R. A. Evans writes...

A clown stares up from a dark, dank sewer with his face twisted in a terrifying knowing smirk, partially hidden by the gaudy oily face paint that smothered his face. I already know that one child has gone missing, snatched from outside his own house and now this innocent boy is next on the hit list. My petrified heart slams in my young chest and I am genuinely scared.

That was me at seven years old watching a crudely taped copy of “Stephen King’s IT” on VHS at my cousin’s house. I don’t know what could be scarier to a child than a children’s entertainer luring kids to their untimely end? Or than sci-fi sequel “Critters 2: The Main Course” where young children are terrorised by killer aliens whose unhatched young are confused for Easter Eggs that the children are hunting for?

You see that’s the thing about fear, it is subjective. Not just from person to person, but from situation to situation. A lion at a zoo is not scary until you’re on the wrong side of the cage. You might not find classic creature feature ‘Jaws’ scary, but watch it just before you head to the beach and you’ll think twice before daring to dip your toe into the water. Similarly, swap that same sunny seaside retreat for a ski break and Adam Green’s ‘Frozen’ might suddenly seem a whole lot scarier than it did before you stepped foot on the piste.

I also think that fear develops with a person, evolves with age and each step of the life cycle. The seven year old me was terrified of child killers and things lurking within children’s games because it put me in the firing line. Those things made me the prey, a prime target for being the next possible victim; I was inside the lion’s cage.

By the time I hit my teens, I was more afraid of the so called “torture porn” style horror like ‘Hostel’ or the ‘Saw’ franchise. I think when you reach the age where a lot rest upon physical aptitude and sexual prowess, the idea of deformity and disfigurement is enough to petrify any teenager. It is an age where your whole world appears to revolve around social acceptance and avoiding being outcast by your peers. It matters more than at any other stage of your life and when you aren’t at that age you either can’t remember or don’t have the experience to comprehend just how important fitting in is.

Rightly or wrong, in our teens appearance is important, vital even, and the fact that could be taken away at any second along with all sense of belonging is horrifying to someone still learning exactly what is important in life.

Now, as a husband and a father, I have far more important things for me to fret over, my worries and fears now centre on my wife and my son. I now know that far worse things could happen than physical harm to me and it is the safety of my family and the security of our home that is the gravest concern to me. The idea that something could harm or threaten them is the worst fear I have ever known.

So now I fear other possibilities, such as my child going missing like in Del Toro’s ‘The Orphanage’, evil spirits lurking in our family home with devious intent like in ‘Paranormal Activity’ and of course child killing clowns that lurk in the sewers because sometimes that seed of fear stays with us and works without any regard for rhyme, reason or rationale.

Stefan, 24,  is a husband, father, and horror writer with a penchant for film.  He lives in South Wales, United Kingdom. You can learn more about Stefan’s fears by visiting his blog at http://www.thefrightwriter.blogspot.com.