The Terror That Comes in the Night
An Experience-Centered Study of Supernatural Assault Traditions

David J. Hufford

304 pages | 6 x 9
Paper 1989 | ISBN 978-0-8122-1305-8 | $21.95s | £14.50 | Add to shopping cart
A volume in the Publications of the American Folklore Society series
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"A provocative exploratory work."—Los Angeles Times

David Hufford's work deals with the so-called Old Hag experience, a psychologically disturbing event in which a victim claims to have encountered some form of malign entity while dreaming (or awake). Sufferers report feeling suffocated, held down by some "force," paralyzed, and extremely afraid.

The experience is surprisingly common: the author estimates that approximately 15 percent of people undergo this event at some point in their lives. Various cultures have their own name for the phenomenon and have constructed their own mythology around it; the supernatural tenor of many Old Hag stories is unavoidable. Hufford, as a folklorist, is well-placed to investigate this puzzling occurrence.

"A brilliant and exciting look at a misunderstood phenomenon."—Western Folklore

"Fascinating, original, and convincing, The Terror That Comes in the Night is one of the most significant books on the paranormal. . . . A classic."—Fate

"Anyone interested in folklore or dream research or bizarre and unexplained phenomena, which are here examined carefully and rationally, will enjoy this volume."—The American Rationalist

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