Fear Itself
Fear keeps us safe. When we perceive a threat, fear prepares our bodies to either face the danger or escape it, by releasing hormones such as adrenaline that give a rush of energy and excitement. Some people look for ways to feel fear in a controlled setting, using the rush that scary experiences bring as an escape from everyday stresses.
The Gothic novelist Ann Radcliffe (1764-1823) highlighted two ways of experiencing fear: terror and horror. Terror is the dread and anticipation that precedes a horrifying experience – the fear of what might happen. Horror is the revulsion and shock that comes from a frightening sight or experience. Many Gothic writers evoked both terror and horror in their readers, raising suspense through terror, that would progress into horrifying scenes.
Fear protects us from immediate physical dangers but also warns us of potential threats. Scary stories may warn us to learn from past actions. Following a traumatic event, details of the event often return in the form of tales of curses or hauntings. This fear can represent the trauma in an individual’s life and also the guilt of a society that struggles to deal with its past or the elements it excludes.
How do you experience fear?
Psychologists have identified different types of reactions viewers have to modern horror films, highlighting the different experiences people have when they feel fear in a safe setting.
Which do you identify with? Click the headings to learn more about each category:
Adrenaline junkie
- You get an adrenaline rush and mood boost from watching horror films, have less empathy for characters and forget the experience after it's over.
White knuckler
- You experience a genuine fear, are more involved in the scenarios and characters and manifest fear after watching with longer term negative effects.
Dark coper
- You have characteristics of both Adrenaline Junkies and White Knucklers, watching horror to reduce anxiety and stress, and to experience fear in a controlled environment
Doll
Greece, 1922
Scary stories often surround women, young girls in particular, who have been seen as the most innocent and vulnerable in society, and therefore the most susceptible. The tales are also aimed at them, to warn them of the dangers they may face and to be on alert. The uncanny – the familiar becoming unfamiliar – is frequently used with dolls in scary stories to create a sense of unease and suggest that things may not always be what they seem.
Cave spider
Meta menardi
Fear is a physiological reaction to a perceived danger which can be learned from others. There are no harmful species of spider native to the UK, but around 1 in 5 people in the country are scared of them. Arachnophobia is usually learned from seeing others displaying fear, rather than experiencing direct harm from spiders. Unlike the kinds of fear sought out by consumers of Gothic literature, phobias produce unpleasant and harmful experiences.
Scarab beetles
19th century display of Egyptian scarabs from 1650-1550 BC
Stories of cursed objects bringing bad luck on those who take them surround museum collections, these items taken from their natural place to become museum “curiosities”. Egyptian archaeological finds are often associated with such curses. Is it true that these objects possess supernatural powers to harm those who remove them, or are societies haunted by their own history and actions?
Quiet horror
M.R. James (1862-1936), the “father of ghost stories”, was amaster of quiet horror. He built suspense through the gradualinclusion of ominous things into daily lives. The Mezzotinttells the story of a curator who receives a new piece of artthat portrays a grand house. He thinks little of the seeminglyboring and unimpressive picture, until he and his friendsbegin to notice subtle changes in the image that grow to tell aterrifying story.
Look closely at this picture and see if you notice any changes...
