In the past two weeks, I have gone over certain types of menaces/fears portrayed in the horror genre, and gone into what makes these stories scary, appealing, and/or unpalatable to some. Those posts have covered monsters and the mysterious, examples of external threats; one that is frightening because what we know what it is and what it can do, the other because we do not know what it is or can do.

This third week in October, I will discuss the final type of horror, different from the previous. An internal threat, one that is too familiar and yet hard to understand: other humans.

You are home alone at night, relaxing, maybe snagging a late evening snack. Outside your window, you had heard joggers, dog walkers, and families pass by on the sidewalk, yet it is quiet out now. The still night air hangs around you. You reach for another bite, when the lights go out. Your heart freezes, scrambling for your cellphone, as a breaking window jars you. You switch the phone’s flashlight on, picking up a large kitchen knife. You call out, but no one answers. You dial 911, looking up into a mirror as the operator speaks. And in the reflection, you see a masked person behind you, who swings a bat at your head. All goes dark, as you hear laughing.

Some humans like to believe we are separate from other animals not only through our intelligence and the strength of our weapons, but also by a sense of moral high ground. Our social bonds and restraint keeps us above the savage beasts, or so is commonly thought.

Even if one ignores the millions killed in wars and genocides, crimes like stalking, sexual predation, abduction, and murder still exist. Sciencealert.com has made a list of the Top 15 Deadliest Animals (to people), using multiple sources for the raw body count. Humans were #2, beaten only by mosquitoes.

The only animal that people can claim moral superiority over is the tiny plague-spreading vampire bug. Not a good sign. Most animals kill out of necessity of survival–hunting to avoid starvation, or protecting territory, resources, mates, offspring, and self. People can kill for any or no reason, motives that baffle psychologists to this day.

Horror with human villains combines elements from the previous ones. It puts people in the position of prey, as with monsters; and it makes it difficult for the characters and viewers to know who to trust, similar to how the unknown often tricks victims into not knowing what is real. However, in other types, the victims can take solace and refuge in each other, playing on the primal instinct of strength in numbers.

The reason why humans make frightening horror villains is because it reduces the character’s access to social protection, leaving a particular remoteness beyond regular isolation. Rather than not having your species support system at all, one of your own kind is actively trying to kill you. A complete inversion.

To say nothing of the psychological aspect, how close people actually are to throwing out social cohesion and tearing each other apart. What humans are capable of doing, as serial killers, torturers, and predators.

Many examples exist; Scream, Saw, Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and A Clockwork Orange are all recognizable. Slasher flicks compose a great number of these, often fueled by a rather unhealthy obsession some people have with serial killers.

Given the raw number of unsolved homicides, or even inconclusive missing persons cases, this presents a scary reality. Some people likely do not want to face that, and that could turn them off from horror, whereas others may enjoy seeing the ways that writers can test the human psyche. How far can someone go, what motivates this fragment of the mind that leads to this, how credible the villain is, how the victim is tormented, or creative ways to express the dark side of humanity; all of these could be part of the appeal.

Alternately, these could be the factors that people do not want to scare themselves with, thereby killing their interest in the genre. Not naiveté per se, rather not wanting to always stay in a state of worry and pessimism. While many may not like the stress from jump scares or freaky imagery, others may not want the lingering dread such stories leave behind.

Horror, at its core, reminds people of our place in the universe. And it carries a cynical view, at that. We are helpless pickings without our technology, our intelligence is not as profound and strong-minded as we believe, our morals and social cohesion are on a precarious slope. It demonstrates that we are only human, and lays out why that is not a good thing, all the while tapping into our fight-or-flight response to hammer the lesson in.

Good horror raises questions like this, that could frighten more than in-the-moment scares ever could. Which is why I like it, in the right hands.

What are some of your favorite works of this sort? Out of the three subgenres discussed (monsters, the unknown, and humans), which do you like/dislike the most?

Tune in next week, where I will pick my favorite movies from each category and review them side-by-side.

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