The Goose Bump Syndrome

Candy CornHenge

I love a good scary movie or book, especially one that starts with: "the story you are about to read (or the movie you are about to watch)" is based on fact. Unfortunately, I sometimes get so freaked out that I can't stay up alone, after everyone else has gone to bed. It really is ridiculous. When my kids were little and a movie or tv show would cause them those nighttime fears, I would always tell them: "It's just a movie, all make believe, actors pretending.. it is not real." Apparently this same reasoning does not work for me!

I remember the first movie that really, really scared me was the original "Invaders from Mars" ( the remake in the 90s was not scary, and rather disappointing). This movie scared me, and some of  my friends, so badly, it affected the way we slept (never on your back because that is where the Martians inserted the thingy that turned you into a zombie kind of a thing, and also, never walk on any kind of sandy surface, because that is how the Martians got you, sinking down through the sand into their cave of horrors)!

Then there was Hitchcock's "The Birds" and "Psycho". Scary stuff. When you see a big flock of crows, do you for just a second think:  uh, oh.

Nowadays there are way too many movies that rely heavily on gore, chainsaws, torture, huge special effects, shock factor. Doesn't really scare me, just grosses me out. So I stay away from those.

But "The Ring" and "The Grudge"...whoa, big goosebumps there. Very eerie images that stay with me. And yet I love to watch them. I will cover my eyes with a pillow, I will hyperventilate at times. But I will add scary movies to my Netflix queue. I will watch Paranormal State on A&E.  I loved and was afflicted by the low-budget movie "Paranormal Activity", and am thrilled to see "Paranormal Activity 2" is about to be released. And I know I will get scared and have to sit as close to my husband as possible and give him bruises on his arms as I grab and claw my way through the movie.

I do believe in ghosts. I have experienced my own paranormal activity. I do believe there are many unexplained events going on all around us. And boy do I get goosebumps.

Still, I love the thrill, I love the big scare and I will keep watching and reading these goosebump raising, hair standing up, creepy ghosty, bumps-in-the-night.  Gotta go now, there's a ghost show coming on tv, and I must find my scary movie pillow!