Night Terrors: The Pisadeira

Brazilians speak in hushed tones about an ugly monster - sometimes a giant man, sometimes an old hag, sometimes a scary demon - that sneaks into bedrooms while they're sleeping, sits on their chests and presses down on their throats so that they wake up gasping for breath and unable to move. It turns out versions of the same tale are told in many countries by many cultures about many monsters. While science has not developed a get-this-monster-off-of-my-chest cure, it has come up with an explanation for them.

In Brazil, the monster is called Pisadeira and is most often described as an old hag with long fingers who jumps down from roofs onto the chests of unsuspecting sleepers. In Portugal, Pisadeira is sometimes depicted as old man (sadly, a Friar) and occasionally sits on the full belly of children rather than on their chests. In Spain, it's a large black dog or cat. The indigenous people of Canada believe the creature is a shapeless demon created by an evil shaman. Nigerians describe it as a scary old woman while the Japanese say it's a male spirit trying to suffocate his enemies. In Cambodia, it's a "khmaoch sângkât" - "the ghost that pushes you down." Victims all say they can see the monster or spirit but can't move or breath until it finally goes away...read more>>>...