I scared a little child...

[Sparky]

Hey, I was a sucky parent once. All parents make mistakes.

There was a haunted house in our town and everyone said I should take my son. I'm trying to remember how old he was ... probably around 7 or 8. I figured it would be pretty cheezy and didn't realize how frightening it would be for the little guy. He had too much imagination. But so many other people said they'd taken their kids and their kids loved it....

He was excited about going, but he kind of lost his nerve while we were in line and wanted to back out. I should have listened to him. But I'd already been standing in line half an hour and I didn't want to just give up, so I encouraged him to go on in.

What a mistake! He was terrified. I had to pick him up and carry him. He was hiding is face in my shoulder and begging "get me out of here." I I wanted to walk right out, but there was no exit. I looked, but there was now way to leave in the middle and no way to get back through the line which was clogged with people to get out the entrance. I had no choice but to go through to the end.

But this is what made me angry: I know I made a mistake bringing him in there, but it should have been obvious that he was terrified. People dressed up as horrible ghouls were still jumping out at us and screeching, and even coming up and tapping him on the arm to make him look up. Get a clue people! When a child is hiding his eyes, crying, and begging to get out HE IS NOT HAVING FUN. LEAVE HIM ALONE!

Never did that again. I did learn from my mistake and was more careful about scary movies and such in the future.

Later that same night we went to an Enchanted Forest, which was delightful, so at least he had some fun to balance out his terror.

[GingerBiscuit]

Once, when I was little, my parents took me in a fairground haunted house. I was a fairly fearless child, and they thought I'd be fine. Half way through these two people jumped out in skeleton costumes shouting 'Boo'. Now, for whatever reason, my normal fearlessness deserted me at that point and I started SCREAMING and CRYING the place down. They stopped making scary noises and started going all 'ahhh, don't be scared, we aren't REALLY skeletons...'

I feel so sorry for my mum now. They must have thought she was awful.

[MadMike]

I scared a whole bunch of kids once. It wasn't intentional, but it happened.

Years ago, my job used to let people dress up for Halloween. Unfortunately, there was also a daycare center in the building, and I heard that the reason they stopped the costume thing was because of the kids getting scared. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

One year, I went as a vampire. I didn't think it was that scary, until I got on the elevator and found myself around a group of kids from the daycare, and one of the caregivers. It was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop. Didn't really think anything of it, until the caregiver smiled and told me they weren't that quiet a minute ago. Finally, one of the kids piped up and said, "He scares me!"

At least they didn't see me the following year when I came as Jason from Friday the 13th, complete with a fake bloody knife. That one even scared the adults.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Heck, the dorm I lived at in college was really haunted (trust me, I saw him), and I lived there 4 years. I did avoid the very scary sub-basement though. That place just gave me the willies.

I have a good friend that went to Mills College in San Fran. It's a women's college that was built in Victorian times, the buildings are all very old. I went to visit her once...the dorms are all small, old wooden buildings, and the top floor of each building is a common room with a fireplace. Few people used these common rooms, and nobody went up there at night. My friend took me up there during the day to see the one in her building. It had a huge fireplace with an old-fashioned mantelpiece, and someone, apparently long ago, had carved deep into the long thin front side of the mantel I sit in silence and commune with the dead.

The entire room was very creepy; I understand why no one would go there at night.

[Ree]

I had to laugh at one of the little guys who came through. He had been scared by the guy in the room beside me, and when I saw he was really terrified, and not very old, I didn't go into my routine.
I just kind of stood there, and the little guy said, "You guys shouldn't be doing that. You're scaring me. You know, you can go to jail."

Yeah, he was with his braindead Mom who also laughed it all off.
(I couldn't help but think, though, "Man, they start young. Sucky customer in the making." )

[Lady Heather]

My store sells Chucky dolls. I have No Idea why parents think this is funny: Parent (and I use the turm loosely) will grab the doll and shove it in the kids face. Kid screams cries and freaks out, WHILE THE PARENT LAUGHS!! Best is when the kid is so scared they throw or hit the doll, wich is $60.00. Personaly I don't enjoy tourturing small children.

[Imogene]

I went with a furry group to a haunted forest... three years ago, because the guy who usually ran the furry meets was a werewolf at the forest. The only part that made me jump was when I saw someone coming through the smoke in this little "You gotta hunch over to get through" tunnel, and the person stopped, and just as I passed her, she screamed her lungs out. The rest was extremely tame.

[Becks]

About 10 years ago, a few friends and I went to a "haunted house". (You know--the ones that are only haunted in October...) Anyhoo, the cowards made me go first, and they latched on to me from behind. Most action I'd gotten in a while.

[Ree]

Oh, did I mention the group of teen guys who punched my friend in the stomach...twice.

I couldn't believe it. I guess they were just trying to see if she was real. BS!!

It was obvious she was not an animated figure.

She grabbed the one kid's arm but he got loose, so she followed them out and told the guy on the door not to let them in again.

There were a few groups of teens who I am sure came through 3 times.

So while these kids were being idiots and coming through multiple times, we ran out of candy for the other kids coming through for the first time.

I really think, next year, we have to come up with some type of stamp so we know which kids have already been through. Like I say, it's free, so it's not fair that some kids pig out and others miss out.

Also, we're all volunteers, so we shouldn't have to put up with that crap.

[XCashier]

As we get older, our eyes take in less light, something about the muscles getting less flexible. So you probably didn't use to be so night blind.
(My old boss, who works in the lighting industry, says that at 60 years old we take in about 20% of the light we take in at 20 years.)

I'm only 39 and I can't see well enough to drive at night anymore! (Unless it's a very well-lit street, and those are rare in Eugene. Even the blooming FREEWAY is dark!!! )

[Shironu-Akaineko]

I scared a little blonde Haloweenie with my jigsaw costume. Sorry for grinning, but the poor dear could only utter a shy "hi/bye" while I was there in a very well lit room, very calm, smiling and holding a bag of goodies to give him.

Poor little sweetheart~

[crazylegs]

*cough*

Does it count that I scare small children daily without even trying, every single child I speak to goes incredibly shy, but the best reaction I had was when they went screaming for their mother, all I said was hello!

[CaroPhoenix]

I'm only 39 and I can't see well enough to drive at night anymore! (Unless it's a very well-lit street, and those are rare in Eugene. Even the blooming FREEWAY is dark!!! )

I have the same problem and I'm 35!!! So there.

I wear glasses. I have a special coating to cut the glare of car lights/street lights/the lights have the red-yellow-green that let us know to stop/go (I can't remember what those are called - senior moment ).

[repsac]

One year, when I was in HS, I decided to have a bit of fun on halloween. I dressed up in ratty old clothing with a beat up fake mask and then stuck some straw so it came out of my neck and around my wrists and shoes. That way I looked like a great little straw dummy. Then, the candy was placed in my lap and I sat on the front porch. Near me, a sign read "Please only take one piece of candy."

Like a spider, I sat there waiting for my prey to come. The little kids, I'd not move a muscle with. Wouldn't say anything either. Let them get two or three bits if they wanted. Older ones though...that's where the fun began.

I remember a couple that sticks in my mind.

One was a group of twelve year old boys who came up with a group of kids. The little kids got one piece each and then trotted down. One of the boys though said something to the effect of "One piece? I'll take the whole bowl if I want to." He reached in and I came out of that chair, grabbing at his arm and screaming my best. I have never watched someone run that fast. His parents (and the little ones, one whom I had winked at) were laughing fit to be tied.

Another was a group of HS students who were obviously up to no good. One I remember even being from my class. I sat stock still as they papered one of my trees and then this guy spots me. Again, I never moved. Walking up he threw a roll of paper at me, and again I didn't move. Just sat there. Certain I was a doll, he trotted up to get his toilet paper back and to steal the candy. That time right as his hand was going for the bowl I grabbed his and screamed. I had the satisfaction of watching him wet his pants. Ah, sweet revenge.

[ArenaBoy]

I am not above scaring older kids, my mom said that I liked that aspect more than the candy.

This involves my dad and his friend. My dad used to own a few life sized dummies and he used them for various things, he got an idea to use them for Halloween. He and his buddy dressed up as dummies and lined themselves up with the ones they placed on the ground. You couldn't even tell the difference. Some kids who were 14-15 poked all the dummies, including my dad and his friend. One of the dummies fell and my dad timed it to make it look like he fell due to the ground. As soon as the kids picked him up he moved and yelled. You could hear them screaming 2 streets away.