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Okay, I'm still harping on this haunted house theme. What would it take to get you to stay in one of those places? Alone.
What you you be most afraid of: A. Spiritual-- Ghosts, spirits. B. Supernatural- (werewolves) c. Natural-- Rabid bats d. Other people. e. Somthing else.
posted
I would most likely be more afraid of "People" than anything else on the list. People have proven themselves far more dangerous than spirits or even werewolves.
Besides, I could always bring a bag of dog biscuits to ward off the werewolves (or a couple of cute fluffy bunnies as needed) -- which would be my second most-feared thing, truthfully. An animal capable of tearing me to pieces (supernatural or otherwise).
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Now HSO, that doggy cookie line sounds like something I would come up with. Had some friends over one evening and my wife invited them to go back to the abrn and see the critters.
"No," says the visitor. "It's dark out there and there might be bears."
"Aw," don't worry says I, digging in a cupboard. "I'll give you some buckwheat and if you see a bear just throw it at him. When he stops, you can run away."
True story. I handed the girl a palm full of seed and she was happy as can be.
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I'd stay almost anywhere for just about any good reason (but only if it has heat/air-conditioning! ). The spiritual I don't fear ("Greater is He that is in you...")or don't believe in; the supernatural like werewolves, vampires, etc., I don't believe in; the natural I know too much about; and unless there was some reason to believe other armed people with malicious intent would be present, I'd have no reason to fear them. Depending on the age of the house, I'd be more concerned about stepping through a bad spot on the floor than much of anything else. Can't say how much sleep I'd get if I stayed overnight, because I'm over-alert to odd noises and the like when sleeping in a new place. It always takes me a few days to get a good night's sleep when I move.
Posts: 491 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I would have to say that in my own case, it would be e: Something else. The only scary themes that ever get a rise out of me are the ones in which the characters are fighting themselves, either in part or in full. The whole "evil within" thing.
Posts: 66 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
Point of clarification. By "haunted house" do you mean a place created to scare customers or do you mean a house that may be haunted?
Not that it matters much to me. If there was some benefit to staying in such a place alone (like having a place to myself), then I would stay there.
Which things I would be most afraid of depends on which things I encountered in an unexpected or suprising manner. If I were there alone, then I suppose that various natural things would be the most common cause of any fright I'd experience. Or if it were a somewhat automated entertainment, I might be frightened by various triggered props.
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animals, spiders, and unpleasant creepy crawlies that would hole up in a decayed house. And yes, I agree with the worry about falling and then, of course, being covered with the above critters. Unrealistic, but then isn't fear usually.
Now if I actually saw something, Like a salivating monster, well that would sufficiently startle me since they aren't suppose to exist in the real world.
posted
It wouldn't take much to convince me to stay in a haunted house. A promise to buy me lunch would probably do it.
As to what would scare me the most, I choose 'other'. I'm not a very supersticious person and I generally have enough of an idea of realistic risk not to be frightened by people and animals. Basically, as long as I can label it, I won't be frightened.
What would scare me the most would be something that I couldn't identify at all. Even identifying it as a ghost or werewolf would be better than simply knowing that there was something there.
posted
That's a good point. Free food and drink is always a good incentive to do something you wouldn't ordinarily do. That's why companies have parties with food and stuff for their employees to all get together. No one really likes anyone anyway, it often seems, so in possibly misguided effort to get people to be more affable and social with one another, a company will throw a party. Or maybe I'm just more cynical than I thought.
posted
If I saw a wherewolf I'd be afraid of it. But mostly I'd be prepared(which is kinda like scared) for people. Usually the poeple who dared me to stay in the house.
Posts: 1895 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
These Nosy Questions threads got me thinking. In the unlikely event that ghosts exist, and putting religion aside, there isn't any reason to be afraid of them.
Here's how I see it--the only reason to fear something is if it can hurt or kill you. Being hurt, even badly, isn't much to be afraid of. Being hurt is a risk we assume with most daily actions--driving, chopping vegetables, walking across the street. So there isn't much reason to fear ghosts that want to hurt you.
Well, you might say, if a ghost can hurt you, can't it also kill you? And isn't being killed something we should fear?
Putting aside religion for the sake of argument, let's assume that dying is something worth being afraid of. And let's continue assuming, for the sake of argument, that ghosts exist and can kill you. Why would a ghost ever do such a thing?
The only advantage the ghost has over a person is that the ghost can affect the person, while the person can't affect the ghost. As soon as the ghost kills the person, the person presumably becomes a ghost. And, being a ghost, they can now presumably affect the ghost that killed them. A ghost seems to lose all of its advantages the moment it kills a person. I would think no rational ghost would ever kill anyone, because only by killing does it give its prey the ability to fight back.
So, if a ghost were to kill you, you could be assured that such a ghost was foolish and irrational. And, being foolish and irrational, it should be an easy mark to take advantage or vengeance of in the afterlife.
posted
Getting us to think is the basic reason behind these questions. Other than it's fun to see all the different reactions and to find out some of the things people are afraid of or might be afraid of. There are a couple of things that hadn't occured to me before, and a few ideas that have grown out of these discussions.
As to the ghost thing. Assuming ghosts exit and could kill you, what would be the point of worrying about it? The only thing that would happen is you would turn into a ghost. Worse would be for the ghost to only break your legs, and then leave you lying helpless in the dark, bug and rat infested cellar, bloody and cold. Waiting, waiting for the ghost to come back and break your arms...
Anyway, typically ghosts aren't supposed to be rational, so an argument that relies on the supposed rationality of one isn't very persuasive. But the more important factor is that most fears aren't rational either.
Fear is a response that takes over once your rational mind can no longer successfully cope with the situation, for whatever reason. It isn't the only possible response that can replace rationality, but it certainly is high on the list. That's why suprises tend to frighten us, our rational mind doesn't have time to think up a response to the situation so our irrational mind takes over and does something silly (and usually amusing to an observer) like shrieking girlishly and jumping away from something that is probably harmless.
For that very reason, ghosts and other strange phenomena will tend to cause fear, because most people don't have a rational response ready for such an apparition in this day and age.
posted
I love these little thought provoking threads. I'm a weenie so it'd take the promise of A LOT of money to get me to stay in a haunted house of any kind, supernatural or man made. I would be most concerned about supernatural predators than any logical threat, I'm sad to admit.
I love the tangent on ghosts, though. Personally, I'm not afraid of ghosts though I've never encountered one that I know of. I don't think I'm afraid of them hurting me but since I've never encountered one I can't say what I'd think were I face to face with one. At this point in time, I'm more curious about them than afraid of them.
Death...now death I'm terrified of. I'm just holding out until the medical community finally comes up with a cure or a vampire finds me and lets me join his immortal clique.
Printer-friendly view of this topic
). The spiritual I don't fear ("Greater is He that is in you...")or don't believe in; the supernatural like werewolves, vampires, etc., I don't believe in; the natural I know too much about; and unless there was some reason to believe other armed people with malicious intent would be present, I'd have no reason to fear them. Depending on the age of the house, I'd be more concerned about stepping through a bad spot on the floor than much of anything else. Can't say how much sleep I'd get if I stayed overnight, because I'm over-alert to odd noises and the like when sleeping in a new place. It always takes me a few days to get a good night's sleep when I move.
