What creeped you out when you were little?

[Kefrith]

So, we already have a thread for present-day phobias, but what about things that creeped you out when you were a kid? I for one was creeped out by people with tattoos or multiple or non-ear piercings (all of which I eventually outgrew). What about you?

[ManipulatorGeneral]

The digital clock in my bedroom, specifically when the power or its battery failed and the time started flashing. I feared that flashing red alphanumeric matrix like an ant fears Bigfoot. I guess, when exposed to flooding (sudden exposure to a phobic stimulus), I didn't leave the room and eventually the fear response was deconditioned...regurgitating what I've just learned in psychology class WIN!

[jbdude55]

In primary school in the UK (ages 4-11) you had to take these things called SATS tests to see how you were progressing, one at age six and one at age ten. In my age ten maths paper, the last question was an algebra question, which was something I had never seen before. I knew I had nailed everything on the paper up til that point, but I hadn't the faintest idea what to do, even though the question was only something like 20 = 3x + 5, find x. Having looked at the question and not being able to do it for five minutes, I buried my head in the desk and started crying to myself for the remainder of the test, and for a good five years after that, I had a fear of failure, and algebra was just my recurring nightmare.

Now, eleven years later, I'm on track for a first in the final year of a Physics degree. Go figure.

[IceyLava108]

A monster coming out of the dark in thin air.

[BigOto2]

Seeing the Moon from my bedroom window. I could go outside and look at it and I would be fine, but I always had to keep my blinds closed while sleeping. One day they were accidentally cracked a bit letting moonlight shine in, and I'm pretty sure I freaked out so badly that I woke my parents.

Nowadays, I always sleep with the blinds open as I find it incredibly difficult to wake up before the light.

When I was a bit older (10-11) I was always freaked out by ghost shows. I hated waking up before a certain time when it was still dark in my room because I was worried about the stories I had heard on TV and such. Nowadays I have much more experience with video editing, and they just look outright fake based on how easy it would be to create scary effects.

[rockdet]

For some reason, passing by a window at night. I just couldn't.

[geodave]

Snakes. There are now dozens of snakes in my son's room, which he breeds. I don't go in there much.