Homes are a classic trope in many horror films. While the bad guy might change — maybe it's an uneasy spirit, maybe it's a serial killer in a mask — there's a reason it's so terrifying to imagine it all happening at home. If you're supposed to be safe (and safely alone!) anywhere, it's in your own home. That's probably why horror films don't usually take place in busy offices or crowded restaurants.
But you don't have to hear a panicked voice say, "The call was coming from inside the house!" to end up terrified at home. We asked our fellow R29ers to anonymously spill the details on what frightens them — rational or not — when it comes to their living spaces. From bed bugs to break-ins, here's what's really keeping us up at night. And while these might not have made it into the Friday the 13th franchise, that doesn't mean they're not scary as hell.
"I haven't spotted one in my new place and I've been there a year, but the apartment before was mouse-infested. I went to put my foot in my slipper once and a mouse was in the toe. It's a moment I will never, ever forget, and some part of me always thinks there might be a mouse in every shoe."
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
"Two summers ago, I convinced myself that I had bedbugs three separate times (that breaks down to one major scare per month). My boyfriend, who lived with me, had to talk me down every time, reminding me that bugs other than bedbugs exist and that the marks on our pillowcases were from me falling asleep with my makeup on, and not from 'bedbugs pooping all over my life,' as I believed."
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
"The idea of a potential cockroach infestation TERRIFIES ME. You know what they say, 'If you see one cockroach in your home, there are a million more where that came from,' and then you're fucked.
"So one time, I was sitting in my room minding my own business, and I see a huge cockroach-esque bug scurry across my floor and onto my shag rug. I grabbed the nearest object, which happened to be a fan with a hollow bottom, and trapped the little fucker under it. Since it was on my rug, I couldn't do the whole 'slip a piece of paper under the object and take it to the toilet' trick and instead had to text my super to come handle [it]. Of course, it took him three days to come by. The whole time, I agonized over the fact that, while I had one roach trapped under a fan in my room, there were probably millions more lurking in the walls and under my bed. I declared war and went to Duane Reade to purchase $100 worth of roach weaponry.
"Finally, my saint/angel of a super, Andy, came over and lifted the fan (while my roommate and I cried and shrieked in the background) and killed it. He told us it was a water bug that had probably entered through my cracked bedroom window during a thunderstorm a few days prior. "
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
"I am constantly afraid that my apartment is just going to burn the fuck down. My landlord is a sweet old lady on the first floor (we're on the third), but she smokes, and I feel like one of these days, the 100-year-old building is going to go up in flames.
"I'm also super paranoid about making sure the stove is off and things are unplugged, for the same reason. I know I haven't left anything on, but sometimes I go back and check when I'm almost to the train. I also bought a fireproof box, just in case shit goes down."
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
"I live with my boyfriend, and anytime he travels for work or just isn't home for some reason, usually at night, I think a murderer is going to walk up five flights of stairs and murder me. This fear is amplified if I have to shower when I am home alone. Or if someone knocks on my door. It is most definitely a murderer."
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
"My apartment has flooded twice in 14 months, so I'm always panicked about flooding and now try to leave as little as possible on my floor (flood #1 destroyed my laptop). Because of that, I always make sure my rental insurance is up to date. I am absolutely evangelical about rental insurance. Make sure you have it!"
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
"I'm scared of my entire apartment building collapsing on me — I think of all the weight of the, like, 40 floors above me, and it freaks me out."
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
"Walking up basement stairs, I'm convinced there's a monster behind me. Every basement. Every set of stairs. I'm basically their ticket out by opening the door at the top. And they will stop at nothing."
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
"My fear has come true: Con Ed continues to insist that my tiny two-bedroom apartment that I just moved into is using $1,200 in electricity every month. I don't think they realize that we're not housing the fucking Large Hadron Collider in here and that Bushwick is not the actual location of CERN."
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
"I have a fear that I've left a burner on and it's leaking gas into my apartment — but a couple months ago, it actually happened! The fire department showed up at like 1 a.m. to investigate and shut it off (and they were pissed, like it was my fault). Con Ed eventually showed up and told me the stove was faulty. I didn't have gas for three weeks as a result."
Illustrated by Mallory Heyer.
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