A spooky ‘90s board game is having a surprising resurgence — not because it was recently re-released, but because a group of college students got their hands on it and had a truly chilling experience… If you’re reading this, be warned: blocked out memories of the terrifying game may bubble back up.
Does anyone remember the ‘90s video board game Nightmare? It came with a VHS tape featuring a timer and an ominous narrator called The Gatekeeper who directed players through the frightening adventure. The game preyed on players’ deepest fears — The Gatekeeper would direct you to write yours down and submit it into a “well of fear.” The point was to make your way around the board game collecting keys, and once all six were obtained, you could draw another player’s fear so yours would not come true.
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If you were hoping this was a Mandela Effect situation, or something the dark recesses of your mind conjured up but isn’t actually real, you’re sorely mistaken. Because it is real. And it’s reportedly haunting users. Ch-ch-check out how creepy it is (below):
Who else has the chills?
Recently, super popular spooky storytime TikTok star @ashleenic, who frequently spotlights scary stories sent to her from around the world, told her followers about an experience a group of 21-year-old college girls had with Nightmare.
“A girl named Casey said she found this game at a thrift store in her college town. She was about 21, she was with her best friend, and they decided to buy it.”
The two girls invited their respective roommates to come play the game with them in a candlelit room to really conjure a creepy ambiance. But their mistake was not researching any lore about the game before playing it:
“They were reading the instructions as if they were gospel. Casey said that the instructions said that you had to write a legitimate fear, not like a jokey fear. You can’t just be like, ‘I’m afraid of losing WiFi.’ You have to write what you’re actually afraid of.”
Creepy…
The college students were determined to play the game “the right way” and closely followed the instructions… but when Casey dropped her submission into the well of fears, “it felt like the energy in the room shifted. She swears it got colder. She said, ‘In my mind, I guess I just thought it as something psychological about playing this creepy game.”
As the game commenced, things started off normally. The Gatekeeper would pop up on the VHS tape periodically to deal curveballs, but when he disappeared, “it was like he was still there watching.” But then something truly chilling happened…
“When the count had just passed 33 minutes, [Casey] said the Gatekeeper did something that he hadn’t done earlier in the game: he asked a question and then he waited.”
According to the players, the question “didn’t feel scripted,” and as the Gatekeeper lingered, they all looked at one another as if they were supposed to answer to somebody listening. THEN, something unbelievable happened:
“Casey swears his expression changed and he shifted his eyes to look at her best friend Mara. She claims that he said, ‘Mara, take your fear from the well.’”
At that point, all four players are in disbelief — but particularly Mara. Did she really just hear what she thought she heard?? Or was it a coincidence? Was the name Mara written into the pre-recorded script?
The players then attempted to rewind the tape to investigate, but it began glitching, saying “Mara” over and over again before shutting off completely. Shaken, the players turned on the lights, reclaimed their submissions from the well of fears, and attempted to look up the game on their phones… but none of them had service! So, to get their minds off it, they hit a bar and about an hour later, service returned to their phones.
Two weeks pass by and not a peep has been heard from Mara. She wasn’t returning calls or texts, and she wasn’t in class. So Casey asked her roommate about it, and Mara had apparently gone home for the weekend. And on the day she was supposed to return, Mara finally called Casey back and revealed that a family member had gotten into a bad car accident and was hospitalized for injuries. And creepily enough, she revealed to Casey that the fear she submitted into the game was losing that specific person!
CHILLS!
She went on to admit that every night leading up to the crash, the Gatekeeper visited her dreams informing her that her fear was “coming.” And then after the crash, he suddenly stopped visiting… as if he was “finally satisfied.”
Luckily, the family member made a full recovery and Mara has not seen anymore of the Gatekeeper in her dreams… and has turned to religion to help her through the unexplainable series of events. You can listen to the spooky story in full (below):
@ashleeinc This spooky scary storytime was submitted by Kacey, who says she and her best friend found the 1991 version of Nightmare at a thrift store. After playing, Kacey’s best friend felt that the game’s host, The Gatekeeper, followed her out. Got a creepy story? I’d love to hear it! New stories posted daily.
Other accounts of similar situations have been documented online from people who have played the game, so if true, Mara isn’t alone.
What are YOUR thoughts here, Perezcious readers? Is this proof of paranormal activity, or is it all a bunch of hocus pocus? Be sure to share your thoughts — and personal experiences, if any — in the comments below.
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