed up, and my blood started shooting all over the place the doctor coincidentally came in and said "Ohh looks like we got a gusher!" when she stopped it. I found it funny as hell and a little ominous even though I'm pretty sure I could've died from blood loss.


2. The doctor who took over our family GP's practice after he retired when I was 12 spent more time during my first exam lecturing me about the dangers to my soul of playing Dungeons & Dragons than actually conducting the physical. 

He also diagnosed my great aunt, my mother, and me with anemia and prescribed a routine of vitamin shots - I'm not genetically related to either of them and wasn't feeling weak or tired, so the quack alarm started going off for me. 

I insisted on a second opinion from my pediatrician (who gave the expected diagnosis of no health problems aside from a nervous stomach), and ended up going back to him for all medical needs until I was 18.

Turns out the doc was indicted for child molestation when I was in high school, so not bothering to conceal my contempt for him may well have saved me from some very unpleasant experiences.


3. One therapist suggested I give up video games and take up butt plugs as a hobby. She had a doctorate in psychology.

Another therapist has been obsessed with my DNA, and specifically brings up the importance of my DNA every time I think we are going to talk about trauma recovery. She also has mentioned my bloodline, and wanted to know if I had blood work done, and if anything interesting came up in the test.

Not sure how that's going to help me with that 'can't sleep at night problem' I went there for originally.


4. "Thanks for letting me see that awkward mark, but I'm not a doctor."


5. Doctor said "Strip off, take your clothes off." I asked, "Where will I put them?" Doctor said "Put them on top of mine." Miss Murder thinks that one is a little... creative.


6. While getting tested for an STD. My then-doctor pulls out an instrument that he intends to shove up the shaft of my manhood. I was nervous and timidly asked him how far he planned on sticking the instrument in. He chuckled to himself and then said "Not this far." while he motioned with his hand to his mouth and stuck his tongue to his cheek (in the manner of the age-old non-verbal reference to a blowjob).

It struck me as a rather odd and unprofessional time for a b.j. reference . Needless to say I have had plenty of laughs about it since. I also had an occurrence years later doing another STD test with a female nurse alone. But the things we did belong in a totally different subreddit. Ok that was a little TOO creative...

7. Well when I was younger my doctor's name was Dr. Weiner, so that's creepy as it is.

8. One time I went in to get a series of different shots. She gave me a couple of shots, then she got a concerned look on her face and told me to hold on a minute. She left the room, and I could hear her talking to the other nurses. (I don't remember the names of the shots.) She says, "Is it safe to give shot a and shot b at the same time?" All the other nurses just said that they're not sure and mine responds with, "Oh well, I'll just give them in separate arms." Miss Murder personally marks this one as her favorite...

9. My doctor once took a picture of my vagina and showed it to me (he was explaining something and figured the visual would help) he then accidentally swiped and I saw a disgusting vagina. He locked his phone and put it away...

10. I went in for some back pain, and he kept blaming it on my chest. Sure I'm gifted in the chestorial region, but I was NOT expecting him to say things like "really, really HUGE breasts." He even said "GIANT BOOBS." It was beyond skeezy. He's not some brand new, fresh-out-of-school young punk - he's been practicing for over 20 years...

11. I had a rash of spots that suddenly appeared across my chest. When I asked my doctor what it was he told me to Google it, after which he gave me medication for it. Miss Murder thinks we both go to the same doctor - she had one that told her if her infection got worse, to 'go see a doctor' - and he was WHAT exactly?

12. He Told Me Typing Like This Means You Are Going To Die Soon. I've Been Scared For Years. Miss Murder found that very funny, smartass.

13. He told me my blood matched my nail polish.

14. Before I had insurance I would go to the county clinic for birth control. They are always very nice but once during an exam the nurse asked me how many kids I had (I had none at the time). When I told her, she said "By the size of your cervix I'd guess you had at least 3." ...Never before or since have I had comments about the size of my cervix.

More coming up, I promise...



                        

YOU'VE GOT RED ON YOU





Playing With A New Toy

Nah, you know me, I'm not playing around, I'm sick... still. BUT I do have four (or is it five) movies plunked down in crib form (that means only I can understand what the hell I'm trying to say) but not ready for your tender mercies yet.


AND I have joined Reddit - yes, it scared me but I find that it's a neat environment to exchange ideas and get creative input. Yeah, you have the typical trolls but that's gonna be everywhere you go. Most have been wonderful and if just a few of their ideas could be put in movie form I swear the horror genre would be (as they call it these days) re-booted and we'd get away from the found footage and long black slimy haired girls pointing at people crap.

So to all those looking here from Reddit - if you haven't seen your contribution (of which I'm extremely grateful) - it's coming. I'm using every one I get (even the trolls) so it should be a lot of fun.

My topics were:

Two sentence horror stories
First ever seen horror movie
Weirdest statement made by your doctor
Lucid dreaming

This would probably fit every category...

They're coming first before the movies or else I may never get another person to answer one of my weird questions... thanks to all!



                        

NICE PEOPLE SHARE SOME OF THEIR SIT-UP-IN-BED GASPING AND/OR SCREAMING NIGHTMARES PART ONE

Thank You To All Who Wrote So Fast!

I decided on the Reddit site to post a request. Does Anyone Actually Have One Of Those Dreams Where You Sit Up Gasping Or Screaming? Mostly the reason is that I have vivid dreams, and often lucid dreams, but even though I remember all my dreams (usually), the only one that has ever frightened me had nothing to do with horror. 

I had dreamed that I was looking in my living room (impossible to do from my bedroom I might add) and saw children climbing through my window. I was yelling at them and trying to run towards them but couldn't (Sleep paralysis is a wonderful thing, right?), but nothing else scares me and I've NEVER woke in a sweat, much less gasping for air or screaming. 

I promised to print their stories as is and give them the credit. To my surprise, this is the response I've received in just the last 24 hours and I thank each and every one of them for their stories:

I had one of those dreams the other night, but it was stupid. I was in the shower and the water was hitting my face, but no matter which way I turned, the water was spraying right into my face, so I couldn't get away from it and I couldn't breathe, because the water would go in my mouth if I opened it or up my nose if I inhaled. I woke up gasping, having, apparently, been holding my breath while asleep. Or just not being able to breathe, since I was wheezing and needed to use my asthma inhaler.

Another time, sleeping in school, I had a dream that the neighborhood was flooded and I was swimming in it and I went under, but when I tried to come back up, the surface of the water wouldn't break and I was going to drown. When I woke up, I sat straight up suddenly while sucking in air and scared the shit out of my friend sitting next to me. He then claimed my dreams dripped LSD.

And The Mannequin Dream! That one is too long to type out. Short version: Dreamed I accidentally killed a woman in a store, but no one knew it was me that did it, got locked in the same store overnight. Weeks later, she tried to get revenge by possessing a mannequin. I woke up as she was grabbing my leg as I tried to get away. Sat up terrified to find my big ol' kitty lying on my legs and kneading me.

I could go on for awhile. This has happened to me a lot, as well as a lot of sleep paralysis dreams and other, very detailed, nightmares that woke me up feeling other weird effects and doing other weird things besides sitting up, gasping or screaming. Ugh. Probably the worst was a dream I had that my dog got hurt and was bleeding out in my arms in the driveway. I woke up crying and running from my bed, still feeling the blood all over me. I wasn't convinced the dream was done and everything was fine until I made it outside and was hugging my perfectly okay, if very confused beagle, but he was still appreciative of the love. - LivingDeadPunk

You, my friend, have a very active, imaginative mind and I'm sure that you could probably write a much better horror movie than most I've seen in the past few years.

I did once. Maybe, six years ago I had a zombie apocalypse-type dream. Details for a lot of it are vague, as is typical with dreams, but I recall being with some scientists who were working on a cure or vaccine, some sort of serum derived from the blood of the afflicted. The facility we were in was overrun, and it was down to a scientist and myself barricading ourselves into a tiny soundproof room (like a library study room). 

As the afflicted started breaking the door down, the scientist turned to me and said, "I'm sorry," and tried to shoot himself, but he was torn to shreds through the gap before he could. As they continued to widen the gap to enter the room, I grabbed the gun, put it in my mouth, and pulled the trigger. There was an incredibly loud bang and everything went black momentarily, and I awoke sitting up and gasping, just like in the movies. - SaraFist

Now if I shot myself in my dream THAT might just do it - yikes!

Remember this guy?

Yes. In my dream a massive spider was coming towards me and I sat up gasping. I must have woke up with such a jolt that my eyes/brain didn't quite adjust as quickly as my body for a couple of seconds so I could still see the spider in the room. I jumped out of bed screaming and ran to the light switch. Freaked my other half out!

Also, whenever I watch a Nightmare I always have a scary Freddy dream. - Deadite_bride

Perhaps this dreamer should stay away from movies like Big Ass Spider! and Arachnophobia... and me. Heh, heh. No but really - I'd be keeping a can of Raid near my bed...

I have nightmares all the time and this happened to me pretty regularly for a long time. It's been a while and I'm pretty sure it was at least partly sleep apnea responsible for the wake up taking a deep breath part. - thegreatbrah

Night terrors doesn't have to be limited to the very young. And sleep apnea is more common than people think (my hubby has it, for instance). Mix the two together and you've got a nasty recipe for some horrific nightmares...

Back years ago, when I was still living with my dad, I had one. In it I was lying down in my room watching TV and all of a sudden, a black splotch started to grow out of one of the top corners in the room and the way it moved, I would describe it as black static. 

It started growing and getting bigger and then another splotch appeared and started growing in the other corner. I was lying there watching as they both grew in size and start devouring the whole room until only my bed and me were left. Then it started overtaking the bed, moving from the foot towards the head. 

Once it reached my chest I realized it was billions of baby spiders that were crawling and trying to get to my face. That's when I shot straight up and screamed and realized it was just a dream. Cold sweats and everything, man. Haven't had a nightmare like that again and pray I never do. F*** spiders. - ISavesDays

THAT would have made one hell of a Twilight Zone episode - or Tales From The Darkside... in either case, freaking scary!

Only once! A few months back I was in a really bad car accident. About a week or so into my recovery I had a nightmare in which my friends (who were in the car with me) had died in the accident and came to my bedroom to blame me. 

Their appearances showed the injuries that killed them, so it was disturbing. At the end of the dream they simply started screaming, causing me to scream, and I woke up screaming and booted upright within seconds. As upsetting as that is, both my friends and I are fine now, in reality. :) - Wilibine

You think doctors would warn their patients about this particular side effect of painkillers such as morphine and other painkillers. One study showed that those given medication had significant side effects. In the first 12 weeks, out of 47 patients, 42% of them experienced dreams or hallucinations. Those given medication over an extended period of time showed that out of 57 patients, 49% of them experienced dreams or hallucinations. Glad to see a happy ending to such a frightening experience though...

I use a CPAP for my apnea so I do this at least twice a week. It's funny because if I'm choking in real life I start choking in my dreams too. Pretty freaky but I got used to it. - gborder79

Oof, that doesn't sound like something anyone should have to get used to. Funny that a lot of these have to do with either apnea, pain medication, or both. Interesting. I wonder if the same might apply to lucid dreaming...

I have several times. I believe them mostly due to side effects of drugs like vicodin or other pain meds from when I broke my arm. I would have very vivid scary dreams and wake up drenched in sweat out of breath and frightened. 

Sorry, I love this picture...

Also I have found that if I sleep on my back I am way more likely to have nightmares. But the kind where you feel like you're pinned down and can't yell or talk or anything. 

Sometimes I sleep like that on purpose just for the dreams. They are intense and sometimes I wake up violently. I have also witnessed a former roomate sit straight up and be like baaically yelling. He was a sleep talker anyway, but when he had nightmares it'd be worse. - zmanbunke

Again there seems to be a pattern - apnea, pain medications, and sleeping on your back. I was always told as a kid not to sleep on your back 'cause it caused nightmares but never told why. Now I'd like to do some research and see if there's anything to it. As for talking in your sleep, that can be kind of fun.

My hubby frequently has whole conversations in his sleep and sometimes he sings. I can't make out what he's singing, but sometime I might record it to see if I can figure it out.

I had a dream about zombies that was so scary I woke up shaking and couldn't stop for several minutes :O - lyssavirus

Ah, zombies. Monsters for some reason never frighten me in dreams, in a lot of cases they make me laugh. I would never laugh at another's fears though - sometimes there's an underlying reason for that fear and it is totally valid.

Yes but they are about me being back in high school - beige4ever

Hey, that's a valid nightmare believe me. When I dream of high school, I'm always a kid again (the only good part) and trying desperately to get the attention and affection of a boy I had a crush on - never happens. That's the nightmare.

I am very pleased with the speed of the responses I have gotten and when more come in, if the people are willing I will print them here. It's both interesting and comforting to know that all of us have so much in common, whether we enjoy horror or not. Thank you to all those who allowed me to share their nightmares here - it was much appreciated.


                        

THE TWO SENTENCE HORROR STORY - A NEAT IDEA CATCHING ON WITH THOSE SHORT OF ATTENTION SPAN BUT LONG ON LOVE OF SCARES - ANYBODY CARE TO SEND ANY? NO CRITICISM, NO JUDGING, JUST SOME GOOD, ORIGINAL SPINE CREEPERS. IF YOU CAN'T THINK OF ANY BUT HAVE READ ONE, I'LL TAKE IT - JUST MAKE SURE TO PUT WHERE IT CAME FROM

Reddit Made Me Do It

I've been seeing these lists on different horror sites and usually they come from Reddit. Now I don't know Reddit from shinola but that's 'cause of my age, not because it isn't a neat place to express yourself. If you are as old as I am, Reddit basically is a place where you can ask for material (such as these two sentence horror stories), or ask a serious question and get answers from people all over the world (those who get Reddit anyway).

So after reading some (and there are some really freaky ones out there) I noticed that some were, uh, copies of copies of copies. I'm not dissing that, writing is hard, and when you find a gem you tend to want to share it.


But Reddit has some pretty nasty people out there - on the page I visited (I had a two sentence gem of my own) most of the current page was filled with complaints of people accusing others of plagarizing or of having their own entries, uh, is it downvoted? because others wanted their own entries to move to the top of the list (the lists can be sorted a number of ways, apparently 'popular' is the the most, well, popular). 

So I put mine on there and also a request for anyone who had one they'd like to share on my blog (getting their proper credits of course) or, as I requested a while back, a time when they've had a nightmare that actually made them bolt upright in bed gasping and/or screaming.

We'll see what happens.

Huh? Oh yes, mine was:

'My creep of a father liked to scare us saying when he was a kid he woke one night to find his grandmother at the foot of his bed although she died before he was born and he'd never seen a picture of her. I never told him how pissed she looked standing behind him every time he told that story.'

True story, too. Well... half of it is.