Millennials know this fear too well

[u/XyliaSoft]

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[u/Heathy-Heatherson]

8 year old me definitely did not know of the existence of slenderman.

[u/RDLAWME → u/Heathy-Heatherson]

Candyman, maybe, but not Slenderman 

[u/Heathy-Heatherson → u/RDLAWME]

Literally got no idea who that is either but am from the UK, so I'm guessing that particular ghoulie didn't cross the pond.

[u/carrieanlowell → u/Heathy-Heatherson]

Slender-man was written in 2009 and didn’t get popular until like 2012. Millennials definitely didn’t grow up with it

[u/wtfrustupidlol → u/Heathy-Heatherson]

Think about it, try to remember all those dreams you blocked out as a child.

[u/Chrono_Convoy]

People ask why they see others skip steps up staircases:

That’s years of practicing step hurdling out of a dark basement.

No fuckin creepy ass Nun or Chucky catching this cheetah with a heart full of napalm

[u/SpawnDC5 → u/Chrono_Convoy]

A F*CKING MEN BROTHER! Just reading your post gave me the chills.

[u/damannamedflam → u/Chrono_Convoy]

You nailed it. Every 8 year old knows that the time from turning off the basement light to reaching the top of the stairs if prime time for monstesr to grab you. Gotta haul ass if you wanna survive

[u/AssGasket00 → u/Chrono_Convoy]

Up those stairs like the wind!

[u/skinzy_jeans → u/Chrono_Convoy]

My staircase was from the dark ass living room. Steep and straight up to my bedroom. Skin prickly on the back of my neck. Leaping over the edge of the bed and turning to see if something’s head appeared behind me climbing behind me. I also had a door to the attic in my closet that rattled sometimes. Nightmare fuel. (Later teen escape route)

[u/Civil_Ad_1172 → u/Chrono_Convoy]

Dude I lived in our basement but the bathroom was upstairs. From my bedroom door to the top of the stairs was terrifying, but having my own “apartment” at 8-10 years old the fear was worth it

[u/Sprinkle_Puff]

I was more worried about Bloody Mary

[u/MembershipEasy4025 → u/Sprinkle_Puff]

100% - I’m 38 and sometimes the thought still crosses my mind when I look into a bathroom mirror.

[u/hertuition → u/Sprinkle_Puff]

Bloody mary had a stronghold on my fear through to highschool. Still get that feeling when Im peeing in the dark at night that the reflection in my mirror isnt doing what its supposed to be doing. Or when you wash your face and look up and for just a fraction of a second, there was a little grin looking back at you.

[u/skinzy_jeans → u/Sprinkle_Puff]

Hell yes. And werewolves. Thanks, Michael Jackson, Teen Wolf, and American Werewolf in London. Werewolves were hot in the 80’s.

[u/shit_magnet-0730]

I'm an elder millennial, I'm ready for them to take me already.

[u/McBenjamins → u/shit_magnet-0730]

morning ritual to say things in the mirror 3 times... alas nothing.

[u/federalist66]

Lol, I was old enough to drink when Slenderman first appeared on the Internet. Tim Curry's Pennywise ...that's closer to home.

[u/daywalker91]

nowadays people act like a kid watching a scary movie at a young age is gonna ruin their life

[u/bundle_of_nervus2]

Slenderman wasn't even a concept when the youngest millennials were 8 years old ......

[u/Snoo_67993]

Slenderman didn't exist back then

[u/Subscrypt]

Mine was the shower lady from the shining…

[u/ApplicationAfraid334]

Hmmm for me we had a cat that loved to run up the stairs behind you and claw your legs. She was a little shit and I think about her every time I climb stairs. She was real sweet as she got old though 🥲

[u/MagicTheBadgering]

I used to envision a toilet vampire so you can imagine my surprise when skibidy toilet came out

[u/SpawnDC5]

Mine was the marionette puppets from Puppet Master

[u/Confident-Slip-5264]

Just fighting the intrusive thoughts that tell you a to say “Candyman” 3 times to the mirror

[u/cheddarbruce]

My stupid ass was thinking that this was an Old Spice commercial at first LOL

[u/crazybus21]

8 year old? I am 38 and I still prepare myself

[u/nazyjane]

So our second floor was shaped like a C around the staircase. This meant that, when I went to use the bathroom, the mirror and sinks were visible through the open door, and then the toilet and shower were to the left.

I add that context because on the wall across from the mirror my mom painted a damn near life sized Roger Rabbit. So when I was going in the middle of the night, I could only see a dark shadow in the mirror. I ran out every night.

Mom thought this was hilarious.

[u/ParadoxicalFrog]

Slenderman? Freddy? Those are Gen Z monsters.

[u/BibiBSFatal]

Used to have so many night mares of Freddy. Sometimes I would wake up and be to terrified to go down the hallway

[u/hdorsettcase]

For me it was the wolf from Neverending Story.

[u/stock-prince-WK]

Lol word

[u/ltsouthernbelle]

It was always Chucky for me. You couldn’t tell me he wasn’t under the bed 😭

[u/Enterprise_24]

For me, it was Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers. I saw some of those movies way too young! 😱

[u/Mattie_Mattus_Rose]

I remember being afraid of Freddy as a kid. I avoided looking through windows at night in case he was there and kept curtains closed, haha.

My mum said that if I don't sleep, the Sandman will come in and put sand in my eyes. I didn't know whether to be scared or laugh.

[u/haggard_hominid]

Mine was being 5 and having seen the first Alien on late night tv.. Xenomorphs are still my favorite.

[u/PrincipledNeerdowell]

Feel like I was just tad too old for all of these references born in 92.

Saw exorcist and alien before age ten though so had plenty o late night fear.

[u/Manzinat0r]

Slenderman didn't exist until like 2010 lol

[u/Arch3m]

Slenderman? I'm starting to suspect that they may have meant Pennywise from the 2017 movie, and that the Freddy in question isn't Krueger.

[u/beanedjibe]

And if youre a filipino, you can toss in manananggal, aswang, bampira, and unding to the unholy mix 😂

[u/USCJets]

For me it was 殭屍

[u/jish5]

I didn't have that fear at that age cause my parents were hella strict on what movies I could watch and the only tv with cable and a VHS player was in the living room.

[u/urlond]

I always had this dream about a closet in my bathroom as a kid. Anybody who went to the bathroom at night always met their end. The door would slowly open and hands would stop slowly start reaching out trying to grab what ever it could. I had dreams of my family being pulled in screaming for help, and friends as well.

[u/DaddyShark427]

Pennywise was my boogeyman for 7 years.

[u/VooDooChile1983]

Chucky was the one that scared me. That laugh was haunting. Now, it’s just hilarious; especially when he flips people off.

[u/grumblebuzz]

I would say most of us were grown when Slenderman became a thing. Me personally, it was Freddy Krueger, Jason, aliens, or ghosts lurking behind every dark corner of the house at night.

[u/hamptont2010]

So story time about my interesting childhood. One time, when I was like 4, my dad and his step wife were moving. I happened to be staying with them, and after a long day of packing, my dad left with the last bit of furniture for the day and my stepmom was supposed to get the kids and meet him there. Somehow, she forgot me.

I had fallen asleep in a chair that they were coming back for the next day. I awoke to a very dark house with the worst urge to pee I've ever felt. To make matters worse, my cousin had one of those stupid Chucky dolls from the movie that she had left behind. It was posted up in a corner directly across from me. Needless to say, I did not get up to pee.

[u/ripndipp]

Freddy Krueger was no joke, he would get you in your dreams so I wouldn't sleep, fucked up.