The Night the Dead Sat Up: My Creepy Morgue Experience

Alright, so back when I was in college, my dad hooked me up with a part-time job at the morgue where he worked. Was this my dream job? Absolutely not. But it paid well, had flexible hours, and honestly, I thought it would be kinda cool in a creepy way.

Now, working in a morgue, you see a lot of weird things. But nothing—and I mean nothing—could’ve prepared me for this night.

So, I was on the night shift, training this new guy. He seemed nervous, which was fair—it’s a morgue, after all. We had a body to move, just standard procedure. The person was tagged, covered with a sheet—same routine I’d done a hundred times. I was walking him through the basics, showing him how to handle the gurney properly, when all of a sudden...

The body sits up.

Yeah. Full-on, straight-up sits up.

Now, I had been there long enough to know what was up. But the new guy? Oh, he was NOT ready.

His eyes went huge. For a second, he just stood there, completely frozen, like his brain had just short-circuited. Then, out of nowhere, he let out this bloodcurdling scream, spun on his heels, and bolted—straight through the doors, out into the parking lot, and into the night.

I didn’t even have time to react before he was gone.

I ran after him, yelling, “Dude, WAIT! It’s NORMAL!” But he was already halfway across the lot. That man was moving like a horror movie final girl—gone.

So here’s the thing: sometimes, dead bodies can have these post-mortem muscle contractions, especially in the abs. It’s rare, but it happens. The muscles tighten, and it can make the body look like it’s trying to sit up. Super creepy? Absolutely. Paranormal? Not even a little.

But try explaining that to a guy who quit on the spot and never came back.