1. A child murderer

“One of the guys I prosecuted for capital murder back when I was a prosecutor. Decapitated his children. When you looked into his eyes, nothing human looked back at you from them. It wasn’t that he was a sociopath (in fact, he was very obviously mentally ill and a long life of abusing drugs had left him less than all there, cognitively). It’s just that his eyes were very, very dead. Not dead in the sense of hopeless or resigned to his fate, but just that nothing that loved light and warmth ever looked out from behind those eyes.

And it’s not that he scared me, physically. Running into the guy in a dark alley would not be scary. But it scares me that there are people like that out there. Sociopaths and psychopaths I can deal with. I understand them, psychologically. I see where they fit. But this guy was just something else, like the inversion of a person.” — ccmulligan

2. A drug dealer

“First day of high school and I was in the toilet. Massive kid (6’5″ and 270lbs) known to be the main drug dealer in the school comes in with blood on his face and dripping from his hands. I look over as I’m washing my hands and he turns to me and goes, ‘Don’t worry little man, its not mine.’

Was infinitely more worried after that.” — dgmac13

3. A man who murdered his grandmother

“I interviewed a guy who had cut his grandmother’s head off with a bread knife. He was about 5’6″ and maybe 110. Eyes like Charlie Manson. When he said,’I want you out of my cell’ I could tell he was fighting back the impulse to attack me. So I left.” — NAbsentia

4. A mafia enforcer

“I met a Irish mafia enforcer in federal prison. We walked the track together. He told me, ‘I got enough bodies to fill those bleachers.'” — Telesis

5. My own uncle

6. The man who murdered my friend

“There was this one guy I had Russian with my freshman year of college. He always wore a suit and tie and would always talk about 4chan and the anarchist cookbook. I had talked to him a few times and even ate lunch with him once or twice.

Anyway he went on to murder one of my friends who lived down the hall from me.

As an eighteen year old it really fucked with me. Knowing this person could have very well had murdered me that night is horrifying. The only reason I probably didn’t get killed that night was because I went to go get stoned and watch Wreck-it Ralph. He was declared unfit to stand trial on account of insanity or some Bullshit, and now I have this fear he’ll end up back in society where he’ll just hurt more people.” — Foopipoo

7. Richard Ramirez

“My dad met Richard Ramirez while working as a prison guard.

My dad is probably the most jaded person I know, I have never seen him intimidated by anyone. When he was retelling this story, he got a really scared look on his face.

For some context, Richard Ramirez was the second Night Stalker in southern California. He had recently been caught, and was temporarily being housed in the prison my dad worked at. My dad was assigned to him, and after meeting him, he refused to ever go near him again. There were these women that would visit him and bring him things, and they always looked terrified. But this man was so manipulative and effective with speech that they were completely under his control. He would look you directly in the eye and say things like, “Are you happy with your life?” and, “I can get you anything you could ever want if you do what I say.” The worst part is that you would believe it. He had this way of speaking and getting inside your head that made you feel powerless and like you had to rely on him. My dad said that out of all of his years in law enforcement, to this day that is the only time that he felt like he was in the presence of someone truly evil.” — CarnivorousJazz

8. Mike Tyson

“Mike Tyson. And not the Mike today that’ll take a selfie with you for Instagram just because you asked, but the coked-up one who just got his face tattooed and would eat your kids if he ever heard the word, “selfie” come out of your mouth.

It was in ’02 or ’03 at a BET Awards after party in LA. I’m at the bar waiting for drinks and he comes up right beside me, by himself, no bodyguards, no friends, no one. He’s talking shit about everyone, the bartender, waitress, go go dancer, the guy to his left, and before he could say anything about me, I look over and give him a “What’s up, Mike?” Keep in mind I’m star struck AF, but I deliver that “What’s up, Mike?” so calmly you would’ve thought I knew the man for years. After I said that, he looked at me and his face lit up and gave me a hug. Now, I’m 6’2″ Mike’s maybe 5’9″ and I’ve never felt so small. This hug felt like I just walked into a jail cell and there was Bubba waiting for some fresh meat. I’ve yet to have a more uncomfortable hug in my life. After he lets go, we have a conversation (mostly about me being in the Air Force) that lasts for maybe 5 minutes. This again, was one of the most confusing conversations I’ve ever had. There were points in the conversation where I thought he was about to whoop my ass. He would talk about George Bush and why I would want to serve a guy like that while looking me dead in the eye like there’s a ref between us asking to touch gloves, then he would start smiling and finish it with a, “man, this is a great party.” Definitely one of the scariest and most WTF moments of my life. I’ve met some fucked up people and been in some sketchy situations, but meeting Mike tops them all just for the simple fact that I’ve never had someone put me on a emotional roller coaster like that from a 5 minute conversation.” — domymother

9. The man that killed my best friend’s sister

“There was a guy in my high school who was scary. He was held back a year in high school, well more like he was in jail for a year for beating someone up badly. Anyway, I had a couple classes with him and he was one of those guys who felt zero remorse and did not care or think about consequences. He dated my friend’s sister’s friend, and they had a falling out. He killed her. First bashed her head in with a rock, and when that didn’t kill her, stabbed her until she finally stopped breathing. This was over 20 years ago and I can still remember the blank look in his eyes when he talked to you. He’s getting out of jail soon.” — sdgoat

10. A Vietnam veteran

“Met a Vietnam Vet on a camping trip named ‘Lube,’ no shit. He looked like a poster child for the navy sailor. Just a broad mustached dude, he was built like the bulldog from Tom and Jerry, just a huge guy. Also one of the nicest guys I ever met. I asked him for tips as he was making Char and he showed me how to properly sharpen a knife. Eventually he started telling stories and people asked what he did to get so big. He says, “Every Morning when I wake up I roll onto the floor and do 1000 push-ups then I flip over and do a thousand sit-ups.” Whoa Then I notice this piece of beef jerky looking stuff hanging from some twine around his neck, so I asked what it was. He kinda laughed and then said, “Well when I came back from ‘Nam i was pretty messed up, I ended up slicing off the meat off the front of my shin and then jerkying it.” He then rolls up his pant leg to show us this huge scar on his shin, much bigger than the piece on his necklace. So I said, “Thats a lot bigger than the piece around your neck.”

“Yeah.” He chuckled again. “I’ve been chewing on it.”

This was in like 1999, and I thought surely this guy is just telling stories, so i asked another guy I  knew who served with him, nope. Those stories are true. This badass sliced his own leg meat off, jerkied it and hung it around his neck, AND THE FUCKER WOULD CHEW ON IT.

I was still pretty skeptical, I mean sure he’s HUGE and Mean looking, but he’s so nice. Sure enough the next morning I see him literally roll out of his hammock land on his chest and start pounding out pushups.” — TakethatBobaFett

11. Ted Bundy

“Back in the early/mid 1970’s my mother and I lived in the pacific north west. I was about 6 years old.

We where on an offbeat road right out of Seattle. Very dark night , no moon and a wisp of fog.

We saw a Volkswagen Beetle on the side of the road with their emergency flashers on and a rather good looking guy (as my mom describes him) with his arm in a sling waving us down. My mom pulled over being the kind of woman that would help anybody in need and he looked normal.

Mom rolled down her window and asked if she could help and the guy asked my mom if she could help him get the last lug nut off his tire so he could change his flat. So my mother introduces herself and he said, “Hello my name is Ted” and then smiled then looked at me reached over and shook my hand and asked my name and I think I got the bad vibe as well because I said nothing to him. My mom said something about his smile really made her uncomfortable and then she noticed that he was missing the passenger seat in his beetle.

So she rolls the window back up and said she would call a tow truck to come help him at the next city. Then speeds away while looking in her rear view mirror she sees him taking off the sling and getting back in the beetle and took off very fast in the opposite direction.

So that’s the night at 6 years old I shook the hand of Ted Bundy.” — zanloveless

12. Our abusive neighbor

“An old neighbor of mine often beat the crap out of his girlfriend, and since our apartments shared a wall I could hear everything. He was insane. One night he beat her really badly because he was jealous that she loved their baby daughter, and the things he said to her just made my skin crawl. He would make her and the kids stay home all the time with the curtains shut, because he believed that if anyone saw her then they would have an affair with her. But he didn’t bother providing them with basic necessities, so the baby pooped on rags and wore her 7 year old sister’s clothes.

He usually had a dead look in his eye, which was unsettling enough, but it was worse when he was “on”. Such a charming smile, and fairly good-looking. It just sort of accentuated the feeling of uncanny monster-ness about him.

I called the police on him one too many times and they got evicted. No one did a thing to help her or the kids. I still wonder where those kids are, how they’re doing.” — [deleted]

13. The man that killed my cousin

“The man that murdered my cousin. They were dating and when she tried to leave him, he killed her. We had all met him, he seemed like a completely normal and down to earth dude. I slept in the same room as him once. After it happened they found his journal and he just wasn’t the person he appeared to be socially. I have all sorts of trust issues now. Fuck you dude.”  — ChuckWheeler

14. A beautiful model

“Our agency signed a model a couple of years back who was scary as fuck. She was one of the nastiest people I have ever met. Beautiful, but there was something so off, this really deeply unpleasant, dark energy to her.

We moved her in to a model apartment and she was a nightmare, bullying people, stealing, starting fights and things, set fire to another girls stuff once, one of those people who you really just wouldn’t put anything past. Vile. So unpredictable as well, she could turn on the charm in an instant too, I think that was the most unsettling thing. We got rid of her but ugh, I hope I never have to see her again.” — brazenrumraisin

15. A military man

“Met a guy growing up who ‘was in the military.’ He had a black bag in the closet that no one was allowed to look in, and would get calls in the middle of the night and be gone for a week or two.

I one time watched him exterminating crows that were destroying his Mother-in-Law’s garden. He would sit there totally motionless for 5 minutes with the pellet gun in his lap. Then all of a sudden he would snap the rifle to his shoulder, and then just sit there for another couple of minutes. Then with no warning he would shoot, and always hit. The murder of crows wouldn’t even notice. He did that for a couple of hours until they were thinned enough to start noticing that maybe this wasn’t the garden to mess with…

What made him even scarier is that he had pretty major heart problems, so whatever he did for the military, he did it well enough that they kept him on staff despite that…” — TheAnchor4237

16. My own mother

“My mom.

She told me stories about herself when I was growing up, but I always assumed they were all talk. You know, like she was pulling my leg. But the stories never changed and, as I got older, I realized that they stayed pretty consistent. So I asked family members for confirmation and they basically shrugged and said, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Highlights include:

• My half-brother was watching a movie and mentioned that he wondered what it felt like to stab somebody. My mom nonchalantly said it wasn’t that great. It turns out that she once stabbed a man at a party because he got on her nerves and she had a knife in her boot. But it was “only his leg,” so it wasn’t “that bad.”
• She robbed a guy who robbed her at gunpoint, at gunpoint. Seriously. Dude showed up at her job with a pistol and took all the money in the register, so she chased him to the next town over, found him at a pool hall, and held him at gunpoint until he gave the money back.
• She has connections to people that I’m not allowed to know the names of. Like, people she considered (considers?) like brothers. Who happen to buy new cars after hunting accidents happen.
• She once physically destroyed somebody for just mentioning they thought they could take her in a fight. She didn’t have any animosity, said she had nothing against the girl. She just heard her talking shit and proceeded to calmly meet her out in a parking lot before she proceeded to snap her arm and crush every bone in her hands. It took three men to pull her off of the chick.
• She did the same thing to a woman who tried to hit my grandmother with a rock from her flower bed. She knocked the woman off of her feet and beat her head into the brick path leading to the garden until her front teeth came out. Then sent her home and dared her to call the police.
• In my hometown, I’ve seen her intimidate her way out of tickets. She wouldn’t even say anything threatening. She’d do what they asked, but they’d always just apologize and send her on her way.
• Her ex-husband? He once stole her car. She decided that was unacceptable, walked out to the bar he was at, hot wired it, and decided she was sick of his shit. He jumped in front of her while she was on her way out, expecting to stop her. She did stop. For a second. Then she gunned it.
• When one of my exes started stalking me, she informed him matter-of-factly in the nicest voice I’ve ever heard that, if he didn’t stop, they would never find his body because “it will be in pieces all over this county.”
• I actually witnessed her beat the ever-loving hell out of a guy when I was a kid. He made a passive threat at her, so she went after him with all the fury of a goddamn tornado.
• She willed herself out of having seizures. I found it hard to believe until my aunt backed it up. She used to take medicine for it but it made her sick, so she stopped. When the doctor told her she’d just get worse without it, she calmly informed him that she was done having seizures. And she never had another one. I think that’s the… creepiest thing I’ve heard about her.
• You know, next to the multiple stories of all of her friends who died or were murdered, which makes it seem like she’s the last one standing.

She’s actually told me that she’d probably be a pretty bad mother if she didn’t have a massive brain injury in her early twenties (she has a dent in her head where her skull is thinner in places from the surgery; it’s weird). Everyone has told me she was quieter and meaner before and seemed kind of detached from things she did, but if you talk to her now, she’s the happy, buoyant, and extremely friendly lady. It was like a complete personality shift. She has her moments, but she talks about her previous exploits in a way that’s so chipper and surreal.

By far, one of the potentially scariest people I know. Fascinating to talk to, a wonderful parent, and she fucking knows how to make a daughter feel safe, but I’ll be damned if she isn’t terrifying once something presses the wrong button.

I mean, she almost drove two hours away to find a former co-worker because he threatened me via text. And I, uh, don’t tell her what one of my exes did because I don’t want to visit her in prison.” — Kog0ruhn

17. A future school shooter

“I went to high school with this terrifying girl. She was overweight, never shaved her legs (or anything for that matter), had acne all over her body, and looked like she had never showered. Aside from her physical appearance, the things she said were really fucking creepy. She would always talk about death and killing people. She shaved her head one day, Britney Spears style, and kept it like that for months. She had been suspended several times for making threats on other students. Not the “I’m gonna kick your ass” kind, but the “I swear I am going to kill you if you come to school tomorrow” threats. In class she would always doodle pictutes of guns and knives. She had been removed from class multiple times for freaking out on teachers/students, and even flipped a desk one time. She wasnt bullied that badly, people mostly just avoided her. I was always nice to her, mostly l because I was fucking scared of her.

Anyways one day I’m in class talking to my friend about school clubs. The scary girl came up and started talking to us. My friend was really freaked out but I tried to make conversation. She ended up saying something along the lines of, “Yeah, I’ve always wanted to start ‘The Future School Shooters of America’ club!”

I was thoroughly freaked out. My friend and I decided to go to guidance and tell a counselor about it. I haven’t seen her since. I have no idea what happened to her.

Sometimes I feel bad about it, knowing that I probably got her expelled, but another part of me says that I may have stopped a school shooting.” — xandrenia

18. A stoner

“Talked to some stoner dude in a local “record” shop (great for that, but more of a head shop) and found out later that he’d just murdered someone… I didn’t go back for a while.”  — regeya

19. A 19-year old kid

“A friend right now actually. He’s only 19 but there’s seriously something dark about him. One time we were in a parking lot with some of his friends and this jerk yells at us from across the lot, just being a D-bag. I ignore him, whatever. But my friend gave him this look. I don’t know how to explain it, it was like death incarnate, like whatever thoughts he had became physical. I was seriously afraid. It wasn’t just an “angry” look, it was literally murderous. Not too long after he looked at me, in rapey sort of way. It was like he looked though me. Boy, I felt weird. Thing is, I can now recognize that particular look. Not too long after that incident I was watching a TV documentary about Chinese kids addicted to the internet being put in special camps. At one point a boy is told to talk with his father about his feelings. Anyway, the boy gave him the exact same look as my friend did. I told my mom “he wants to kill him.” Sure enough, not a few moments later he gets up and almost strangles his dad before people pull him off. My mom was shocked. I’ve seen actors try to pull it off. Nope, it cannot be replicated.

Anyway, there’s just something about my friend. He seems normal around other people and stuff, but if I try to talk to him one-on-0ne after he’s been quiet for a bit… I just don’t know, I try avoid looking him in the eyes. It’s just creepy. I get a feeling, like there’s a pressure in my stomach/chest just warning me to run.” — [deleted]

20. A bodybuilder on steroids

“I worked inpatient mental health in college. We had a frequent flier who was a bodybuilder who abused the hell out of steroids. We always had a team to escort him to the locked unit because he would always go off and would have to be restrained. I was the team captain on one of his admissions and thought well crap. I’m only 5’4″ he was 6’7” and all muscles and agitation. I told him, “I’m small and your tall. You are going to very nicely walk down the hall on your own with your chin up. Got it?” He yes mam’d me and I never had a problem with him. When he went off he could flick people off like a booger on a finger.” — kelloggflakes

21. The goofball in my class

“I knew a boy in middle school. Sweet as can be, hilarious, completely dorky and goofy in all the best ways. His life was pretty sad- his dad had died when he was little, and then his mom died the summer before we started seventh grade. He never acted down, though.

His situation wasn’t common knowledge, so one day, these girls were making fun of him- as girls do- and one decided to insult his mother.

Instantly, he went silent. Completely silent. Mind you, this kid had never been silent in his life, but he was silent now.

The girls, sensing weakness, continued on that path and increased the insults. Before I could jump in or say anything, the boy lurched to his feet- and the look in his eyes… I legitimately thought he was going to hurt them. I grabbed his arm and held him back, and he didn’t resist, just stood there clenching his fists. The girls sensed that they had gone too far and left. He watched them go before turning and looking at me. He didn’t say anything, but there was still bloodlust in his eyes. I let go of him.

As he walked away, I noticed that there was blood dripping on the ground from his fist. As he walked, he finally unclenched them, and there were these huge gashes on his palms- he had clenched his fists so hard that he had cut open his own skin.

And that, children, is the day I became very, very afraid of my friend.” — mythscomealive

22. My ex-boyfriend

23. A biker

“Part of my job involves going into Cat A prisons and interviewing prisoners there. This includes murderers, rapists, pedophiles, the lot. Keep in mind I’m a 24 year old 5ft tall woman.

Anyway, I honestly think the scariest person I’ve met above all of them is my dads friend “Tony.” Tony is a pig farmer and an outlaw biker. Tony has pigs that like biting people. Tony keeps pitbulls in a pen outside specifically to set on the pigs that bite him. I once saw Tony get bitten by a horse and knock it unconscious with his fist. Tony is a surprisingly friendly guy. I am friendly back at Tony.” — denimbastard

24. A man who killed a kitten

“I was waiting in the general lobby of the emergency room waiting for my wife (gf at the time). She was taken to a separate room where she could get scanned for some abdominal pains. Anyways, there was an older gentleman mid 40s sit right next to me and starts a conversation with me. I didn’t pay too much mind to it, keeping it to small talk.

Well this guy goes on to tell me that’s he comes in to ‘commit’ himself and that he’s required to do it at least once a month. I was like, ‘oh yeah sure’ not in a rude way but enough to make it believable that I’m intrigued. He goes on about other stuff. What’s he’s done in the past years. Etc.

5 hours go by and I haven’t heard from the gf. I get noticeably worried and he notices. States that he can take me to her. I said that it’s nothing to worry about and that I’m expecting a call any minute from her. But he insisted. Literally gets up walks pass the security guards and nurses. They don’t say anything to him. In fact they have a chitchat and talk as if they are best friends on first name basis. In the end they give him and I the “OK” to go see my gf. He led me thru the labyrinth of hallways and directly to her without getting lost. Like he’s been there before. I chat with my gf got an update from her then went back to the lobby.

As I sat down the guy goes on about what he and his bro use to do when they were little. Stupid kids things blah blah blah. Then the incident with the kitten. Thats when my focus shifted. He said that he put a kitten in the microwave and turned it on. And recalls the noises the poor animal made in its last moments. (I’ll spare other details) My eyes came up to meet his. A man who I just met a few hours ago and all I could feel was hatred towards him now. His eyes were just hollow, hard to describe yet piercing. He said something that I’ll never forget. ‘I got your attention now boy.’ Didn’t even crack a smile.” — pds_king21

25. A random drug addict

“This random man who happened to be outside when I was walking out a library a few years back. He was disheveled, short (I want to say around 5’1-5’3), bald, mumbling to himself and walking funny. When I got to be about three feet from him, he turned around and knocked out the lady behind him. A perfect stranger on her phone and he knocked her out with one solid punch to the face. Then he ran up to a guy who was easily a foot taller than him and tackled him to the ground, head butting him and yelling “can you feel this now, Marcy? Can you?!” By the time the cops showed up, this guy was foaming at the mouth from yelling, covered in blood, and two other people (two older men) had been assaulted by him. It was fucking nuts. The guy was obviously on some strong shit, but I’ve never seen anyone, before or after that, just loose it quite like that.” — nekirena

26. A seriel killer

“I once went on a tour through San Quentin. For those of you who aren’t aware, it’s one of California’s toughest correctional facilities housing the worst of the worst. While on the tour, the guide told us to stop and get close to the wall because they were transporting someone. Two guards were walking with an old white male prisoner, looked about 65. While he walked past us he grinned and waved to us, and his presence was just eerie. Even though he appeared to be harmless you just got the feeling that there is something terribly wrong with him, something subtle. When they passed, the tour guide said, ‘Creepyyyy… that guy is a serial killer.'” — Pestilence48

27. My quiet friend

“Knew a guy, 5’8″ or so. Always dressed like an old school librarian. Quiet guy. Friendly. We were having drinks after work and some 6’2” Neanderthal was getting rough with some girl outside the bar. The Neanderthal had 4 similarly caveman like friends with him.

I am a fairly big guy and I stepped in and said “Mate, how about you step back and leave the lady alone”.

This gorilla turned on me and punched me in the face before I knew what was happening and I am on my ass”.

All 5 five of them move towards me when my friend stepped in and … Absofuckinglutely obliterated all 5 in about 30 seconds. There was no fancy flying kicks or such. His fighting style was the most brutally understated thing I have ever seen. It was efficient, it was cold and these guys got hurt bad.

Turns out he was like 8th generation military from some Afrikaan family that took their whole soldier thing terribly serious and had spent a dozen years in some South African recon commando special forces para fucking sniper unit. Before that he reckoned his military service actually started when he was four as the whole extended family was run like some military training camp.

He bailed from South Africa and moved to Australia and became an accountant.”  — Bonolio

28. A bizarre customer

“I work at a fast-food restaurant and we tend to get a lot of… interesting customers. One day a man came in and I, being the cashier, went to serve him. He stood at the counter for about 10 seconds without looking at me and then proceeded to run out of the restaurant.

Cut to about 2 hours later, I’m cleaning the men’s bathrooms when he walks in. I apologise and say that I’ll just be a moment to finish up my cleaning. When I went to exit the bathroom with my cleaning supplies, he blocked the doorway and wouldn’t let me pass for about 10 seconds again. He then spends half an hour in the bathroom before exiting the store without purchasing anything.

An hour later, you guessed it, he’s back again, pacing back and forth at the front of the store. He ends up ordering $30 worth of food and (rather than waiting for his order) leaves the store whilst the food is being prepared, never to return.

Several weeks later I’m waiting for my bus (I live very close to work) when he sees me, walks up and stands next to me for the 10 minute wait. When the bus finally arrived, he turned around and walked away. As a young woman, this scared the shit out of me. Particularly when I drove past him getting arrested a couple of weeks ago, surrounded by police officers.” — pootatoizcool

29. A rapist

“The man who stalked me when I was 10, and told my dad he intended to rape and kill me, and later, my sister.” — sweetmercy

30. Some crazy drunk

“One time I was at an outdoor bar area with my friends getting a drink. I’m at the bar, it’s pretty crowded. Dude comes up beside me and isn’t really looking to get a drink, he’s just kinda looking at me really intensely. Really big guy, probably 6’3” 220+ of just muscle (I’m like 6′ and maybe 160). And he nonchalantly starts talking about how his favorite thing on a night out is to just punch an absolutely random person and see their lights go out, laying on the floor. He says he does it when he’s coked out, which he insinuated he was. Just goes on and on about the thrill he gets from knocking someone out who he doesn’t even know. The things he said were probably more graphic and violent than I remember. I was like what the fuck I need to get the fuck out of here.

Not sure how the conversation turned, but he mentioned he was out on the town because he went through a breakup. He said, ‘Are you my bro?’ I was like, ‘Yeah man sure, we’re buds.’ Got my drink and said something like, “cheers, to all the fish in the sea” or some shit. Got back to my friends and kept that guy in the corner of my eye all night long.”  — jaredpls