Monster under the bed

A common childhood phobia is the fear of a monster under the bed or similarly a monster in the wardrobe. It is associated with the fear of the dark, the fear that there are monsters that cannot be seen due to the darkness.^[1]

A theorised origin of the fear of monsters under the bed is that it may have evolved by human ancestors to avoid attacks by predators. Sexual size dimorphism of the human ancestor Australopithecus afarensis may have led females to sleep in trees and males to sleep on the ground, possibly leading females to anticipate attacks from below and males anticipating attacks from around them. A 2021 study interviewed boys and men and girls and women and found that males recalled monsters in their dreams beside them at higher rates than below them, but for females there was not much difference.^[2]

American psychologist Peter Gray has suggested that the fear of monsters under the bed may also arise from popular culture, such as from television or stories, saying that "I would imagine the basic fear is innate, but the specific forms of the fear would probably be influenced by experience".^[1]

• Is That a Monster, Alfie Atkins?, 1978 children's book
• "Listen", a 2014 episode of Doctor Who that involves the fear of something grabbing one's foot when leaving bed
• Little Monsters, a 1989 fantasy comedy film where the protagonist befriends a monster under the bed
• The Monster Bed, a 1987 chilren's book
• "Monster Under the Bed", an episode of the TV series Dinosaurs

• Monsters, Inc., a 2001 Pixar film in which screams of children are harvested as energy through doors that activate portals to children's bedroom closets
• Monster in the Closet, a 1987 horror film

• Bogeyman
• Coco (folklore), hides in beds and wardrobes
• Five Nights at Freddy's 4