TALES OF TERROR

The Killer in the Backseat

"A woman leaves her work late, realising that she has nothing for breakfast in the morning she stops off at a garage on the way home to pick up some supplies before heading home. The job that the woman does sometimes calls for her to put in long hours of overtime and by the time she leaves work the road is pretty deserted. After a stretch of encountering no cars on the road, a car comes up quite fast behind her. It shines its indicator before starting to pull out from behind her, looking as if it is going to overtake before hitting the breaks and swerving back in behind her.

The driver of the other car starts to flash its lights crazily behind her, dazzling her vision somewhat. In a panic, she starts to speed up. Desperately, she reaches for her phone, but at the speed she's going she's scared that she won't be able to handle the car if she tries to make the call.

The driver behind starts to become more erratic, flashing their lights even more and driving right up behind her. He even ends up bumping her from behind several times, which causes her to lose her phone. She speeds home, jumping every red light, which the car behind does to. Finally reaching her house she springs out of her car and runs for the front door just as the other car come careening into the drive behind her.

Just as she puts her key into the door the driver of the other car screams.

'For God's sake, lock the car door!'

Without thinking, she does it. Just as the electronic lock clicks, she sees the face of a man materialise at the window of the back seat, staring intently at her and banging lightly on the window."

This tale easily deserves its place as one of the scariest of the Urban Legends. It has led countless people to check their backseats every time they drive at night (including me). The interesting moral to the story is that it isn't always the most obvious source of fear that actually presents you with danger.

There is another common variant that sees a creepy looking petrol station attendant trying to coax the driver out of the car. It is a tale designed to make people re-evaluate their prejudiced and preconceptions, as the attendant that causes so much fear is actually the individual trying to save the driver in an incredibly delicate and volatile situation.

The basic bottom line is the hidden fear. You feel safe locked in your car and the danger always lies outside. As long as you lock yourself in, you are safe from any threats. This flips this common conception on its head, seeing the victim locking themselves in with the danger.