What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 09:34:01 -0500

So, lots of people are afraid of the dark. And I know about the psychological theory behind it. And I know it's really scary when you are trying to sleep, you know you're alone at home (not even a pet there), but you... still hear someone breathing... and it's not you. And strange creaky noises, especially in old (wooden) houses etc. I'm writing a horror story with shadow-creatures, but I want my humans to freak out even when they're not being attacked. (I know, I know, how kind of me.) Cue strange sounds and their imagination playing with them. Oh, and it takes place in a centuries-old castle. So, what makes you freak out in the dark? And what do you think you're afraid of when you're in the dark? Anything related to darkness and your imagination playing with you (?) are all welcomed ideas here. Let your imagination run WILD! I already brainstromed some ideas, but I'm not sure if they're... you know, creepy enough. And used up quite a lot of them already. I need to keep up the suspense! Please help me, this is my first horror story :o Thank you very much in advance!!! Have a frightening story!

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

novelist 2.0 — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:21:07 -0500

The fact the I watch old The Twilight Zone episodes. I will never think of the dark the same way again after watching the episode The Invaders. If you haven't seen it, you should see it like, right now. Especially if you're writing a horror story. For the next 2 months you will NOT SET FOOT in an attic. (Specifically, an attic in a creepy old house where an old widow lady lives)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:48:55 -0500

Oooh, thank you! I'll watch it... when there's sunlight out there :D Note to self: add attic/tower as another location in the old castle.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

royalcarrot — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:02:05 -0500

I am actually afriad of the dark, at twenty-seven. My hubby is thankfully more amusd by it then annoyed even when I have bouts of turning on every light in hte house and refusing to go to sleep until the sun comes up. I don't know why and I haven't actually researched the psychology behind it, its just always been a part of me. :) That said, what freaks me out about the dark, even when someone is there with me, is that I am so vulnerable. My weak little human eyes can't see much in our house. When I wake up in the middle of the night and everything is pitch black there's a sudden panic as to why I can't see. I strain, searching all around for a pinpoint of light and once I find it I start imagining things in the darkness around me. The light, from say the power cord on my computer, blinds you to everything else, like staring into a flashlight. It's not a concrete 'monster' for me, but more that I feel like the darkness around me is hungry. Once I'm coherently awake I start listening for sounds, and the slightest creak in the house makes my adult mind substitute burglar where my child mind used to scream monster. Cue the lights going on all around me. It has to be full lights though I could never have a nightlight. Some author when I was much younger wrote a YA horror novel that had a premise in one of the stories about a boy who was afraid of the dark and got a nightlight only to discover that the monsters he could see with it were far worse then being in the dark and NOT seeing them. It disturbed me. Shadow creatures are always such fine to write! I hope your story is going well and that any of that helped.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 14:06:44 -0500

Oh, yes, definitely! I'm taking notes :D Especially about the thing you said that it feels as if the darkness around is hungry. That's exactly what my (poor) humans should feel like, I just couldn't put my finger on it (because they get eaten by those shadow creatures - or something like that). And panic about why can't you see anything. Thank you very much for sharing this :DD

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

hownoun — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:17:18 -0500

You can milk a lot out of the fear of someone appearing next to your bed at night or watching you while you sleep. It's fun to twist things around to the opposite of what your character is expecting, too. Like if for some reason your character is afraid of a beastie appearing at the foot of their bed, have the beastie appear on the ceiling or floor instead. It's also fun to trump our typical safe places--for example, we all feel a ridiculous security if we pull the covers over our head, but what if the scary monster is actually under the covers with us? Likewise, having scary things happen during the day can be even more disturbing than scary things during the night. I think you could do a lot with just producing random spots of pitch darkness during the day (since you're dealing with shadow creatures). It can be surprisingly scary to just be bopping along in a perfectly sunlit corridor one second then find yourself suddenly blinded by complete blackness after the blink of an eye. Also, one of the tricks that scares me most in horror stories/films is a character realizing they were being watched after the fact. For example, maybe the character sleeps alone in the dark one night, perfectly content and unafraid, but then they wake up to find that the furniture has been rearranged in their sleep. Someone was in the room with them AND THEY DIDN'T KNOW IT. Sometimes that can be scarier than any direct beastie confrontation. And mirrors. Bathrooms. Those are always scary in the dark. ALWAYS. I'm just sort of rambling here listing tropes, but good luck! xD

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:58:04 -0500

*takes notes, again* Thank you :D It's a great idea to turn a safe place into dangerous ones. I have to think on that one what else counts aside from the blanket as a safe place. I'm afraid I can't use them during the day, because my shadow creatures are hurt by light. Whether it be sunlight or lamps or torches... candlelight, even. But I keep in mind. There might be a room in darkness with heavy curtains during the day in a really old castle, right? Or a tower room without windows, etc. Hah, right on spot! The deduction is scarier than the actual part! MWHAHAHAHA, you gave me some very good ideas, thank you! And even reminded my that my humans haven't gone to the bathroom since before the novel started (which was a few hours for them). I must use this one. Soon x) Thanks, again^^

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Katherine Pearl — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:49:19 -0500

Darkness fiddles with your sense of space. Have you ever tried closing your eyes and trying to feel your way around a room? When you open your eyes again, everything seems much smaller and neater than you would have expected from your experience while sightless. Taking away sight takes away a lot of what a sighted person knows about the world and replaces it with a gaping, hollow void. (At least in my experience.)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Fyrephere — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:03:25 -0600

[quote=hownoun] It's also fun to trump our typical safe places--for example, we all feel a ridiculous security if we pull the covers over our head, but what if the scary monster is actually under the covers with us? [/quote] I think that's one of the best examples of why The Grudge was quite good. @Tika, while not exactly about shadow creatures it's definitely a good scary film.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Fyrephere — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:18:37 -0600

I'm usually okay with darkness, liking especially if I know a place/space well enough to navigate by dark (a little triumph over my nearsightedness?) but sometimes, if I'm in my room with even the light on and watched some creepy or scary film the strip of darkness under the door across the room is suddenly too freaky. Or if you have an animal that ducks down and stares intently at something off in the darkness, therefore confirming the possibility of something *actually* being there and no just your imagination.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

selm — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 01:41:01 -0600

What really tends to frighten me the most is the piercing silence that often accompanies the dark! If I hear the house settling or the wind howling outside, that's actually quite comforting to me. But I find that steady uninterrupted stream of eerie silence to be terribly unsettling! It makes me feel isolated from the rest of the world; like time is frozen and I'm the only living thing left on the planet, and I'm responsible for all of it now, you know? Haha, I guess that's pretty weird, but I hope you can do something with it! [:

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

SarahNicole — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:08:09 -0600

Something getting closer and closer slowly. Specially if you close your eyes, hoping you are imagining it, and it gets closer every time you open them and/or blink.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Mackenzi. — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:09:08 -0600

There was a scene in the show Supernatural where a girl comes home after a night of partying to find her roommate already asleep. She undresses in the dark and just tosses her clothes in an empty closet, then goes to bed. The next moring she wakes up, her roommate is dead and bloody in the bed one over, and on the wall was written "aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?" Just that he was there, right there near her and she couldn't see him... slept there and he was in the room for who knows how long... one of the scariest moments in th show, even though it's scary in retrospect. The movie Boogeyman also did one thing right with darkness. The monster in that movie could only be in darkness, so the main character kept the lights on all the time. At one point they were in a room with lights and no shadows and everything was white, but in the very corner, somehow, a ceiling tile got moved back just a few inches. Nobody noticed but that main character, and he stared at it, and all the other noises stopped mattering, and it just zoomed in painfully slowly on that sliver of darkness, so you were staring at it for minutes, just waiting for something to movie, because if you could finally see what was in the darkness it wouldn't be so scary. And as I was staring I could see things, something in there movie just a tiny bit, but I don't know if I imagined it. I thought it could be a hand, trying to pull the tile back further, make the dark section bigger, but it was so very pitch black, and then the scene changed. When I'm in the dark and my imagination kicks in, I start visualizing in my mind creatures and people and who knows what standing in my room. Any shape can be a ghost or a monster or velociraptor, whatever I'm afraid of at the time. Even if it looks perfectly safe, I start picturing it in my head. I can immagine faces on the other side of the window the longer I stare at them, or picture small crawling things in the darkness of the closet. Or catching a glimpse of someone walking outside in the back yard. Since I can't really see what's going on my mind fills in the worst things. And my cats sometimes, will do that thing where they just look at a random spot with interest, and I don't see anything at all. Is something invisible there? As long as they stay in the room I'm fine, but if they run ff I'll robably leave the room too, just in case. And it has to be silent. That's the scarriest part. That weird freaky things can go undetected. Like, if I hear voices outside that shouldn't be there, I know it's people and I can usually handle that. But if someone is outside moving completely silent, purposfully sneaking, it might be Michael Myers or a ghost for all I know. Hope all that rambling helps a little bit, haha.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Partial Topaz — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 15:07:52 -0600

What really frightens me about the dark is all of the shadows/silhouettes of objects surrounding me. Now, I have at least 30+ plushies lying around in my bedroom, so this idea might work better if your characters like to hoard.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Jem1510 — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:34:33 -0600

So, I am an RA in CT and we have been without power for a week. Everyday we have to sweep the building to make sure no one is being stupid and still trying to stay in the building (God only knows why you would want to. it's freezing and the rooms are begining to smell because of the rotten food in fridges. Anyways, I digress). Therefore i've had some fun new experiences in creepy dark hallways that seem to go on forever. That said, one really creepy thing is when you expect the hallway to come to an end but it doesn't. Sometimes you're just a foot away from the door but it still scares the heck out of you. Cue frantic arms seeking solidity. The other creepy thing is when your flashlight begins to die. You smack it and smack it but it simply flickers out. You stand there going, "What the f*** do I do now?" Lucky for me that's where the cell phone came in to provide some dim, not very helpful light but light none the less. So, perhaps this situation happens to your characters but their cell dies as well. Or even creepier would be that they see the scary monster now because of the cell phone light. Creepy random noises is another thing. You expect silence, which can be creepy in and of itself, and then you hear a door slam or often for us, the toliet or water running. They may seem harmless but when you're not expecting them they make you fly out of your skin. Hope this helps! Jackie

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

TravelerOfTheWays — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:19:21 -0600

For me, it's always about what might show up. I can get so wound up that for something freaky to happen would actually be a relief; I'd just lay there, staring at the crack by the door where a little bit of light comes in.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Petrarchs_Muse — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:54:53 -0600

I'm apparently not afraid of the dark anymore. I managed to decide last weekend while I was back in the small town where my dad is buried that 3 hours after sundown was a perfectly reasonable time to visit his grave. I was three rows of graves deep into the cemetery poking my way through the almost pitch black towards where I knew he must be, before I realized what an utterly creepy thing I'd just done. By the way, did you know that they make grave ornaments shaped like dim blinking white crosses that either play music or pic up a radio station? There was something like that down the row, and that was pretty creepy at first. I have pretty decent night vision, so I wasn't really afraid, but I did have a thought that really creeped me out. It was the idea of looking around and seeing nothing, then suddenly looking up and seeing something right beside me. Either an ethereal floating figure or a solid villain, or anything in between. The idea that something would just seem to materialize out of the darkness, in spite of my vigilance. That and the movie Gremlins. I slept with the light on from age 6 to 16 because of that movie.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

DeCarabas — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:34:34 -0600

Would you die watching Don't be Afraid of The Dark? It's mostly about that, and the ugly critters in the darkness.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

DeCarabas — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 07:43:22 -0600

What scares me in the dark is not knowing. The sheer possibility of there being something I couldn't see if it came to me, that's what scares me. The being taken by surprise, the possibility of not fighting back. Oh, and my cat. The hellish creature is the best at making me jump, passing through my legs in the dark, or jumping OUT OF NOWHERE in my bed, waking me up. I once threw her off the bed instinctively for that, haha.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

graymojocat — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:13:31 -0600

A lot of fear is just being keyed up and expecting something to happen. So the humans could freak out just because they're so tightly wound. Passing a mirror in the dark doesn't hurt either. And glowing eyes....like when there's a raccoon outside and you can only see the eyes but not the rest of it.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

rlyeh-moon — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 09:07:17 -0600

I think any fear I experience in the dark is tied to my mild case of claustrophobia. Complete darkness has always felt suffocating to me, like a moving entity that's coming at me looking to encase me. Another thing that bothers me is I would only see a threat in the dark at the last possible second where my actions would affect the outcome of the attack. Case in point, when I lived with some friends they had a lovely back porch that I would occasionally utilize for my nicotine seshes. My boyfriend said very creepily one night that coyotes are out there (it was a fairly rural housing development) and you have to look for the glint of their eyes in the dark with what little light there is. Just picturing that the coyotes would have to be close enough for me to see their eye glint before I'd notice them freaked me right out. That and because my friend is in a wheelchair there's a long ramp that wraps around the house coming from the front and obviously you can't see whatever's coming at you enter the ramp as well. Then you're just stuck in that narrow space with it. Again, a little tinge of claustrophobia, heh.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

cj the nonja — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:23:13 -0600

the thick Black, Nothing,with something, concealment for those who wish to be concealed, Dark and nothing. no not nothing. eyes watching you, staring into you very soul and weakening it, taking you're life into small moments rapidly growing fewer. hands, reaching grabbing you, trying, stealing souls, breaths. The thick Black, Nothing with something. That is my fav poem about The Dark. It Haunts me occasionally. I...I...I wrote it. Im not afraid of the dark anymore. you are free to use it if you like but please tell me so if you do.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Misty_Karen — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:37:24 -0600

I don't usually mind the dark at all, but I'm deathly afraid of mirrors in the dark. Even if it's still a little light, I have to keep my eyes closed tight and flip all the light switches before I can look into a room with a mirror or reflective surface....

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Mattio — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:02:09 -0600

The thing that scares me when I'm in my bed in a dark room is the idea of things happening with me not knowing of them. And I mean things in my room. The worst thing I imagine (almost every night) is seeing that little light at the other side of your room (my computer mouse charging up), but then the little light disappears, meaning that there is something between me and the light. Weird thing that happened last night: it did stop shining! But that was because it was fully charged. :)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Mackenzi. — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:26:39 -0600

Fun fact: Don't be Afraid of the Dark came on right after my favorite childhood cartoon when I was little, so every day I watched, the happy feelings I got would be destroyed as I had a heart attack trying to turn off the TV before I saw too much of the intro! The image of that empty swing still haunts me sometimes ;)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

8lizard8 — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:03:19 -0600

wow, i like the story line with the shadow creatures, and eating people. that kinda sounds like an episode of doctor who that i saw..... almost exactly like the episode.... do u watch doctor who? hum.... things that scare me..... oh! i have trees outside my bedroom window and when the wind blows they hit the glass and sound like someone knocking. the branches also make shadows that look like people sometime. i also have a tendency to set things at odd angels. so when i turn off the light and try to go to sleep the thing falls and makes a loud sound, my mind always jumps to an assassin coming to kill me. the worst time that happened it sounded like a gunshot. it was kinda funny, i screamed. i also hate it when one of my parents comes home late. when they come up the stairs they do it slowly as to not wake me up, but i do anyway, and i think its an assassin coming to kill me. :^) hehehe, hope that helps!

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

CadaeicCicada — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:13:42 -0600

As said above, the concept of something appearing either alongside me in bed, or standing by the side of my bed is terrifying to me. Sometimes it's so bad that I can't even roll over in bed because I'm scared of seeing something. If you want something to creep a character out, have a light go out on its own, or flicker on and and go dark again when his/her hand leaves the switch. (A logical and real reason for both is a faulty switch. My bathroom light is doing that lately.)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

graymojocat — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 07:08:28 -0600

How about the point where you are awake, but still dreaming and can't really move because you're in the horrible in between place? That freaks me out.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:37:04 -0600

I'll take note, thanks :D

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:38:57 -0600

*takes notes* Thank you very much :D And also, when you it's only a meter away, but that meter seems much, much longer o.O

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:41:31 -0600

I'm still toying with the idea that someone should tell a ghost story before all the mayhem begins, but dunno. Oh, I found an animal there, actually! A scorpion who is in hibernation! :D (It's in a glass container, but maybe it fulfills the job of 'staring into nothing in the darkness' xD) Thanks, again ;)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:42:10 -0600

Eerie silence. Must have that for some scenes, thanks :D

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:42:51 -0600

Nice~~~ if there's not much light, then I can use this. Thank you very much *.*

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:45:36 -0600

Wow. That must've been... quite scary. Thank you for those examples from series/movies. Actually, my creatures can't be in the light, either. But they have some advantage, since if there's enough of them, they can make the lights flicker, then switch off. They've been playing with my characters like this for awhile now x'D And YES, your post definitely helped. Thank you :)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:46:56 -0600

Well, they are not at home, but at an abandoned, reaaaaaally old castle, but I guess it can have trinkets in rooms and- you just gave me a really good idea! What's an old castle without armours lining the corridors, huh? x) Thanks :D

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

WaxAngelWings — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:47:58 -0600

It's the fear of the unknown. But mostly for me it's the fear of getting blitz attacked. One night when I was walking home by myself with a few bags of Christmas gifts, I was shoved down from behind and robbed. It was on a particularly dark night and because the assailants were african american and dressed all in black I couldn't see their faces or much about them other than they were taller and bigger than me. Because they were so faceless and blended in so well with the dark, I likened them to some kind of monsters. What's worse is I lived in a nice area of town and never had been attacked before that night (well attacked like that). Now I have my CCW permit and am allowed to legally carry a gun in my purse, yet I am still scared stiff to walk anywhere alone at night. As I replay the memory my brain wants to replace the two men with monsters since I have no way of describing them other than just knowing they were terrible people for doing that to me. I am afraid of the dark in this house even though I have two male roommates who are VERY big guys and we have a minimum of 20 guns available to use. We keep two loaded, and we live in a very nice part of town, oh did I mention the rottwieller that lives here? In the end, though, I know she can't protect me from the supernatural or God forbid the star of my novel, Slender Man. Anything can be in the dark, what you can't see is the scariest thing of all because it lurks in your mind.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:49:35 -0600

Dark hallways that seem to go on forever... and you expect it to come to an end but it doesn't. Sounds great *.* I mean, creepy xD The flashlight haven't started dying - yet -, but it WILL. And thanks for the cell phone idea - I almost forgot they had those... oops^^" Thanks for your tips :D

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:50:32 -0600

Ah yeah... the suffocating waiting in silence. Especially when you know that there's something out there, getting closer to you... Mhmmm x) Thank you.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:52:28 -0600

OMG, I never ever would that, even if they paid me to do it! o.O I really, really don't like cemeteries :/ And those blinking, music-playing crosses... I'm speechless. Who can come up with an idea like that and do it? :o Hm, looking around, seeing nothing, but then suddenly seeing something. I did the reverse just know in my novel, but I might use this one, as well. Thank you :)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:53:39 -0600

Serves her right, attacking you like that x'''D Yes, I'll definitely have a scene when all lights give out and they know they're coming, but... the waiting... hoohoohohoho Thank you x)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:55:05 -0600

I wrote glowing eyes in the dark mirror. How does that sound? :DDD Thanks for you input ;)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:56:14 -0600

[quote=rlyeh-moon]Another thing that bothers me is I would only see a threat in the dark at the last possible second where my actions would affect the outcome of the attack.[/quote] That's the case here x) Thank you :D The castle's corridors can be like a maze, so I can definitely think about this one ;)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:57:56 -0600

Thank you for the poem. I'm not writing in English, so I won't use it, but you really grasped the feeling I was trying do convey, so I think I'll be coming back to re-read it again to get in the mood. It's very inspiring; I really liked it^^

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:58:22 -0600

*trying to convey ugh, sry x'D

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:00:23 -0600

There are quite a few of you who have problems with mirrors and/or reflective surfaces in the dark. That's good to know. I mean, that there's the possibility there are more ppl are afraid of which I can use in my story x'D May I ask why are you afraid? Something will jump out of there? (Something will jump out of the mirror in my story very soon, BTW x'D)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:01:45 -0600

Aha. So when something unexpected happens in a familiar environment. Hmm... dunno if I can use this in my NaNovel, but thank you for telling me :)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:05:29 -0600

Guilty :D But they're a bit different from those creatures. Somewhat similar, but definitely different :) Oh, I almost forgot about things outside the window looking like people! I'll use this some other night, because now they're trapped in the basement. *takes notes* LoL, sorry, it sounds funny when I imagine it xDDD But I think I would've screamed, too... >.> ... It looks like there're awfully lot of assasins out there to get you. Did you do something? xP

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:06:10 -0600

Faulty switch! That's a great idea! Thank you very much!^^

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:07:22 -0600

Oh, I know what you mean. Maybe I can use it if someone falls asleep. Thanks! :)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:10:38 -0600

[quote=WaxAngelWings]Anything can be in the dark, what you can't see is the scariest thing of all because it lurks in your mind. [/quote] This is a very good thought x) Thank you. And for sharing your experience - I hope you won't have to go through that again :/

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

DeCarabas — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:29:44 -0600

HAhaha, awesome XD

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

DeCarabas — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:31:54 -0600

I'd totally read a scene like that. I love to read scary things, makes me feel braver when it happens to me :D

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:46:08 -0600

I actually don't feel braver when I read a scene like that (I actually feel the opposite), but when I write it... I don't find it that scary. Probably because I need to keep in mind lots of other things or... I dunno xD And haha, thanks :D

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

mixolydian320 — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 15:56:35 -0600

I like to keep my bedroom door shut at night (though my cat usually pushes it open) because if I'm facing it, I'm afraid I will see it slowly start to open. That's freaked me out ever since I was a little kid. And like several other people have said here, the idea of something or someone beside my bed, watching me sleep, unnerves me beyond all reason. (That was probably the creepiest moments for me in Paranormal Activity.) Also, when my cat starts staring at something I can't see. I hate that. Basically, when there's a possible threat I'm not aware of, it's so much worse than a threat I could conceivably see and touch and fight.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Denierim — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:03:26 -0600

Ok, first off I actually love the dark. I never have lights on at home; I pretty much navigate in the very dim light of my computer screen... lol But one of the things that freak me out the most are dark forests. I have no problems walking in the dark outside, but I panic if I have to pass a forest... I've head this fear since I was a little kid, living - literally - in the middle of a forest. Every morning I had to walk about 200 meters to wait for my school bus, in the middle of the forest. With the -20 to -30 celsius winter temperatures and the pitch darkness, it was horrible... Especially when it's -30 celsius and the branches start to break because of the cold. I think the most horrifying thing about it is not knowing what's out there. I've always had a very keen imagination. After I watch a horror story, I can almost visually imagine the creatures or ghosts or whatever there were in the shows. And it's usually the fact my brain starts fearing those things in advance and placing them around the house and around the forests that I'm scared of. So I'd say, for me, it's purely imagination and the haunting feeling dark forests, especially, give out. Don't know if this helps, just wanted to throw my dime in the well. :)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

TheWoWExp — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:48:59 -0600

Imagination is what gets people most, I think, and that's my biggest problem, seeing as I have a heightened sense of paranoia with the world. Since this is basically what freaks me out about the night, I'll go ahead and name a few scares I've had in the past. When I was young and laid in bed at night, across the room I had a stack of animals. At times, it would look like their eyes were moving because I was staring at them for so long. Another time I had a Furby. Middle of the night it somehow fell off my dresser and started shouting "Whee! That was fun, let's do it again!" It scared the crap out of me and now Furbys are not allowed in this house. Period. I read a lot of horror novels, and I fear death. In the middle of the night, when I hear a slight creak, I wonder if my parents are going to be dead in the morning in their bed when I find them, because someone snuck into the house somehow. This notion still scares me to this day, but I used to cry myself to sleep thinking they were being killed at that moment. I believe someone had said it before, but the lack of being able to see clearly in the dark is another thing that affects me. It's this, I believe, that my paranoia really hits home. I think I see shadowy figures, when there are none. I think that's it for me, though. :]

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Normana — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:05:35 -0600

I'm not really all that afraid of the dark anymore, but I hate that feeling I get when I'm walking up the stairs in the dark, and I get that urge to BOLT up the rest of the stairs and back into my room... on the one hand, I think that it's completely irrational, but on the other... it's almost like a gut-feeling, and I think "what if I don't listen to my instincts? What if I don't run?" So I run. Always.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

CadaeicCicada — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:15:14 -0600

I thought of another thing. Windows at night. I have SUCH a phobia of windows at night. I always worry that if I look out them someone will be standing there looking back at me. Now that I think about it, I don't like turning my back on dark doorways. I worry that someone will come out of the dark and get me. Also, Normana, I do the same thing on stairs. Side note: ...(as you can see I'm very paranoid in the dark, thus a good source)... Since I was little, I've had this idea that monsters can't touch light. I was convinced of this when I was a little kid, and still today I'll run for the nearest light source if I freak out.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

chasingsarcasm — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:31:00 -0600

Thank you, I will never sleep again, ever. D=

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Denierim — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:13:58 -0600

I completely understand the light thing. When I was a kid and had to walk outside in the dark, I always kept the flashlight pointed at my feet, making sure the light reached all around me where I saw, so that I was walking inside this ring of light. I was sure, that no monster could get to me because of the light.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

cj the nonja — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:52:38 -0600

[quote=Tika] Thank you for the poem. I'm not writing in English, so I won't use it, but you really grasped the feeling I was trying do convey, so I think I'll be coming back to re-read it again to get in the mood. It's very inspiring; I really liked it^^ [/quote] You are welcome! _____ ( O O ) -------- 'wall-e voice' " waalleee"

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

JenWales — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:46:18 -0600

I'm not really. but if i have to walk in a dark room ,well maybe not a dark room. maybe down the stairs in the dark to lock te door- who needs a light really? My imagination tells me something is waiitng in the dark. Fear of the unknown and not being able to see whats there. Im not afriad of the dark but my brain loves to scare me. I've just wrriteen something that I find creepy hopefully is is creepy.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

sithwitch13 — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:29:35 -0600

It's imagining what you can't see, for me. My favorite scene in Silence of the Lambs, and what is the most terrifying thing about pitch-black darkness for me, is when Jame Gumb is wearing night vision goggles and Clarice isn't, and he's standing just out of reach of her, and she's flailing around and she knows he's there but not where, and he can see her. The idea of something that could be anywhere, just where you can't see it, because you're not looking for it or can't see it... gah.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

pommefritz — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:14:44 -0600

This might be a weird one, but recently I've become super creeped out by the knowledge that I'm feeling my way around in the dark and can't see what might be right next to, behind, or even in front of me. (If you've seen the last bit of [REC] then you'll know why!) I also hate having a dream about someone threatening coming up to me, then waking up in the dark and still having the feeling of that presence standing there looking at me. [shudder as I'm going to bed soon here!] Generally, the idea of being watched or having something nearby that I can't see. The kind of thing that makes your characters give in and sleep with the lights on (and/or one eye open on top of it).

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

pommefritz — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:16:44 -0600

You've described really well why I loved (and was scared by) Paranormal Activity so much. I got to see unfolding in front of me what has always terrified me so much. The idea that nightmares can be caused by something evil that is present while you're asleep is enough to give me nightmares, or insomnia, as well. o_o

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

GreyofSolitude — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 01:27:34 -0600

when i look at things in the dark, like stuffed animals for instance, and they look like they're moving

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Jack.rabbit — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 02:11:07 -0600

My personal in-the-dark phobia is kind of dumb, but here goes: I'm afraid that one day I'll be home alone and I'll go to open a closed door and hear knocking coming from the other side. I don't know why, but that's literally the scariest thing I can think of: someone is not only in the house, but they're knocking on your door when they know you're there. Usually it's worst when I use the restroom at night, because it's dark and I'm scared that if I open the door I'll see something on the other side. Solution: Bring my Totoro plushie whenever I have to pee.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

AngelsFlyByNight — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 15:11:54 -0600

The thing that sometimes gets me about the dark is the sense that someone is there, hiding in the shadows watching you. When you get a horrible prickling sensation up and down your neck as if someone is staring at you and you turn but no one is there.... Also, when you hear creaks and groans in the night and can't work out where they're coming from.... Freaky stuff! (: Of course, there's also the good old monster under the bed thing - when you're lying there in the dark, unable to see a thing and there's something creaking.... Well, who can blame you if you bury yourself beneath the covers and attempt to block your ears?

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Cazzamanda — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:56:30 -0600

This is going to sound really stupid but I hate the dark because cockraoches like it. They are the creepiest thing in the world and when it's dark I can't see where they are. I have to turn a light on before I will enter a room just to check for the creepy little things.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

S O L A R O S E — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:00:08 -0600

I'm scared of being in a tiny bit of light but having dark patches next to/behind me. I just KNOW something's lurking there. Here's something I posted in another thread: [quote] I'm scared of being in the dark and having a space where I can't see anything (a doorway, a closest, a piece of wall with no nearby windows) behind or next to me. The dark itself is fine, and when I was in absolute dark in a cave I was fine, but when I have a dark space behind me and everything else is lighter, I get this irrational feeling that something (I don't know what) is going to come out and grab me. The only way I'm safe is with the light on or if I'm in my bed. It's easier on me if I have a stuffed animal. Closing my eyes doesn't help, because I still know it's there. My friend one put it well--"You're not afraid of the dark, you're afraid of what's in it." [/quote]

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

robertsloan2 — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:45:53 -0600

Fear of blindness. The scariest thing that could happen in the dark is to be unable to see anything, even the slightest bit of light... and then hear someone else in the room say "The light's on. I can see everything." If the dark is inside the character and the outside world and everyone else can see, that's terrifying.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

sewerrat — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:03:31 -0600

I have always been afraid of the dark, but one of the scariest things that ever happened to me was when I may or may not have been dreaming. It was late at night for sure, and I think I was either about to fall asleep or (as I said) dreaming. I opened my eyes and say this old lady in a white cloth robe or something, and she reached for me and wrapped her hands around my neck. I could actually feel them on my neck. I think she tried to squeeze, but couldn't, and then disappeared. I was terrified, whether or not it really was a dream. In your story, why not play with that? Have a character dream about you monsters surrounding it (or better yet, just one) and have it/them TOUCH the character. Then, have the character wake up, wonder if it really was a dream, sweat as they imagine or really see things moving in the dark, etc. :P I hope that helped!

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Jackpk — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 13:05:14 -0600

I'm always afraid that someone's under my bed or hiding in the corner or something, it really does freak me out sometimes, especially when I'm the only one that's still awake.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

awesome-me94 — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:37:01 -0600

Did something similar to this when my character was being tortured by a vampire who was under a blood contract with another vampire. Makes sense in context.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

maarow — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 01:58:10 -0600

My house has one of those between-stories windows above the staircase--higher than the first story, lower than the second. It's about ten feet off the ground. Ever since I started reading up on the Slenderman mythology, I always think, while going downstairs in the middle of the night, "What if I look up at the window and there's a face looking in at me?" Or I look out my bedroom window, at the moderately lit suburban street below, and start thinking about seeing strange shapes hovering just at the edge of the streetlights, just visible enough that you know they're there but not visible enough to know what they are. I guess my imagination just centers around windows in general.

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

DeCarabas — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:22:51 -0600

I'm a bit obsessed with the Slender Man myself. Scary thing is, my house is big and dark, and since I tend to navigate it in the dark, in the black of the night, not to wake everyone else up, my head keeps making up the presence of something. And the Slender Man is quite scary D: Once I actually screamed when the Cat stalked me to the kitchen and attacked my leg in the dark. Dad was really worried that I had gone crazy XD

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Stidyr — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 10:07:03 -0600

WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE! I wasn't afraid of the dark until now D: Good job! xD

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Smartiez101 — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 12:06:59 -0600

I'm always super paranoid that someone's sitting in my closet, under my bed, etc. watching me, learning about me, listening in on everything I say. I can talk to myself sometimes, and it's not comforting thinking someone else is listening to that... Also, my horror story for either next nano or the offseason takes place in a subway station and the killer always kills at night. wow, it's kind of cliche...

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Tika — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:59:46 -0600

Wow, thank you so much for this huuuuge amount of information! I took notes, everyone, thank you very much! <3 You helped me immensely in making my novel scarier x)

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

BurtonAndSlash — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:12:57 -0600

you know how you look out the window at night....and you can only see your reflection because your light is on inside... what scares me is what would happen if i turned on the outside light to really see whats out there....

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

Fatal_Velocity — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 17:42:28 -0600

Don't know if it's been said but I get the feeling that a lot of people afraid of the dark focus on sounds and perhaps the possibility of things "lurking". I on the other hand find the dark to be quite nice when you can just lay still and listen to the ambient sounds, what I hate is being in the dark OPEN space. I guess it's something about the idea that something could sneak up on you, or jump out at you, or run at you from the shadows. Back flat against the wall it's not so much of a problem, heh, odd huh. Oh I also have a bit of a thing about seeing something horrible at night, watching me, personified perhaps by, yep, you guessed it, the slender man. Creepy bugger. And even if you have finished, there is always time to be editing. So though November is long over I hope you, or any one really, can pull something from the above. ^_^

Re: What REALLY freaks you out in/about the dark?

ElliMelody — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:59:23 -0600

Mountains, or tall objects, in the dark. Like when I'm driving or standing somewhere, and know that the mountain is there, but its impossible to see. It freaks me out.