A rare phenomenon where a person uncontrollably bolts upright in bed and screams at the top of their lungs during the climax of a horrible nightmare. The nightmare in question almost, if not always involves the dreamer in a scary situation where they are about to be killed while also being completely helpless to stop it. But just when the unfortunate dreamer is killed/is about to be killed, the phenomenon occurs. Bonus points if it's a lucid dream.
In one episode of The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon experiences a catapult nightmare when he has a vivid dream where Santa Claus appears in his living room and is about to kill him with a giant cannon as revenge for a ridiculous comment he made in a roleplay earlier that day that involved giving Santa a very hard kick in his "Bowl full of jelly" and feeding him to ogres.
As soon as Santa lights the fuse on the cannon, Sheldon wakes up and immediately positions himself upright while screaming for Leonard, and the episode ends.
As soon as Santa lights the fuse on the cannon, Sheldon wakes up and immediately positions himself upright while screaming for Leonard, and the episode ends.
by Someone who kinda exists September 25, 2021