The Horror...The Horror...The Horror

I cannot say that I had ever taken horror films all that seriously before taking this course. I spent (or perhaps misspent) a good portion of my youth seeking out the lowest budget, worst horror films that I could find. I thought they were hilarious, and I still do. There is something very amusing and even charming about watching someones earnest effort to make a scary film, and fall so unbelievably short. I have watched and enjoyed many popular and higher budget horror films as well. My favorite of which is The Shinning.

The Shining has a million different interpretations but to me illustrates a central idea that I had realized during this course. Horror film monsters were almost always humanoid in form but it seems after WWII, real humans became the villains. The advent of Film Noir points to this as well. I believe this says that the most frightening monster is mankind. After the atrocities of the holocaust and the war itself, it was apparent that humans are capable of the most truly revolting, insane, and terrifying acts. Even in films with monsters, the monsters were created or antagonized by humans. Our own fears can turn us into the monsters that we are afraid of. The fear of being alone or unloved-Eyes Without a Face, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Last Circus. The fear of being controlled-Island of Lost Souls and Videodrome. The fear of the human mind-Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Peeping Tom. The fear of the future or the unknown-the Universal monster films and Don't Look Now. All of these fears have the potential of becoming a living nightmare. In the end the monster that you feel lurking in the shadows might just be hiding in the mirror.