6 Ordinary Things We Grew Up Fearing Because of Horror Movies

Movies always overdramatize things, and we can’t judge them for that. The timing is limited, and if things were like that in real life, we wouldn’t be that scared. Some things pass from one movie to another, and over the years, we get used to them, thinking that that’s how the world works. These 6 things, however, aren’t as harmful as they seem.

1. Quicksand

It’s impossible to get completely swallowed up by the quicksand. If you accidentally get into it, the deepest level you’ll arrive at is up to your waist, so you can easily escape once you touch the bottom of the pit. You can thank the differences in your body’s density and the quicksand.

2. Piranhas

Piranhas are actually pretty peaceful, and no, they don’t hide desperately waiting for a human to step into the water. They mostly feed on seaweed, seeds, and other plants. Occasionally, they eat the meat of animals and attack small fish. Even if they attacked a human, the injuries would be minor.

3. Plummeting elevators

All elevators have thick and durable cables, and each of them can hold more than the weight of the car. There are also multiple safety brakes. Even if (which is very unlikely) the elevator started plummeting, it wouldn’t be a free fall anyway, since friction from the rails and the pressure from the air underneath will slow it down.

4. Lasers

Contrary to popular belief, lasers can’t cut through a human, like a knife cuts butter. It would certainly take much longer. To do this, the laser needs to be focused on a specific point, and the object would need to be immobile. Besides, most security lasers only detect movement and sometimes are even invisible.

5. Air conditioning ducts

Crawling through vents is possible, but it’s not as easy as it looks. You’ll most likely find a lot of dust and debris and weak sections that you can fall through. Besides, you can’t do it silently — you definitely will be heard.

6. Chloroform

You can’t just go up to someone, shove a tissue in their face, and hope the person instantly falls asleep. Chloroform doesn’t work like that. In fact, it only takes effect after 5 minutes of deliberate and deep inhalation. Of course, movies make it faster because they can’t waste those precious 5 minutes.

Which ones have you seen in real life? What things in horror movies always give you the creeps?