Last week, I introduced the October series on why horror has become a popular genre, and why people may strongly love or hate it. I described how monster movies subvert our perceived physical superiority by taking away our weapons and security, putting us in the position of prey, and demonstrating how weak we really are.

This week, I will delve into a different threat in horror that plays on another dread: fear of the unknown, and the limits of the mind.

Alone, your footsteps scrape against the carpet floor. Wind whistles through the abandoned hallway, eliciting a rusty creak from a door. But as you move further down the corridor, pulling out cobwebs as they stick to your hair, the breeze sharpens in tone. Like speaking, a wispy language you cannot understand; but your body feels it beckoning to you. Afraid, you turn to bolt down the hall, only to find metal bars behind you. Looking around, you are no longer in the corridor, but a cage. The voice echoes louder, surrounding and piercing you, until your mind burns and loses consciousness.

Humans are the most advanced known species on the planet, and our knowledge has increased exponentially with modern science and the Internet. Intelligence is our most valuable asset, without which weapons cannot be, and our problem solving abilities cease.  What we do not know, research and experimentation works to fill the gap.

However, doing a simple browser search for “Florida Man” demonstrates that intelligence has its limits, and that people are not as smart as we would care to believe. Our lack of knowledge about our own planet, from the jungles to the oceans, shows how far we have to go.

So, when we are confronted with something we cannot understand, it places pressure on us to find out. Realizing how little we actually know can be humbling and even harrowing, intensified by the presence of a threat tied to the ignorance.

Ghost stories play on this fear, as do those of demonic possession, H. P. Lovecraft, cursed objects, and madness. Something outside or even beyond our comprehesion adds a level of hopelessness.

Ghosts and other spirits play off our speculation of the afterlife; fear not only of dying, but of a miserable and stagnant existence after passing, and not knowing our fate. Demonic possession (and similar themed) provides situations where our mind is subverted and no longer our own, where our intelligence is of no help against an otherworldly force. The same applies to the godlike beings from Lovecraftian works.

Examples include The Shining, Haunting of Hill House, Bedeviled, Paranormal Activity, The Exorcist, and countless others.

Horror stories that distort the victim’s perception, where it is difficult to determine reality, serve the same purpose. They render our willpower and mental ability useless, and explore the effects of madness. Oculus and Edgar Allen Poe’s works are other excellent examples.

This type of horror shows how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of the universe, and/or how little we really know about the world. It knocks us off our pedestal by pitting us against forces greater than we are, beings we cannot fully understand. So much so, that confronting them or attempting to comprehend them induce insanity

More than mere jump scares, films of this variety play on our smallness and powerlessness. Thereby, some people may be offput by such jarring themes, detracting the genre by not wanting a reminder of our limits. Existential dread can linger in ways that immediate terror do not, as it opens the door to how easily the mind can be outdone and crushed.

Meanwhile, connoisseurs can appreciate the creative ways artists create and portray these themes and forces. A fascination with death or what lies beyond our knowledge can intrigue viewers in ways that monsters cannot. People may enjoy the reversal, as understanding the limits of the mind is the first step in improving it.

Regardless, this type of horror raises philosophical questions about our place in the world – and rarely in a positive light.

What are some of your favorite movies about the unknown? Do you like or dislike horror, and why?

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