There are black zones of shadow close to our daily paths, and now and then some evil soul breaks a passage through. When that happens, the man who knows must strike before reckoning the consequences – H.P. Lovecraft The Thing on the Doorstep
I love this quote from one of the creepier stories that Lovecraft wrote, and I find it so pertinent to my ideas on the psychology of horror. The interesting thing about horror is that it surrounds us on a daily basis, those black zones of shadow are quite tangible for those who know where to look. But what does it mean for those “who know” to strike them down? In the context of the quote it meant dealing with the monster regardless of later repercussions. In the context of horror psychology I think this deals with what we do internally when we come across a horror. The scariest part of any horror is not necessarily the monster, it is living on after the monster is struck down, knowing that you have been irrevocably changed by it. I think of the likes of soldiers, police, first-responders, etc. who must act quickly in situations that can be quite horrific, and having to later make meaning and sense out of world that just had the sense pulled out from under them after it is all over. I am still trying to determine if the ability to deal with that, sort of re-calibrate the world, in light of the thing that just crawled out of the shadow, be that what it may, is learned or innate. From what I have gathered I think it can be taught. What do you think?
Horror Struck 