If you were born in the 80’s or lived through the 80’s chances are you have at least one cheap 80’s horror movie moment in your life.
July in the 80’s. Yep, we are taking a trip down memory lane.
I was out on on of my adventures last week when I remembered something.
This particular horror movie features my aunt Sunday, my mom, Cuz Salon, and a much younger me. And of course, it was Friday night.
Someone suggested we go to the drive-in a few towns over and see The Karate Kid. The movie was great. But we didn’t stay for the second one, for reasons you can imagine in the 80’s.
We were driving back on a long lonely stretch of highway. You know the type. Fields for miles. Lots of cemeteries.
The moon was bright, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky that night.
My mom and aunt were in a debate. Cuz Salon and I were just listening to them go on about it. They had talked through the entire movie. I have no idea how they even followed the plot with all the talking they did.
My aunt Sunday is not a slow driver, and the road was curvy in places. We were moving along pretty good .
Aunt Sunday: “I just think the movie was good. I don’t know why Johnny was a jerk to Daniel.”
Mom: “Mr. Miyagi was the best. Did you see where he just showed Johnny how it was?”
Aunt Sunday: “Rhett, do you want to go shopping tomorrow?”
Mom: “Yeah, let’s go somewhere different.”
Cuz Salon: “Oh, I want to go!”
Mom: “Dani, we need to get you some new school clothes. Hills is having their end-of-summer sale.”
Me, as an ungrateful child: “Sure, mom, but can we go later? I want to sleep in.”
Aunt Sunday: “Dani, you know all the good stuff will be gone if we wait later.”
Me, long sigh, eye roll: “Fine, but when do we get to go fishing? Dad said we were going to go one day this week.”
Mom, annoyed: “Dani, just be patient. You will get to go.”
I stopped listening after that. I was tired, and curves were starting to make me sick. I closed my eyes and tried to go to sleep.
Then the three grown women in the car started screaming, staring out the front window.
I looked over the front seat, and there was this fur-covered creature standing in the middle of the road.
So I joined in the screaming.
Because what are we doing?
It looked like it should have been on all fours, but it was standing on it back legs looking at us. It was well illuminated by the ad board for, I think, something bright yellow.
The thing was just standing there at the very edge of the headlight. Just staring at us.
Was it menacing? Err, yeah.
It looked like it was baring it teeth at us trying to get us to stop.
The memory is a little fuzzy on exactly what it looked like. But I know Cuz Salon agrees to this day what we saw.
Aunt Sunday, thankfully, didn’t slam on the brakes or swerve.
I remember my mom screaming, “What the hell is that!”
I was so confused by what I was seeing. I kind of remember Cuz Salon saying “Floor it, Mom!”
All of us screaming again like something out of a bad 80’s horror movie.
I do remember that as we got closer, it looked frightened. It must have been the moment it realized my aunt Sunday was going to play chicken with it.
It was us or it. That evening, my sweet, calm aunt chose violence.
Aunt Sunday is not to be played with.
I swear to this day, I think she put the pedal to the metal and was trying to hit it! We just kept getting closer. Finally, it dropped back down on all fours and darted into the cornfield.
The screaming stopped.
Silence the rest of the way home.
I am sure I didn’t sleep that night. Or the next few nights.
Grassman, werewolf, or a very hairy man?
I still don’t believe in that stuff, but I support those who do.
True story.
