Everyone must have had one of those moments where you tuck yourself under the covers so the monster won't get you. I know I had them as a child and I still have them and I'm *coughs loudly to mask the number*.
The human brain is an amazing place. One moment we can be perfectly rational and the next we turn off the light and suddenly we are surrounded by monsters.
Two places held certain terror as a child: the wardrobe and under the bed. The wardrobe door had to be completely closed and there was no way I was ever looking under the bed when the light was off. I honestly have no idea what I expected to come out of either place, but it was definitely some sort of monster. These days I hate it when the door to our back bedroom is open at night; it just spooks me (probably something to do with that room being really cold too :)).
I can't remember who wrote it or what eventually happened. but I do remember a scene where the arm climbs the bedclothes to a sleeping person; inch by inch, making its way closer to the person just lying there. To me that mental image is way worse than a whole mummy. The idea of an unattached arm moving by itself filled me with dread.
Of course there is one rule with bedroom monsters in horror; if you are under the covers you should be safe. One of the films I really love and scares me silly is Juon (The Grudge) - now there are some monsters for you. The part that scared me totally witless the first time I saw it was where they break the golden rule. In the bed should be safe; under the covers is a haven, only, not so much:
Thank you so much for reading, please, tell me about the monsters under your bed.
Some of my books you might like:
This is a two story horror anthology created for All Hallows Read 2012.
Catcher of Souls by Natasha Duncan-Drake (that's me :))
Is a ghost killing people?
Some Things Are Stranger... by Sophie Duncan
A werewolf is being hunted and finds a friend who might not be all he seems.
An anthology of six short horror stories.
Sleep Of The Damned by Natasha Duncan-Drake
How would you cope if you discovered your bed was haunted?
BFF by Sophie Duncan
New school, new best friend, but Karen discovers that Debbie has dark secrets.
Just One Day by Sophie Duncan
The house is haunted for just one day a year.
The Crosses We Bear by Natasha Duncan-Drake
If there is a cross above your bed in a hotel, might be best not to move it.
Queen Of My World by Sophie Duncan
Alfred doesn't like people very much, but he knows how to use them to get what he wants and he wants Lissy.
Dead Not Dying by Natasha Duncan-Drake
Tigger died, only the old cat came back.
I like to pretend I'm all tough and b**chy, but when I'm in the house alone and it's pitch black, that little trip from light switch to bed is embarrassingly scary. I guess us writers have overactive imaginations no matter how old we are! :-)
ReplyDeleteI am totally the same with the light switch. When my husband is away on business I sometimes sleep with the light on :). I also have to ban myself from watching anything creepy ::g::
DeleteThanks for dropping by.
Gah! The grudge! I remember thinking the same thing, too! Under the covers is neutral territory lady! It's like Switzerland under there!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Stopping by with my MMM'S Carmen Jenner Author and Book Me!
Happy Hopping! =D
I do love how j-horror breaks the rules we are often used to in Western Horror - I think that might be why it can get to me.
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by.
That mummy's hand story gave me the creeps for many many years, and it's a bummer we can't remember what book it was in. I'll check my ghost stories and horror books collection downstairs in the library and see if I can find it.
ReplyDeleteThank you dearest sister :) Meanwhile I am writing my own version for the blog hop, hopefully will get it finished later today.
DeleteOh, I always used to be scared of something under my bed... I used to also scare my younger sister by saying there's a werewolf under the bed just as she shut off the lights and made her way to bed...:)
ReplyDeleteLOL - ah, what are sisters for if not to terrify? ;)
DeleteThank you for dropping by.
Awesome post! When I was little I used to get into bed, and when the lights were out, I would crowd all my toys around my face and tuck my legs up as high as I could, so the "monsters" would think there was no one in the bed, just a cute boy doll face in among all the stuffed animals!
ReplyDeleteHow many toys did you have? I used to have three bears - George, Fred and Bruno :). I think I had an advantage when small, I have a twin sister and we shared a room, but that did not stop the wardrobe from being a terrifying place :).
DeleteToo many, they were stashed near my bed till mum turned the lights out... then I would rush to get into position!
DeleteAre you kidding? I still at 40 something hide under my covers! Love this!
ReplyDeleteHiding under the covers is still completely valid :).
DeleteThere WAS a witch under my bed. I couldn't even let my foot drop down for fear she'd grab me under, never to be seen again. And dark corners, or jst darkness in general, scared me senseless. That feeling running down your spine, like someone's about to grab you, propels you up the stairs during commercial breaks. Lol! Scary. I too need a good strong arm to hold and a pillow to shield my view, when watching horrors. But I STILL love them :) Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteShah X
shahwharton.com
Our cinema room is upstairs in the converted attic and there is nothing worse than watching something spooky only to realise we have forgotten to leave a light on downstairs and now it's dark!!! :) The light switch is on the other side of the room from the stairs.
DeleteThe Grudge especially the original, might be one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. Love it!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree - I still find it scary when I watch it again.
DeleteHiding under the covers, from the things that lurk in the darkness, is one of those common threads that tie us together, no matter what corner of the world we come from. And I completely agree, "how could anyone not love Thing?" :D
ReplyDeleteThing rocks :D Thank you so much for dropping by.
DeleteI have no monsters.. really. To talk about them would make them real so I have no monsters. It's known as control.
ReplyDeleteDon't tell "them".
No monsters, got it, no monsters ... :)
DeleteI just have to say I was terrified of Thing as a kid. When I was four, I wouldn't touch the ground for a week because I saw a cereal commercial with Thing on it and I was convinced he would run out from under sofas or chairs to grab my ankles if I walked on my own. My mother was not amused.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how I would have reacted at four. You poor mum, did she have to carry you everywhere?
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