As a child growing up in the 1970s and ‘80s, I couldn’t wait to see the latest horror flick.
Movies like “The Shining,” “Christine,” “Nightmare on Elm Street,” and “Friday the 13th” would garner excitement. These movies featured a creepy bad guy who was out to hurt teenagers or their family members.
Now as an adult, however, I purposely steer clear of horror movies. They have become too real due to computer-generated special effects, and I have nightmares for days if not months. While I know the creatures in the current movies are not real, they have the appearance that they could be.
The last horror movie I watched came out more than a decade ago.
Never again will I watch “The Descent,” much to the delight of my children.
The movie follows six women into a cave where they encounter and become hunted by flesh-eating humans.
For the record, I won’t be going spelunking anytime soon either.
As scary movies go, “The Descent” kept me on the edge of my seat despite being in a living room full of people. I couldn’t help but feel we were being hunted.
I was reminded of this feeling a few weeks ago as I walked down Main Street in Luverne. Passing the State Farm office I noticed Renee Sudenga photographing something through the window with her cellphone.
What she was taking a picture of caused me to stop and take my own picture.
As my lens zoomed in on the insect clinging to the windowsill, we both wondered, “Was that really a praying mantis?”
The long-legged stick-like creature measured more than 3 inches long and looked like a twig. Both of us inched our way toward the insect for a closer look.
The slight turn of the insect’s brown head (which other insects cannot do) made us run for cover, as the look appeared to be that of an alien creature looking for human flesh to capture in its front claw-like legs.
Renee said the praying mantis stayed around the office’s front door for a day or two and then it left.
It may be the one that appeared on Jill Thielbar’s car roof. Her Facebook page featured the insect in a full stretch pose, giving it an appearance of being even bigger than the one I saw.
It’s this car surfing that may have brought the insect to Minnesota, where sightings are rare.
Praying mantis, or mantis religiosa, are not native to our state, Master Gardener Tim Olsen emailed me after viewing my picture of the intimidating insect.
He said the northern range for the insect is Missouri.
Tim speculated the six-legged, winged creature hitch-hiked on a vehicle from the south. Another possibility is that a gardener brought praying mantis egg cases to hatch in a garden to feed on pests.
As a voracious carnivore, the praying mantis will eat any insect, even its own kind.
Tim included this fun fact: After mating, the female eats the male.
So while this alien-looking creature gives me the creeps, I would be most grateful if they could thin down the cricket population. The chirping is really annoying.