For me, it's evil little girls.

[kungfuwaynewho]

Today I shall commence the beginning of the first part of my second draft of my vampire screenplay.  Well, that's a lie; I've finished the first part, which is going over the first draft with a fine toothed comb, as well as collating everyone's notes.  So I guess I have commenced the beginning, and shall now begin the commencement of the rest of the first part of the second draft - the revision manifesto, and a new outline.  ("Revision manifesto" sounds all fancy, but it's basically just a brief document to help me keep in mind the larger goals I have when writing, the things it came be easy to lose when you're in the middle of some individual scene and are worrying about the difference between two synonyms.)

Anyway, one thing I want to work on, as per my manifesto, is really nailing all the little scary moments early on.  I am not doing blood and gore, but more psychological horror.  This is where you guys come in.

Question: What scares you?  I don't mean things that are real and could actually harm you - like sharks, or heights - and I don't mean existential things - like what happens after death.  I mean, what little creepy things happen, in real life or in the movies, that freaks you out?  That even if you rationally and objectively think about it and know it isn't real or isn't scary, still gets to you?

You don't have to pick just one! 

Comments

[la-loony.livejournal.com]

That's a tough one, I know there is a bunch of stuff in movies or shows that freak me out but it's often connected with blood and so on, like cutting or pulling thing from alive people...I shouldn't get started on thatXD

So what scares me in real life...
+ little noises in the house. Not always. Like at my parents place I don't get scared by them, but at my place I do. I'm pretty close to freak out when it sounds like somebody is in the apartment sneaking around cause I had to experience that beginning of the year.
+ when it's late at night and I walk home I'm kinda scared of the people walking the same way cause I think they are following me.
+ gadgets doing stuff on their own or not the way they are supposed to, like when my notebook does nothing and than a bunch of things all at once.
+ dark shapes. You know they must be from something in the room or whereever you are but before you know for sure something scary could be hiding there.

In movies...
+ these scenes when you just know something is about to happen and you're getting tense and than it hits you even harder. Like in Harry Potter 2, I know now that the big snake thing (is it calles basilisk in English as well? I just know it in German) is coming out of the water in the middle of the fight with Harry but I still get scared.
+ Scenes when you don't expect things to happen.
+ Since watching 'Black Swan' ordinary things like cliping nails, I couldn't here it without rolling my toes and fingers to protect my nails.

[kungfuwaynewho.livejournal.com]

+ when it's late at night and I walk home I'm kinda scared of the people walking the same way cause I think they are following me.

I do this, too! I'm usually not that weirded out by stuff when I'm not in my own house, but I do get paranoid about this. This and people who are behind me in their cars; once they take one turn the same way I do, I assume they're following me for bad reasons.

(is it called basilisk in English as well? I just know it in German)

Yep! Basilisk in the English editions, too. I think because a basilisk is specifically a type of serpent that can freeze people with its stare, so it would be the same word.

[la-loony.livejournal.com]

I always try to blame the shows I watch for that stuff but actually I think it doesn't matter if I watch them or not.

Oh yes people in cars, always scary!
And I'm always close to a heart attack as well when I just pass a police car when I'm driving (and that doesn't happen so much, I just rent a car from time to time when needed), always scared that they're looking for me.


Makes sense^^ Now that I think about it, that is really scary too, if somebody can freeze you just with a stare.