Like many Americans, I've been heavily influenced by movies and TV shows. In fact I'd go so far as to say that it's been my primary source of education, as depressing as that sounds.
And because of this influence, there are certain "genres" of life that my mind's sequestered into their own categories. I have to be in a certain mood, location, or ambience to give credence to a particular way of thinking. For example, when I was working alone at some hospice at night in college that doubled as a church and funeral home, because I've seen plenty of films where the overnight guard gets murdered by an escaped patient or some monster lurking in the shadows that's yet to be fully revealed to the audience.
Source: carolco pictures
Cop dramas, however, exist in another universe for horror films. If I'm hanging out with a bunch of off-duty police officers, I'm not going to get the same heebie jeebies as I would by myself in a hospital. The only thing I'd probably be afraid of is whether or not the cops can smell weed on me. Which is probably why that Eric Bana cop exorcist movie, Deliver us from Evil, felt like it had such a weird premise.
But if you think about it, law enforcement officers are probably the biggest demographic out there who'll more than likely face paranormal activity. Whenever there's a severe crisis, cops are usually called to handle the situation, right? And if I felt like there was someone in my house but it ended up being a ghost, you best believe I'm phoning the police to deliver me from the spookiness.
This recent Ask Reddit thread posed a question to people who worked in Law Enforcement and public service, asking if they ever witnessed anything out of the ordinary. Their answers are pretty chilling.
Cops weren't the only ones who provided scary stories of supernatural occurrences. Some tales were told by EMS workers, EMTs, members of the fire department, correctional officers, and, in some instances, prisoners themselves.
For some reason, scary stories from the '80s always seem scarier. Could be because of all the slasher flicks from the decade that I beasted on as a kid, though.
