Fear and Fishing

I went and saw a movie last weekend. It was about evil of a residential nature. I think the genre and the format (adding an extra D to the equation) had a lot to do with the previews that they decided to show. There was either horror, 3-D, or horror shot in 3-D. I'm not a die-hard horror fan, but I'm finding the reasons that people are interesting.

My father-in-law is currently a regular viewer of a newer fishing show that profiles an "extreme" fisherman that goes after river fish of the "OHMYGODITSMOBYDICK" variety. The last episode was on location in/on the Amazon river attempting to track down a catfish that can theoretically grow to a big enough size to eat a man whole. During the set-up, there was a lot of narrative supposition on the existence of such a creature. The funny thing was that each time the possibility of the man-eating fish came up, my F-I-L scoffed at the idea and repeated to himself how ludicrous and impossible it was.

Now, I suppose that your curious as to why I jumped from the topic of horror to the topic of fish (but, to be fair, it was the topic of a man-eating fish). Now I've had (past-tense for good reason) friends that loved the horror genre for the vicarious kicks. I have friends that love the genre for the story, the special effects part and parcel to the experience. And I have friends that love the genre because of the social, political, and economic statements that are allegorically woven into the piece. But I think that the good portion of horror fans love the genre because maybe it give them a safe outlet to control fear.

Now, as your average modern citizen, despite what the news screams at us on a nightly basis, we live pretty safe lives. We don't have to worry about huge cats jumping out of tall grasses as we look for tubers. We don't have to worry about unseen terrors bursting from a calm river as we gather water. We don't have to keep a roaring fire burning at the entrances to our homes to keep the unknown killers in the night from dragging us from its safety. But the fears that kept our ancestors safe for so many millennium are still lurking around in our DNA, prompting random reactions of terror from sources that aren't all that scary.

Watching a terrifying movie or reading a chilling story lets us fire that fear up without ever having to really worry about consequences (big cats, sharp teeth, and such). So, next time you're enjoying a good and scary flick, thank those jumpy ancestors of yours, and rest assured that everything is alright. At least until the zombie uprising. :)

Write ME, dammit!

I've been draining myself the past couple of weeks. The novel I'm working on is a horror piece that started in NaNoland. I don't know why I started it. I'm not a fan of the genre anymore. My teenage angst has long since gone the way that teenage angst tends to go, so I no longer need the credit of Lovecraftian readership (although awesome at the genre, too much for me now). I don't enjoy the feeling of discomfort that the tension and the visualization elicits. But that's the story that wants to be told, and I'm going to do right by it and finish.

My unease with the genre got me thinking about stories that just won't be quiet. The type that pop up and try to hijack another story when you least expect or want it anywhere near you. The type that, despite your best effort, you find yourself thinking about when you should be concentrating on anything but. The type that seem to have a life and existence of their own, and won't quiet until they are committed to paper. I've heard various artisans talk about similar methods with their mediums, ranging from paint to stone. So I don't feel so odd when I view a story in that context.

That's not to say that all one has to do is sit at the computer or pen in hand and type or write away until all is completed. How sweet would that be? I've spent the most time and effort on this piece than any other one before it, even projects (labors of love and pets) that I've been writing on longer.

I think, though, that this one is different because of the amount of time and effort I've put into the crafting of it. I've felt the most professional with this one. And I think that it's given me good ideas and work ethic to go got back and blow the dust off of all the other stories that didn't have such a demanding nature.

The horror...the horror...?

My NaNo project this year took a little bitty turn towards the dark side (not THE Dark Side(C, R, TM, etc)), but the general idea of the term. I decided to write a horror project. I don't know why, really. Maybe I've been needing to channel my loathing of the books that shall not be named, maybe I miss the old school styles, maybe I think it's time for a reboot (hell, everything else in the world is getting rebooted, why not?).

But the funny thing is that I've noticed my usual movie habits have ramped up and amped up from the usual weirdness. I thought that I'd be immersing myself if horror classics, indie experimental, and, shudder, modern slasher flicks. I mean, after all, this was my first foray into the horror genre, shouldn't I get all the help I could get? But no, not to be. All the stuff I've been driven to watch has been anime; crazy, farce, bishonen, comedic anime. So far this month I've finished off the entire seasons of Wallflower and Oran High School Host Club. On the mailing dvd deck is more of the same.

I think I have a problem. (^<>^)