# Innocent things that freaked you out when you were a kid? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 31, 2014, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038 "2014-08-31T11:02:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Calatin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Calatin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calatin)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/81 "2014-09-05T19:38:04Z")
After I saw the movie Tremors, I would run from my bathroom to my bedroom, so that the worms wouldn’t come up from underground and eat me. … Both of these rooms were on the second floor. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/82 "2014-09-05T20:12:14Z")
When I was a kid I was terrified of the Elephant Man. I remember I first saw him when watching the Oscars with my mom and the clip they showed scared me. I was convinced that he would come back to life and blame me for how badly he was treated. To this day I get a shiver when I see clips form that movie and I have no desire to see it. When I was a little older and would watch TV late at night, the production logos of some of the older shows would give me the willies. I couldn’t explain why. Something about the music sting and animation late at night. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/83 "2014-09-05T23:10:43Z")
The CBS “eye” logo. The first nightmare I can ever remember having involved that damn logo. I just knew that thing was going to get me. Creepy as fuck. Come to think of it, I still find it a little creepy. Maybe that’s why I never watch anything on CBS. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/84 "2014-09-06T02:20:55Z")
> [@MrsTime](#): > > I remember a Twilight Zone episode where the woman found a spider in her sink, turned on the water and ran it down the drain, each time she ran it down the drain it came back bigger. Pretty soon she couldn’t run it down the drain. I admit I remember that on the very rare occasions I have had to run a spider down the drain. Ooooh God - this reminds me of another Twilight Zone episode that scared the living daylights out of me as a kid. It’s called “The Eye of the Beholder,” and thinking about it still freaks me out to this day - IMO, it’s one of the greatest Twilight Zone episodes of all time. It starts with this woman who’s recovering from a recent surgery. We learn that this is one in a series of unsuccessful procedures trying to fix some horrifying defect of hers. The show is shot very carefully - you only see the silhouettes of the characters involved. The woman’s face is wrapped in bandages, and the doctor starts to unwrap them. The viewer’s perspective changes to what the woman sees - a blurry darkness getting lighter and lighter as the layers of bandages are slowly taken off. The doctor tells her not to get her hopes up, that the surgery doesn’t have a high success rate, etc, etc. When the last bangage comes off, we see her face. She’s gorgeous - a blonde woman with beautiful features. Then we see the other characters. The docter, the nurses, the receptionist, all look like [this](http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2011/10/twilight_zone_eye_beholder.jpg). And [this](https://www.google.com/search?q=beauty+in+the+eye+of+the+beholder+twilight+zone&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=B20KVJroJeG1sQTkq4KoAQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1517&bih=752&dpr=0.9#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=GvPp8B6rtzBbmM%253A%3B7G6fzXeLt5KyuM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F3.bp.blogspot.com%252F-HvcOGZBG4jE%252FUf5vPvfrE7I%252FAAAAAAAAGcc%252FtRMsEhwafwY%252Fs640%252Ftwilight%252Bzone%252Beye%252Bof%252Bbeholder%252B3.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fandthatsthewayitwasinamericanhistory.blogspot.com%252F2013_08_01_archive.html%3B628%3B356). And [THIS](https://38.media.tumblr.com/f5a394221d10ef0406c6642deafeaa6d/tumblr_mpjdfk0tnS1so3i95o1_500.gif). For years, I couldn’t be alone in a room at night with open windows, because I’d be terrified I’d see one of those faces pressed up against it. I also had this nightmare - not an actual nightmare, but a daydream gone bad - that I’d wake up in the middle of the night and walk into my parent’s room, only to find their faces had transformed into the pig-people. _shakes fist at Rod Serling_ ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/85 "2014-09-06T03:49:19Z")
The Bugs Bunny episode with Witch Hazel where she turned into a donkey or mule or something and unzipped herself over and over again trying to undo the spell. Gave me nightmares for a very long time. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/86 "2014-09-06T06:07:50Z")
Mounted animal heads on the wall. Especially ones with giant antlers. There was a restaurant my family used to go to that had several giant moose, deer and antelope heads on the wall and I was just \*terrified \*of them! > [@vivalostwages](#): > > The carwash…My mom drove–or sat while the car was pushed through on the rollers-- and I curled up in the back seat, in the darkness, terrified of the sweeping washy things that swept over the car like black tentacles from hell. OMG yes, this! ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/87 "2014-09-06T07:59:42Z")
When I was a kid my family had a bunch of old porcelain dolls. The kind with realistic hair and beady articulated eyes that looked right into your soul. I just knew they were moving when I wasn’t looking. [This](https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=creepy+dolls&bih=604&biw=1024&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=pv.xjs.s.en_US.ZIOukfQmgko.O) is the stuff of my nightmares. Talky Tina is hiding under your bed. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/88 "2014-09-06T14:34:58Z")
My name is Talky Tina and I’m going to kill Erich Streator! ---
**Author:** ![67java89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/aeb1de/32.png) [@67java89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/67java89)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/89 "2014-09-08T00:50:58Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > Some of the old Sesame Street shorts. The ones they showed between scenes on the street or of the various muppets. Some of them were very clever, some were just freaking creepy. [This one](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJyEbLuFOdU) for example would be great for showing kids how milk doesn’t initially come from the Supermarket but they added a creepy song on top of it. But that one wasn’t the worst. > > But another they had that I cannot find had part of it while a balloon deflated - loudly and with no humans or muppets in the video. It was just plain creepy for me to watch as a child. I could have done without seeing that man squeeze the teet:( ---
**Author:** ![67java89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/aeb1de/32.png) [@67java89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/67java89)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/90 "2014-09-08T00:59:52Z")
The song “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.” I thought they were saying My Body…please bring back my body to me. Scary when you are little. Ventriloquist dummies and mimes ---
**Author:** ![huitzilopochtli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@huitzilopochtli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/huitzilopochtli)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/91 "2014-09-08T01:27:17Z")
I don’t recall ever thinking I would go down the drain. But I was terrified of the sound the bathtub made when it drained. It was just so monstery! I would make sure I had everything handled and then, halfway out the door, pull that plug and run like hell. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/92 "2014-09-08T15:12:24Z")
There was this kids show about a little man who lived in a cup. He seemed happy inside of his glass prison, but it freaked me out. ---
**Author:** ![67java89](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/aeb1de/32.png) [@67java89](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/67java89)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/93 "2014-09-08T16:37:01Z")
We had a berry bush in our yard that someone told me had poison berries. I was really scared of it. I think if it really was poison, my parents would have cut it down, with several small kids running around. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/94 "2014-09-08T16:56:30Z")
> [@huitzilopochtli](#): > > I don’t recall ever thinking I would go down the drain. But I was terrified of the sound the bathtub made when it drained. It was just so monstery! I would make sure I had everything handled and then, halfway out the door, pull that plug and run like hell. Didn’t you ever hear Mister Rogers’ song? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/95 "2014-09-08T19:19:21Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > There was this kids show about a little man who lived in a cup. He seemed happy inside of his glass prison, but it freaked me out. Great. Now I have “Teeny Little Super Guy” running through my head. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/96 "2014-09-08T23:46:06Z")
Marionettes - they still freak me out Unfinished basements (guess where my room was) The dark (I slept with the light on into my late teens) The end of the broadcast day where they played the national anthem and then it cut to static - this was before poltergeist. Imagine my face when I saw poltergeist as a child. The EBS test especially when my sister and I were home alone and my parents were out. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/97 "2014-09-09T14:16:16Z")
Ventriloquist dummies. With their creepy moving hinge jaw. I was afraid to look at the mirror on my closet door if the room was dark because something would grab me and pull me into another dimension. I’d turn off the light then do a running leap past it onto my bed. Puppets. The bathroom sink drain - the metal thingies inside it looked like teeth. The beginning of “Tales From The Darkside” - idyllic scenes with that super creepy music. I’d have to turn the volume down. When the moon morphs into Ralph Kramden’s face at the beginning of “The Honeymooners”. The bathroom light reflecting in the top of the bathroom window - I thought it looked like the creepy moon mentioned above. (I’m an only child with a vivid imagination, what can I say.) ---
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/98 "2014-09-10T00:07:23Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Finally, the DC Superheroes. I wasn’t allowed to watch those tv shows or read those comics… How come? Until what age? When was this? Were your parents/guardians strict Marvel partisans? ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/99 "2014-09-10T00:45:18Z")
Natalie Wood’s eyes and the Mona Lisa. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038/100 "2014-09-10T14:07:08Z")
The Current Affair sound was horrible. It came on right after my cartoons too. “Tonight, something bad is happening. WHUNG!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/innocent-things-that-freaked-you-out-when-you-were-a-kid/697038.md?page=6)