Just before you thought you couldn’t get any bigger buzz than by watching a decent horror flick, we bring you everyday situations that are far scarier than any movie. These events are possible in anyone’s lives. Reality is indeed crazier than fiction.
Actually, many horror movies are based on events of real life. The interplay between what is real and what is not contributes to a more enduring and scarier movie. For example, the classic films Nightmare On Elm Street were based upon a demon that could be felt in dreams. Given that everyone dreams, this theme has a universal fear-factor.
Anyone who has been through sleep paralysis knows that it is more freaky than any Freddy Krueger nightmare. The current theories around sleep paralysis suggest that it occurs when the body is not moving smoothly through the stages of sleep, but this is not how it feels to the person who is actually experiencing it, who is immobile but may feel like they are being confronted by evil forces – night terrors in the most real way imaginable!
The Blair Witch Project is another film that plays on our senses, and becomes especially scary when played back in your imagination during a camping trip in the woods. It only takes a few unusual noises in the dark of the night to trigger a sense that a strange unknown being is lurking in the shadows, and once the fear takes over it can be difficult to shake it.
In this way, horror movies have infected our everyday lives like a zombie virus; many commonly occurring events can be instantly related to scenes from our favorite flicks (or equally disturbing news broadcasts), and so missing the train and walking home in the dark becomes a scene of terror in which you are the central character.
But not all scary real life situations are straight out of the scenes of horror films. Many financial horrors grip us daily, as well as tales of love and loss. One of the most horrific moments in a lot of people’s lives comes when they check their bank balance. For the gamer or serious online poker player, the biggest nightmare is losing a game or a big hand in a bad beat on PokerStars.
Another situation that most of us find ourselves in nearly every week, and one that brings utter terror to our lives, are text messages sent in the early hours that are severely regrettable the next day. Slurs to exes are the worst of the bunch.
The final real life situation that is worse than any horror movie, or at least on-par, is the story of the porcelain dolls that were left on the doorsteps of resident’s homes in San Clemente, Orange County. After the dolls began appearing across various neighborhoods, worried victims rang the police. After a bit of nifty detective work, the culprit was identified, and turned out to me an innocent old lady who wanted to send gifts to her friends from church. Little did she realize the dread she had unleashed!
Next time you get tempted to wimp out of a good movie, remember that you have already survived the horrors of real life!
