What terrified you as a kid?

I only ask after remembering my gran scaring the pants off me, with tales of Spring Heeled Jack, who, she said, could be seen on dark nights leaping from rooftop to rooftop, as he pursued his evil deeds.
Gran lived in an old Victorian house, which was scary enough for a six year old, but old Spring Heels put the top hat on it. There was a fireplace in every bedroom, and the shadows from the flames just seemed to add to the terror.
I'd love to go back and experience it one more time. Despite the fear, they were happy days.

This. I remember watching it with my sister. We had never seen anything like it before and it frightened the life out of us.

My brother loved that show. I avoided it.

Public speaking believe it or not!

I guess I was scared of all the normal things as a child but the first I really remember is when I was around 10 or 11 years old where it seemed to be normal for kids to read out passages of the bible in school assembly.

Although I had dyslexia it didn't stop me reading books, I remember reading Treasure Island around that time for instance, still by far one of the best books I've ever read although being similar age to the books hero Jim Hawkins at the time probably helped a great deal to make it so, but I certainly had no desire to read in public and from a book that I found hard to read from anyway with all the 'thee's' and thy's and strange words like Canaanites and Galileans and many, many more.

It seemed if I remember correctly that it was some form of badge of honour to read out in school assembly but I was petrified that I'd get chosen one day as (and I'm not wishing to blow my own trumpet or anything) I was one of the smartest kids in class by far and thus it seem inevitable to me I would be told one day it was my turn!

I can't remember now how I managed to avoid it - maybe the class teacher knew I wasn't wanting to do it or something but anyway it passed me by and all was well.

Funny to think looking back now that I've since done loads of public speaking, been a witness in courts, been interviewed live on radio, addressed a national company's AGM at the Queen Elizabeth Centre, across the road from Parliament in London, addressed foreign dignitary's in council 'twinning' events and a load of other stuff, since those days.

But at the time is was something I was really, really scared to do!

When I was about 12 my mother used to shout "Natasha, if you don't buckle down at school by the time you're 32 you'll be wasting your days on a ridiculous football forum surrounded by bellends and blockheads."

If only I had been terrified, I could have avoided all this.

@Sluffy wrote:Public speaking believe it or not!

I guess I was scared of all the normal things as a child but the first I really remember is when I was around 10 or 11 years old where it seemed to be normal for kids to read out passages of the bible in school assembly.

Although I had dyslexia it didn't stop me reading books, I remember reading Treasure Island around that time for instance, still by far one of the best books I've ever read although being similar age to the books hero Jim Hawkins at the time probably helped a great deal to make it so, but I certainly had no desire to read in public and from a book that I found hard to read from anyway with all the 'thee's' and thy's and strange words like Canaanites and Galileans and many, many more.

It seemed if I remember correctly that it was some form of badge of honour to read out in school assembly but I was petrified that I'd get chosen one day as (and I'm not wishing to blow my own trumpet or anything) I was one of the smartest kids in class by far and thus it seem inevitable to me I would be told one day it was my turn!

I can't remember now how I managed to avoid it - maybe the class teacher knew I wasn't wanting to do it or something but anyway it passed me by and all was well.

Funny to think looking back now that I've since done loads of public speaking, been a witness in courts, been interviewed live on radio, addressed a national company's AGM at the Queen Elizabeth Centre, across the road from Parliament in London, addressed foreign dignitary's in council 'twinning' events and a load of other stuff, since those days.

But at the time is was something I was really, really scared to do!

I know what you mean. As a child I had a slight stammer, which became pronounced whenever I had to read or speak in front of people.
I was word perfect speaking aloud in my own room, but add a few people and I went to pieces. One particular English teacher took an evil pleasure in asking me to stand in front of the class, and read passages from whatever book we happened to be studying that week.
I'd cry myself to sleep knowing what the days English lesson had in store.
Happily, I beat my stammer, but always feel pangs of sympathy when coming across other youngsters similarly affected.
Joe Biden himself beat a stammer, and he's not done too badly.
Although not the fear I was thinking of, Sluffy, your own post brought it back to mind.

I read a book recently that had a chapter on spring heeled jack. A very interesting read. Of course it is mostly people exagerating what they saw and making stuff up. A good read nonetheless. His sightings went on for many decades. He was seen leaping over houses in one go!
I also re-read Treasure Island lately. Also one of the best books Ive ever read. The lingo that the Pirates used in it are authentic and marvellous. It is how they spoke in those times. A wonderful book.

@sunlight wrote:I read a book recently that had a chapter on spring heeled jack. A very interesting read. Of course it is mostly people exagerating what they saw and making stuff up. A good read nonetheless. His sightings went on for many decades. He was seen leaping over houses in one go!
I also re-read Treasure Island lately. Also one of the best books Ive ever read. The lingo that the Pirates used in it are authentic and marvellous. It is how they spoke in those times. A wonderful book.

Long John Silver was horrible, yet strangely loveable. A flawed character indeed.

I had a stammer as a kid as well and was teased about it so i always avoided being in front of a crowd. I do remember at primary school being made to mime along to a song (the model by Kraftwerk, it's still imprinted on my mind) in front of the whole class and it terrified me. I was on the verge of just jumping the fence at school and running away but i was more scared of that and the consequences so ended up doing it.

I do still stammer now occasionally especially if i'm tired or stressed.

On a lighter note i was once chased by an angry peacock at Moss Bank Park and still can't stand them now 

Nosferatu. This movie caused me to always sleep with the light on. Dad was no help, often sneaking into our room wearing fake cardboard fangs.

I used to be petrified when my parents were away until late, after dark, and I was alone in the house. They only did this when I was 14 or 15 onwards, not when I was younger, they never left me alone then.
I had to go upstairs to bed alone and was absolutely petrified. I had a feeling of a presence watching me all the time, it was horrendous. The atmosphere in the house was awful.
Years later I discovered, from a neighbour who lived nearby, that someone hanged themselves in one of the rooms. I was told which room.

Watched Bambi when I was four. Absolutely traumatic.

@wanderlust wrote:Watched Bambi when I was four. Absolutely traumatic.

The ending of Ring Of Bright Water did the same to me.

For me, terror was a recurring nightmare of a skeletal figure slowly creaking his way upstairs, wearing red rubber gloves which he was going to use to grab me round my neck and throttle me. I could hear his footsteps getting closer and closer, as I lay trembling and perspiring in the shadow-filled bedroom with hideous patterns of imagined ogres on the wallpaper. 

I pleaded with my mother to stop wearing washing-up gloves......

I now realise I dream in colour. Not sure if that's true of most people, or rare.

Taps

@okocha wrote:For me, terror was a recurring nightmare of a skeletal figure slowly creaking his way upstairs, wearing red rubber gloves which he was going to use to grab me round my neck and throttle me. I could hear his footsteps getting closer and closer, as I lay trembling and perspiring in the shadow-filled bedroom with hideous patterns of imagined ogres on the wallpaper. 

I pleaded with my mother to stop wearing washing-up gloves......

I now realise I dream in colour. Not sure if that's true of most people, or rare.

I dream in technicolour. Very vivid.

The theme tune from Dr.Who. Especially on dark winter Saturday nights when I got sent to the corner shop by my mum. If the Daleks or the Cybermen had been involved in that weeks episode it was twice as bad.