The Totally Real (and Totally Not) Fears of Our Youth

Now we worry about adult stuff... which totally sucks!

Designed by John Toma - Nostalgia Nation

We faced some “serious” threats as kids. Forget nuclear war (though, that was an actual real scary thing), our biggest worries involved creatures from the deep, shadowy government conspiracies, and substances that could swallow you whole.  And Soviets… we can’t forget about Soviet invading forces!

I think it’s important we revisit these existential crises that kept us up at night and haunted our dreams... and day dreams.

Quicksand

Quicksand. Just the word conjures images of slow, agonizing suffocation, a fate sealed by slowly sinking into a viscous, inescapable trap. Thanks to countless cartoons, adventure movies, and maybe even a particularly dramatic scene from The Princess Bride— and even a more dramatic (and traumatic) one from The Neverending Story (although that was a swamp), we believed that quicksand was a legitimate threat, lurking in every seemingly innocent sandy patch.  We pictured ourselves, à la Indiana Jones, struggling hopelessly against its relentless pull, our cries for help muffled by the sucking sands.  The reality?  While unpleasant and potentially dangerous, true quicksand is relatively rare, and escaping it is far easier than Hollywood would have you believe (though, still, probably best to avoid it).

The Bermuda Triangle: Where Planes and Boats Go to Die

Be honest, how many Bermuda Triangle books did you read back in the day? I feel that anything about The Bermuda Triangle at the Scholastic Book Fair had a magnetic pull on me!  This infamous patch of ocean, roughly bordered by Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and Florida, was the stuff of nightmares.  Thanks to countless documentaries (and the sheer mystery surrounding disappearances),  we believed that some supernatural force – aliens, time warps, or even a grumpy sea monster – devoured unsuspecting vessels and their hapless passengers. Books like Bermuda Triangle by Adi-kent Thomas Jeffrey, and the documentary by Charles Berlitz fueled our anxieties.

While unexplained disappearances do occur in the Bermuda Triangle, they are not any more frequent than in other heavily trafficked ocean areas.  The mystery, however, keeps the legend alive.

Aliens:  They're Among Us (Probably Not, Though We Weren't Sure)

Let's be honest, the 80s and 90s were definitely the golden age of alien invasion stories— although I would argue we’ve had some really close ones recently. Close Encounters of the Third Kind drummed up some paranoia, and I would say The X-Files was a high point in alien suspense. Our generation was practically conditioned to believe that extraterrestrial life was not only real but actively interested in, if not outright hostile towards, humanity. We scanned the skies for UFOs, convinced that the government was hiding the truth – a belief perfectly encapsulated by Independence Day.

Please tell me you remember the awesome television show, “V” — remember when Diana eats the rat?!

While the existence of extraterrestrial life remains a subject of scientific debate,  the mass alien invasion predicted by so many films never materialized.  (At least, not that we know of...)

Loch Ness Monster: Nessie's Reign of Terror

Nessie. The elusive Scottish monster, a gentle giant in some portrayals, a terrifying leviathan in others. Thanks to blurry photographs and countless documentaries (yes, we watched them all), we grew up believing that a plesiosaur-like creature lurked in the depths of Loch Ness, occasionally surfacing to terrify unsuspecting tourists.  The mystery surrounding Nessie's existence fueled years of speculation and fueled our imaginations.  While many believe in her existence, scientific evidence remains inconclusive. And while our friends overseas had Nessie, we were rightfully afraid of getting into the water thanks to Jaws!

Bonus fear unlocked:

Do you remember the films Piranha II: The Spawning (1982) and Alligator (1980)? These films instilled a deeper fear in me of being in the water. We had the lakes in Michigan where I grew up, but honestly, I didn’t know much about salt water vs fresh water creatures as a kid, and so I assumed anything could pull me under or leap out of the water at me, if I wasn’t careful, including genetically modified piranhas!

Bigfoot: The Elusive Sasquatch

Bigfoot, Sasquatch, the Abominable Snowman – call him what you will, this hairy hominid captivated us.  From grainy photos to eyewitness accounts (many of them, let’s be honest, possibly fabricated for fun or publicity), the legend of Bigfoot has persisted. Shows like In Search Of Bigfoot with Leonard Nimoy heightened the mystique, suggesting that Bigfoot was more than just a tall tale.   The evidence, however, remains largely circumstantial.  While the belief persists, the scientific community generally remains skeptical.

Let’s Talk Soviets

The pervasive fear of Soviet invasion during the Cold War fueled anxieties far beyond mere political posturing. Movies like Red Dawn (1984), with its depiction of a brutal, guerilla war fought on American soil against a technologically advanced enemy, tapped into a deep-seated societal unease. This wasn't simply about ideological conflict; it was a real fear of a muckier, less-glamorous war than the sanitized narratives of previous conflicts suggested. The imagined invasion wasn't a clean, swift takeover, but a protracted struggle for survival against a seemingly unstoppable force, blurring the lines between civilian and combatant, and leaving behind a landscape of destruction and uncertainty.

Fortunately, things got better… at least for a couple of decades.

Looking back, it's humorous to see the dangers we perceived as children. These fears, catalyzed by the media we consumed, shaped our childhoods, and fueled our imaginations. To tell you the truth, I think I’ve got a great alien invasion story in mind that I’ve stored up for over three decades — maybe I’ll be able to share it one day!

While quicksand, the Bermuda Triangle, aliens, Nessie, and Bigfoot might not pose the immediate threat we once thought, if anything, they provided a healthy dose of fear during our youth, and that’s something we can think back and smile on.

Ps/ What else did you fear as a kid? Let me know in the comments!