For Eek!tober, I’ve collected some random thingies of a YouTube nature that may cause thrills, terror, shivers, nightsweats, chilblains, hysteria, rickets, and/or the vapors. I’ll be presenting them throughout the week.

There’s a scene in The Shining that first introduced me to the concept of ghosts that could do more than just “woooo00000” and wander through walls. Jack Nicholson’s trapped in a walk-in freezer, and the ghost guy unlocks the lock so Nicholson can escape and continue his rampage. Unlocks the lock! Suddenly, we’re in a whole other realm, where ghosts can open cans of whupass all on their own, and not just rattle chains and look pained.

So, Poltergeist. By far, the scariest scene to me — past the dude ripping off his face, the evil clown doll, the swimming pool undead — was this one:

[direct link]

Damn you, TV People!

Sixth Sense does this same thing in the kitchen scene. You look, then look away, then look back, and bam. I can’t find a clip of that but here’s someone cleverly recreating it. I wonder if he uses GHOSTS?!

[direct link]

I saw a shorter trailer for this on television (for Beyond the Door, a cheapie Exorcist ripoff) when I was small. It’s pretty full of intense-for-kids images, but the one thing that went to the terror center of my brain (and lived there for decades) was an extremely short bit (at the :29 mark):

[direct link]

That’s right — the dresser drawers opening by themselves. Fortunately, my dresser lived in a different room in my house; otherwise I’d have nailed those suckers shut. Watch for the bonus evil doll shot, too.

Of course, good old YouTube is chock full of ridiculous “100% real poltergeist footage!!” I’ll post a search link here, but honestly? I was too scared to watch more than a couple of them.

I need to cut this short, I’m afraid I’m going to anger the spirits in my own home, the ones that won’t do the dishes and forget to pay my VISA bill.

Next post will be all fun and games. Happy halloween!