Silly childhood fears ;)

[bee_york]

What is a silly fear you had as a child? The keyword here is SILLY. Or bizarre. I'm not talking about normal childhood fears like the dark or closets or dogs or birds or any of that. I mean really absurd things you can't describe.

For me (and dzuunmod knows allll about this!), it was my godsister's family's Commodore-64. This lasted from the time I was about 3 or 4 until I was around 6 or so. I was TERRIFIED of it! But morbidly fascinated by it at the same time. I would hide near the staircase of their basement so I could make a quick getaway if I had to, and watch from there. My biggest fear was to be left alone in the basement with that thing!
Some games freaked me out more than others, and other games didn't scare me at all. But by far, the worst contender, the one that gave me nightmares and would literally make me panic, was Space Invaders. I was so intruiged by it at the same time. I couldn't look away from it, it was so creepy and interesting and neat. But SCARY. The freaky-looking aliens and the ominous sound effects and the way the screen turned red when you died...I couldn't stand it, but I could never bare to look away from it. So I'd always watch (from a safe distance).

Over 25 years later I downloaded it for the Wii (the old retro 70s version). And you know what? That feeling of anxiety is still there! I'm not honestly frightened of a video game that I downloaded, but I'd be lying if I said I was at complete ease while playing it. Of course it doesn't help that is IS a very nerve-wracking game. It's difficult as hell, and it does its best at trying to stress you out, with the way the creepy little aliens move faster and faster as they get closer to you, as does the game's spooky 'soundtrack'. Oh man! But stressful or no, that FEELING is still there. I'm an adult and I'm not genuinely afraid of a video game, but there's lingering memories of such anxiety that just seem attached to the game and they're impossible to shake completely. ;)

It makes for a very very complete and utter NON-boring gaming experience, that's for sure!

Are any remnants of YOUR silly/absurd childhood fears still around in a similar fashion?

Comments

[kazutakia.livejournal.com]

When I was a kid, I was scared shitless of only 2 things: automatic car washes and the game Number Munchers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_Munchers). More specifically, the monsters in Number Munchers. I actually had nightmares that the Troggles (monsters) would come out of the computer in my dad's office next to my bedroom and invade my bed, so I would surround my head with stuffed animals to protect me! I still get a little freaked out thinking about them...*shudders*

And car washes...yeah I actually don't really know the source of it. I just remember being little and screaming bloody murder every time I went through one, one time even hiding under the seat. It was probably an exaggerated display of my distaste for water.

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Hahha I hate water! But I never had a problem with car washers.

But omg @ Number Munchers. That TOTALLY looks like the type of thing that would have scared me as a kid. :S

[lucyskydiamonds.livejournal.com]

I used to be afraid of the bathtub drain. I was terrified I would get sucked down the drain, so I had to be hiding in my room under the blankets to avoid dying. No matter how many times my mom showed me that the rubber ducky didn't fit, so I wouldn't fit either, but it took YEARS to convince me of that.

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Awwww, that`s so cute though! XD

[rayefrenzy.livejournal.com]

okay, video games that scared me as a kid:

NARC (the arcade version). Actually, just the boss. Its a huge head. and then when you kill it, it becomes a skeleton. I cried when my brother was beating it.

Xenophobe for NES. The music scared the fuck outta me. It still does.

And the title screen for the NES game Ring King. Something about the song really scared me.

AND Big Bird's Hide and Speak. I wrote an entry on conquering that kid fear here: http://rayefrenzy.livejournal.com/991104.html

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

I remember when you wrote that post! And I thought it was awesome, because I could relate. :D

[dzuunmod.livejournal.com]

Adding to the video games pile here. :p

I was terrified of a video game for the Intellivision called "Bomb Squad (http://www.videogamecritic.net/images/intel/bomb_squad.png).

TELL ME THAT'S NOT MADE OF NIGHTMARES.

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

OMG DID I TELL YOU MIKE & I WERE WATCHING AVG AND THEY SHOWED A CLIP FROM THAT GAME AND I WAS LIKE OMG THAT WAS THE GAME THAT JOSH TOLD ME ABOUT!!!!

And made of nightmares is SPOT-ON. I would have CRIED REAL TEARS if I was subjected to that as a kid.

[dzuunmod.livejournal.com]

What's AVG?

I should mention that only my babysitters ever played it. When my parents were home, that cartridge was NOT INSERTED INTO THE CONSOLE.

But really, what kind of babysitter puts that game on when the kid is still awake???

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Oops! I meant AVGN! Angry Video Game Nerd. :)

Bomb Squad. Ugh. Why would you even MAKE a game like that?!?!?!?

[lostsailors.livejournal.com]

I am still afraid of the same things. I loathe thunder and lightening. It's horrible. I am so glad I am in LA where it never happens, because it's terrifying. Likewise, I don't like the booms of fireworks. The BLOB, you know the old movie, scared the bajesus out of me. I still can't look at it without getting nightmares. I think those were the big things. There were movies like "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Yeah, I will never watch that again. Ever. The blueberry part scared me. I will never watch/read Witches again either because of the Head Witch becoming that horrible rat. I was so scared I had to hide the book outside of my bedroom.

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

I bet there's a lot of kids who grew up freaked out by Willy Wonka. That is genuinely some freaky shit!

[xipetotec.livejournal.com]

Well as any kid in the 80's, I was a huge Michael Jackson fan, and I had this poster of him that was candidly taken shot of him coming out of some place smiling.

Let me first say, I do not for second believe the whole child molestation stuff. AND this poster was when he was still black, so it had nothing to do with him being alien looking or scary. BUT

One day, just joking around, I took two little balls of plasticine and put them in his irises on the poster... and it freaked me out so much, I had to leave the room... :D

[bee-york.livejournal.com]

Haha, what an awesome story. XD