Theme Week Two

One, two, Freddy's coming for you..
Despite vivid memories, the early years are all a jumbled blur. The challenger exploded, mom left dad, Reagan was out and Bush was in. None of these things mattered to me.
By the time I was old enough to have memories that I still recall, I had already been subjected to many a horror movie. The first few years of my life introduced the world to Pinhead the Cenobite, The Terminator, and Freddy Krueger. In the years that I learned to walk and talk, I already had a firm grasp on who Freddy, Jason, Michael and the like were. I had no fears of boogeymen under my bed or in the closet. Completely desensitized to the idea of monsters.
Three, four, better lock the door..
My early exposure to horror films had created a deep admiration for the genre, and I now sought out old and new films to quench my thirst for the macabre. While other kids were terrorized  by nightmares, I wanted a Good Guy doll. By the time the 90's rolled around  Jason had taken Manhattan, Michael had returned and gotten revenge, and the man with the razor clawed hands had 5 movies out.  And I had seen every one. We moved a lot during those years, so once I had started school, it was a constant struggle of being uprooted and starting over at another. Not easy to make friends that way. Mom was always working, which left me with plenty of time to see all my favorite baddies.
Five, six, grab your crucifix..
While I was enjoying Freddy's final nightmare, and Jason going to hell, the Gulf war was happening. I knew it was going on, but didn't understand why or what any of it really meant. Clinton became president, and he seemed like a pretty damn cool one. He looked happy all the time, and he played the saxophone. I played the saxophone. Hey, we were both pretty cool. Candyman came out, and it was an instant favorite of mine. Who couldn't love a man with a hook for hand?  I remember for weeks, the TV was blowing up about some O.J. character. I often wondered why things couldn't be as cut and dry as the movies I loved; someone should have called the Candyman to take care of his ass. By the mid 90's Freddy and Jason were both supposedly dead and not coming back. Horror movies were taking a new turn by the way of the Ghostface killer of Woodsboro, and though I looked forward to what would come in the following years, I was saddened to see the old boys go. Later on, the world mourned Princess Di, who, from what I could tell, was like a real life Cinderella story. By the end of the 90's, the world mourned again for JFK Jr. I was busy fearing the Y2K bug.
Seven, eight, better stay up late..
The first few years of the 21st century all run together for me. I became an adult... officially. Clinton was out,  little Bush was in, and I was sad to see him go. Michael Meyers was resurrected, and shortly after Jason finally faced Freddy. It was something I had waited my whole life for. It didn't live up to my expectations, but I was happy none-the-less. My guys were back. By the time George W. won his re-election, I was pregnant with my first child. 2 weeks after Katrina hit, my second child was born. Oh, did I have plans. They would be raised on the genre I loved, never fearing the dark or anything in it. I couldn't wait!
Nine, ten, never sleep again..
By 2007, both of the kids were walking, talking, and moving on up outta diapers. And they knew the man with the razor clawed hand. It was all going just as I had hoped. At least in regards to them becoming as fearless as I had been at their age. Things were rough otherwise. I had somehow ended up and single mother of two, just as my mother had been. Oh, the irony. And just as we had bounced around when I was a child, me and mine did the same. By the time they reached school-age, we had moved more times than as many years my oldest was. And that's when everything changed. Something put the fear right back into my children. The fear of the unknown, of the dark. Of monsters. And the real kicker is, it wasn't one of my beloved baddies that did it. Nope. Most nights, one or both of the kids would request a specific movie. Sometimes Jaws, sometimes Aliens. They enjoyed them all. Coraline was the culprit. Maybe it was the creepy, button eyes. Maybe the 'Other Mother' trying to keep Coraline away from her family.. Maybe it hit close to home as their father had spent the last few years trying to take them away from me. Who knows. Nowadays, there are nightlights and no 'creepy' movies.