As a generation, we have some great memories to look back on, from Tamagotchis to silly bandz to early Spongebob. We also have some truly terrifying memories that probably scarred us all for life. Here are seven of them:
7. Coraline
Coraline is still more frightening than most horror movies. I can handle Pennywise, Samara, and Freddy Krueger no problem. But when other-mother suddenly turns into a spider monster and chases down Coraline? My head is immediately under the covers.
6. Bloody Mary at a Sleepover
After truth and dare becomes old, sleepover guests start looking for another game to play. If your friends were anything like mine, that means you were forced to play Bloody Mary in the bathroom, alone with nothing but the sound of your friends’ giggles and the certainty that a woman in a mirror was about to murder you.
5. That One Jump Scare Video
I have no idea why this jump scare video became popular, but everyone I know has seen it. It starts pleasantly enough, but there’s a fun surprise at the end that almost gave your middle school self a heart attack.
4. Urban Legends that Older Kids Told You
“Take the kids and run,” the mother says. “We don’t have a clown statue!”
Or, if you never heard that one, perhaps it was “aren’t you glad you turned on the lights”. Or “humans can lick too.” Or the classic, “the call was coming from inside the house!” Whatever it was, chances are an older kid told you an urban legend that made it difficult to sleep at night.
3. Courage the Cowardly Dog
Courage the Cowardly Dog was a great show, but it was undeniably terrifying. Some frontrunners for scariest episodes include the one with the slab and the ghost of King Ramses, the one with Freaky Fred and his haircutting obsession, and the one where Muriel becomes possessed.
2. Furbies
One thing we can all agree on: Furbies are scary. I lost track of how many stories I heard about Furbies that talked without their batteries, moved without anyone’s help, or said strange and ominous things. They might be toys in the light of day, but at night they are definitely an alien race here to torture us all.
1. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Of course this book had to be number one. The illustrations are enough to frighten you, and the actual contents of the book are even worse. The scarecrow story scarred me the most, but all the stories are trauma-worthy material.
I’m sure I’m leaving things out—the Willy Wonka boat ride comes to mind—but if I were to list every scary thing from childhood this list would go on forever. Looking back, though, it’s hard not to miss the days when we were scared of movies and toys instead of debt and the job market. I’d take Furbies over a harsh interviewer any day.