

As adults we like to know when the bounds of reality have become blurry;
we like to maintain control, and there’s an abundant element of control
in the movie-going experience. The plot isn’t a mystery, nor is the
suspension of disbelief as intense as it is in dreams (sensory
deprivation is limited to the dimming of the theatre lights, only
submerging us so far in the fantasy). The outcome isn’t ruled by chance,
as it is in role-playing games (or real life, for that matter). But we
can still lie to ourselves enough to believe in what’s happening
onscreen. We still have the ability to escape into the world of movies.
Therefore, we can rest assured that adulthood hasn’t fully sunk its
claws into us yet. By the same token, we can exit if we are unsatisfied
with the movie we’re watching, or if we have to go to the bathroom.
Therefore, we can rest assured that we have control over our delusions.
And, sitting in a special room with the lights off, gathered among a
group of friends and strangers who are all watching two-dimensional
people play make-believe, we can rest assured that we aren’t weird.
Author Willy Greer delves into the dark psychology of the modern horror
film to scare up those terrifying images that still manage to make us
afraid of things that go bump in the night.
No comments:
Post a Comment