Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Hypnagogic Hags

Every Tuesday night, the movies at the theater behind the Hanover Mall are only five dollars. There's a revolving cast of regulars that show up each week as part of our Tuesday Night Movie crew. Sometimes there's only four. Sometimes there's twelve. I hadn't gone in a long time, but last night marked my triumphant return. The movie this week was White Noise.

The general consensus after the movie ranged everywhere from "it was okay" to "I hated it." I was a little creeped out going into the movie, since I'd been to a few websites about EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) before I ever even heard of the movie, and also I'm giant chicken.

yearbook

The movie wasn't really scary, and the EVP stuff sounded crystal clear, as oppossed to the ones you hear online that barely sound like anything. Like that one they used in the preview, "I will see you no more." Who talks like that? Come on.

Jose didn't like it at all. He said it wasn't scary. But there was one part that freaked me out, because it happened to me before. Near the end, these black misty figures pass through Michael Keaton, and it looked like it must have felt exactly like that thing that's happened to me about a half dozen times since I moved to Quincy last May. It never happened before that, and it's only when I'm in that room.

It was always the same thing; as soon as I close my eyes, I feel enormous pressure on my chest and I can't move. Usually I see something; a black or white faceless figure made of mist. Sometimes I hear it screaming, but I can't scream myself, no matter how hard I try. It happened again a few nights ago, only this time there was no horrifying cloaked figures. I was having a dream that I was in some little kid's room. It wasn't Brianna, I think it was a little boy. I fell on him or something and he was trapped under me, but I couldn't move. I tried to call for help, but I couldn't speak. I was unintentionally killing this kid and there was nothing I could do about it. That's a pretty terrifying thought.

But I can sleep a little better now knowing that this weird feeling has a name, isolated sleep paralysis. Basically, what happens is your body freezes up, either just as your going to sleep or right before you wake up. Sometimes hypnagogic (my new favorite word) hallucinations occur with it, like a feeling that something is sitting on your chest trying to suffocate you to death. That part's called the "Hag Phenomena." Really! You wake up when someone touches you or makes a loud noise, but it's kind of hard to get someone to do that when you can't speak.

So it's a common thing, and it's not harmful, but I'd still be quite happy if that never happened again.

6 comments:

fakies said...

I had a dream once that someone was smothering me with a black pillow and I couldn't move or breathe. When I woke up, the black cushion of my mom's rocking chair was lying on my face. Murderous spectre or suicidal sleepwalking?

Stellar said...

I'd consider staying at a hotel for a while, Trina. Of course you must push the cart with the TV out of the room.

Anonymous said...

At least John didn't scream like a girl at the movie. He does that from time to time...
Jose

John said...

I don't scream at the movies. I scream in the car, but not at the movies.

I do squirm whenever I see a mirrored medicine cabinet in a movie, any movie, even comedies. Because something is ALWAYS there when they close the cabinet door or look up. If I ruled the world, no movie would ever show anyone looking in a bathroom mirror.

Anonymous said...

All this talk about the "Hag Effect" or whatever must have gone to my head. Last night I was in the middle of a dream, but then I was in bed and I must have forgoten I was still asleep. All of a sudden an invisible force threw the covers over my head and was shaking the bed. This scared the shit out of me. I woke up though, and of course the covers were not over my head. It was 2:30 in the morning and it took me a whole hour before I was calm enough to go back to sleep. What's up with that?

Moondog

NYPinTA said...

You know, I read that people who can astral project have seen this 'boogymen' thing as well. Shapeless masses that can't really hurt, but still... creepy.

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