Children have no chill and wild imaginations. One careless word from a grown-up or a creepy cartoon, and you think that the underworld is inside some bathroom’s drain. These unreasonable fears didn’t make sense at all, but they rang true. From haunted toilets to watermelon seeds that’ll grow in the belly, here are 17 flat-out irrational childhood terrors that we’ve all had — and to be real? Some of us have low-key never gotten over them either.
Dolls Watching You at Night
There was always that specific doll – too glassy the eyes, smile too smug, standing in the corner of the room like they had been dwelling to the secrets. You’d hide it under the bed or in the closet, but for some unfathomable reason, it would creep even closer. All thanks to films like Chucky, the doll had become the arch-nemesis.
Sleeping With Any Body Part Hanging Off the Bed
The ultimate beginner gaffe. Everyone was aware that monsters existed underneath the bed and would grab anything that strayed beyond the bedframe in a second. Still to this day, some of us are sleeping curled up, just in case the under-bed devils are on duty.
The Toilet Monster Would Eat Your Butt
Each flush was a countdown. You’d go about your business and leap away like the floor was hot lava, believing that a sewer monster would grab your cheeks at any moment. Bonus terror: flushing at night would definitely kill you. Who came up with this? Probably an older brother or sister who had some issues.
Quicksand. Just… Quicksand Everywhere.
TV painted the picture that quicksand was around every bend—playgrounds, woods, perhaps even in the yard next door. You had the entire survival strategy at the ready (don’t move! grab onto a stick!) even though you lived in a completely suburban neighborhood.
If you didn’t Hold Your Breath Past a Graveyard, Ghosts Would Enter You
You might be in the middle of a sentence, but the moment you saw headstones? Quiet. Breathing deep. Panic. You’d almost faint trying to “respect the dead” — or not be possessed. No one ever said why this was the rule. We just knew we had to… Or else.
Getting Sucked Down the Bathtub Drain
Although you knew for a fact that you were too large to go down there, something about the gurgle made you go into full-on panic mode. You’d stay well away from the drain like it would yawn open to engulf you whole.
Swallowed Up By the Escalator
The moment of horror that is having the shoelace of your shoe stuck—and heaven forbid, the entire foot. Every ride up the elevator was like walking on a ticking time bomb. That last step was a leap of faith, with the possibility of being devoured whole by a mall escalator VERY real.
Mid-Ride Elevators Falling
That irrational belief that the elevator cable was going to snap at the next instant? Sure. Standing in the corner, doing the math on whether you’d survive the five-story plummet? Complete overthinking. But hey, childhood was just perpetual catastrophe planning.
Mannequins Coming to Life
They stood too rigidly, lacked faces, but remained creepy in some way nonetheless. Slinking past them at the department store required having the door to the outside within vision at all times. The terror was not “what if they move?” – but the instant they did move.
Thunder Meant God Was Angry (Or Someone Was Bowling?)
Every crack of thunder felt like the end times. You’d scurry under bedclothes, certain the sky was coming down. And then the grown-ups would hit you with this line: “God is just bowling.” Huh?? Why was God so angry that he was bowling over the top of my house in the middle of the night??
The Hum of the Vacuum Cleaner
Why did vacuums seem like the devil’s roar at five? That instant ON turn was sufficient to run you down the hallway in fright. Some of us were actually hiding under tables, convinced that it would suck us through to another plane of existence.
Toys Getting Angry at You
Long before this was made wholesome by Toy Story, we had a guilt complex over leaving our stuffed animals behind. Did the teddy bear even notice that you did not cuddle him last night? Is your favourite toy angry that you spent time with the new toy instead? All emotional devastation.
Obviously Demonic Dolls That Blinked
That one lone porcelain doll with the blank eyes? You swore to see that move when nobody was around. You’d turn the doll so that the wall faced it, then sleep with an open eye. Barbie was not innocent either. Toy Story hadn’t been of help – only fuelled your fears. They existed, bro.
The Basement Was Most Assuredly a Gateway to Hell
Each time you went down to grab something downstairs, it was a full-blown horror movie scene. The lights never worked properly. Something always creaked. And coming back up the stairs was like fleeing from demons – every single time.
Getting Stuck in a Revolving Door
For some reason or other, they seemed so much more terrifying than the reality of the situation. You’d freak halfway through a turn, realizing you’d never leave, you’d just go round and round in an endless corridor of glass catastrophe. And the moment someone behind you bumper-checked a little too rapidly? Game over!
If You Told a Lie, Your Tongue Would Turn Black
Every time you lied, you panicked and rushed to the mirror. “Is it black?! Do they know?! Can they see?!” You’d wash your tongue with soap just in case. White-knuckled anxiety about getting busted on the basis of tongue color.
The Floor Was Lava and Furniture Was Life or Death
You couldn’t walk on the floor without “dying.” It was molten lava, naturally. You’d leap from the sofa to chairs for dear life. Carpet? Still molten lava. Being yelled at by Mom to stop was beside the point. You operated in survival mode.
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