Automatonophobia is described as the fear of ventriloquist's dummies, wax figures, animatronic creatures, and anything else that is made to represent a sentient being.
Yes, secret number eight is mine. I am afraid of wax statues and mannequins. The more life-like they are, the scarier they seem. The phobia stems from an experience that was both direful and exciting. All I remember from the event was that I was so tired (from yelling and screaming) when we stepped out of the horror section of the museum. My shirt* was pulled down to one side. My mom kept her eyes closed and yanked my shirt all the way to the exit. I went over to gaze at the featured statue out in the lobby. I thought I saw his eyes blink so I looked up. I was probably about 5 inches away from his face. He slid the tobacco out of his mouth and said, "Boo." My heart started pounding loudly, but I couldn't open my mouth to say anything. Whatever happened after that, I cannot recall.
I haven't set foot in a wax museum since then (1989). Looking at photos of wax statues also gives me the creeps. The shop mannequins don't bother me that much for as long as I'm around people. Living people, that is.
Zombies and any other moving nightmarish creatures you see in the movies don't scare me. I think it's because they are constantly moving. What scares me is when an object which is not supposed to be moving suddenly comes alive.
Have you seen those Wake Up With The King commercials by Burger King?
Those are freaky. Donski once said that if ever that happened to me, the King would be flying out of the window. He is probably right.
Although, at present, I might end up getting alektorophobia. Well, not exactly. Just a fear of people turning into chickens.
*I was wearing one of those novelty shirts that said:
When I works, I works hard
When I sits, I sits loose
And when I thinks, I goes to sleep
I still have it. I sometimes (ok, a lot) wear it to bed. Mikee hates it. He thinks it looks like a rag. Teehee.
Rambling Gypsy