# Thanks to Stephen King . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 22, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651 "2012-02-22T19:15:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/21 "2012-02-22T22:12:24Z")
I check bathtubs because of the Shining. I lock all bathroom doors behind me if I’m taking a shower because I’m convinced Norman Bates is coming to hack me to bits. I take my cell phone into the bathroom with me in case I need to call 911 for some reason. Serial killers, monsters, and ghosts come after you in the bathroom! ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/22 "2012-02-22T22:15:26Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Today I turned 32. Happy birthday! I check in the shower when I come into the bathroom because of several books and movies, _Psycho_ and _The Shining_ and _It_ being some of them. After seeing _Silence of the Lambs_, I made my boyfriend go inside without me and open every closet and cabinet (even the bathroom ones) and look behind every door. I did that for a few weeks. I’m better now 🙂 Thanks to my current obsession with zombie fiction, I have started to automatically assess the safety of my house for the post-apocalyptic world. It’s not something I do consciously, but when I’m in our kitchen, which has a glass wall and roof (basically it’s a greenhouse), I find myself thinking “I’d need to upend the dining room table in front of that door.” I’ll be better soon. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/23 "2012-02-22T23:36:53Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Earwigs. After seeing them in Star Trek, I would sleep with my head to the side so one ear was pressed to the pillow, and the other ear was covered with a hanful of blanket. > > I don’t remember how long that lasted, but it was long time. At least a matter of months. > [@ShelliBean](#): > > Oh the Star Trek ear fear! Yep, after seeing that I slept with my head under the pillow for years. I guess you guys never thought of pantyhose, eh? (A nod to last night’s episode of “Raising Hope” where we learn that Sabrina sleeps with pantyhose over her head to keep out the spiders.) ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/24 "2012-02-22T23:50:40Z")
I think it was Halloween… the guy in the back seat of the car? Yeah. I had NEVER thought to look in the back seat before. I still check out the back seat now, to this day. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/25 "2012-02-22T23:54:57Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > I think it was Halloween… the guy in the back seat of the car? Yeah. I had NEVER thought to look in the back seat before. > > I still check out the back seat now, to this day. Scooped right on the last reply to the thread. Yeah, I check the back seat. More so these days because I’ve had a habit of being the last person to leave the office after the sun goes down. When your car is the only one in a dark parking lot, it’s worth spending a little time making sure nobody’s in there. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/26 "2012-02-23T00:43:40Z")
After “Poltergeist” I could never abide “snow” on the TV. It used to happen as a kid that sometimes my dad would fall asleep in front of the TV, then it would go to snow… _shudder_ Happily, with digital signal its no longer a problem. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/27 "2012-02-23T01:30:31Z")
> [@Geek](#): > > “Snow” or rather raster, is noise from the Big Bang. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/28 "2012-02-23T02:04:40Z")
It’s only been in the last few years that I could sleep with the lights off, thanks to Stephen King. That fun little “quirk” started in 1990 for me. I was also extremely uncomfortable around anything drain-related for years, and I am not sure the rest of my family has recovered from their Pennywise-induced fear of clowns. I’m borderline germ-ophobic, so Monk didn’t help that. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/29 "2012-02-23T02:14:41Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I go one step farther and will not lock a bathroom door behind me if the bathtub shower curtain is closed. I open it first. > > I read _The Shining_ in 1991 when I was in seventh grade. Today I turned 32. I still check. Hey happy birthday, you! Baby, can you dig your man? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/30 "2012-02-23T02:18:08Z")
There will never be any foreplay involving handcuffs, thanks to _Gerald’s Game_. I would check the rooftops of the neighboring buildings for aliens before I could sleep for a few days after I saw _Signs_. Say what you will, that movie scared the crap out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/31 "2012-02-23T02:24:53Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Hey happy birthday, you! Baby, can you dig your man? 🙂 He is, rumor has it, a righteous man. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/32 "2012-02-23T02:25:26Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > There will never be any foreplay involving handcuffs, thanks to _Gerald’s Game_. You stole mine- I won’t be handcuffed to a bed in a house out in the country with big hungry dogs that nobody ever visits. Thanks to many scary movies, I won’t walk into a dark and empty house while looking through the mail or otherwise not paying attention to what could be\* in there\*. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/33 "2012-02-23T02:36:46Z")
Thanks to many, many, many horror flicks, whenever I pass by a mirror, I refuse to look in it. If I can’t help but look in one, I’ll give it a sidelong glance to make sure there’s nothing unexpected showing in it, so I won’t be as surprised when I look full on and see the details of the terrifying monster I still have little to no doubt I’ll see standing behind me. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/34 "2012-02-23T04:35:19Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > You stole mine- I won’t be handcuffed to a bed in a house out in the country with big hungry dogs that nobody ever visits. And how often does that opportunity arise? 😛 I need the covers around my neck. Not because of vampires, but because of the movie _Cult of the Cobra_, early 50’s schlock. I also don’t like stepping on bugs, because of any number of movies where the bugs form armies. If I accidentally step on one, I just know his family will want revenge. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/35 "2012-02-23T04:40:07Z")
I never liked clowns, but the one-two combination of \*Poltergeist \*and \*It \*sealed the deal. No clowns allowed in _my_ house. Not pictures, not dolls… \ Clowns! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/36 "2012-02-23T06:26:31Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > Thanks to many, many, many horror flicks, whenever I pass by a mirror, I refuse to look in it. If I can’t help but look in one, I’ll give it a sidelong glance to make sure there’s nothing unexpected showing in it, so I won’t be as surprised when I look full on and see the details of the terrifying monster I still have little to no doubt I’ll see standing behind me. I don’t like to look into mirrors at night or in the dark (well, not full dark). ---
**Author:** ![florez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9e5f3/32.png) [@florez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/florez)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/37 "2012-02-23T07:41:08Z")
Thanks to a show called Twilight Zone that was a series I watched as a child, I became convinced that cars could come alive and drive themselves, sometimes with a person riding helplessly inside. I could see a face on the front of most cars -with lights for eyes, and the grill for a mouth, etc. It was pretty strange, then I read Steven King’s Christine. Yes, they do have this power. ---
**Author:** ![limegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@limegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/limegreen)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/38 "2012-02-23T15:06:43Z")
Clowns used to be cute and funny. Then I read, and saw _It_. Now I couldn’t imagine having a clown image or doll in my house. I do feel sorry for those people who trained for years to be clowns – very athletic, they are – and now this King guy has ruined clownness for generations of people. I also do not look in mirrors unless it’s absolutely necessary. You never know what might use it as a doorway, or what I might see lurking behind me. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/39 "2012-02-23T15:12:38Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > > [@Geek](#): > > > > “Snow” or rather raster, is noise from the Big Bang. > > Sorry. > [@Geekier](#): > > Not since TV went all-digital :dork smiley: ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651/40 "2012-02-23T15:15:03Z")
**Jaws** ruined swimming in the sea for me for years. And I didn’t even see the whole movie, just the idea and some fragments were enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-to-stephen-king/613651.md?page=3)