When I was about three, I swore that there were crabs under my bed. I don’t know where this was based, but there were crabs under my bed, and if I set one of my chubby pink toes on the floor ( as long as it was dark), they would reach out and pinch me, never to let go. I have distinct memories of having my dad carry me through the door so I could go to the bathroom. For some reason, I remember them being that bleached pink color of crab shells that you find abandoned at the beach. I think this carried on until I was five.
And then when I was two, my parents tell me, a personal lullaby tape was made for me to fall asleep to. I guess mom & dad sent away to one of those companies that have generated songs with blanks where the name should be. I’m told I liked the tape until I found out that the man calling my name on the tape wasn’t my father. After that, I wouldn’t listen to it. It makes sense if you think about it - innocent child is about to fall asleep & out of the dark this person’s voice comes on, calling his/her name. It’s freaky. All I can think of now, whenever this is mentioned, is that the guy on the tape never knew that he traumatized a little girl.
[hijack] On the subject of clowns, Bobcat Goldthwait did this dark little comedy about 12 years ago called Shakes The Clown. About an alcoholic clown struggling with his dependancy. Sounds pretty dark and twisted but it’s actually really funny, although pretty gross at times.
Anyways, the reason I bring it up is when it was released in theaters many professional clowns were furious about how it portrayed them. In fact some picketed theaters.
I heard an interview with Bobcat on the radio which still cracks me up when I think about it.
He went on a little something like this: (Paraphrasing)
“Clowns are upset about their IMAGE? No, I don’t think THIS movie is really going to hurt their IMAGE. I think that despite how this movie does in the theaters,clowns can rest assured that their image will remain unchanged in the eyes of millions of children all over the world…
Who fear and loathe them.
When I see a grown man in make up, using a fake name, I don’t think: ‘Hey this guy wants to bring laughter to children’. I think: ‘Now here’s a guy with something to HIDE, here’s a guy with some HISTORY’.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Damn shame that Bob.
He’s a damned funny guy that hasn’t done a decent movie or TV show since.
[/hijack]
mine was this big hairy drooly thing that lived outside my house if i had to go out there in the dark to fetch something or he was gonna come get me when i slept so that meant i had to pull the covers over my, stay very still and become one with comforter and have this microscopic breathing hole that the monster wouldn’t see…
I just want to pop in and share that “Can’t sleep, clowns will eat me…” is from the Simpsons. Homer built Bart a clown bed that was freaky as hell, when he was about 4. Then, the Simpsons went out of town and left little Bart in c/o the Flanderses. Bart couldn’t sleep, because he kept seeing the clown looking through the window with his goofy voice. “Can’t sleep, clown will eat me…”
Watching him in the movies wasn’t so bad, but when I was 5 or 6 years old, the son of some of my parents friends had a yoda hand puppet. It was made out of rubber with weird hair and would fit over your whole hand. Just the mere sight of this thing was enough to send screaming and running. I don’t know why it bothered me so much then, it doesn’t bother me anymore (I was eventually given the puppet, still have it too in mint condition).
Another childhood fear came from the movie Psycho. I saw a clip of shower scene where the woman is stabbed to death, and for about 5 years I couldn’t have a shower because I couldn’t stand to have the shower curtain closed.
Oh and a big thanks to Cervaise who has single handedly guaranteed that I will no longer be able to have a shower ever again. Thanks. Really.
Dad was out of town (don’t know where the rest of us were) when Mom saw Psycho so when she took her shower that night, she said she left the shower door and the bathroom door open so she could see who was coming.