When I was in middle school, there was a rumor floating around that the girls’ locker room was haunted. However, there was no story in particular for the haunting, and no specifics on exactly how the place came to be considered “haunted.” And while I am by no means the fearless type, secondary rumors with nothing to back them up were not enough to make me think twice about it.
One day, during PE class, I entered the locker room on my own to get a drink. The fountain was at the complete opposite end of the room, past all the empty rows of lockers. I made it to the end; I got my drink. I may have heard a sound, but I don’t remember for certain. All I know is that when I turned and began to make my way back past all those tall, empty rows of lockers, something made me glance to the side.
What I saw could only be described as the tail-end of a black cape drifting on the air as its wearer disappeared around the corner and into the aisle I had just passed.
I swiveled back to face the front, quickened my pace to the door, and dashed outside without looking back.
I count this as my most notable brush with the “supernatural,” and even then I can easily argue it was a figment of my imagination, or someone hoping to play a practical joke.
All-in-all, I cannot say I have had much experience with goblins and ghoulies in my lifetime. But even in the midst of my doubt, my heart rate still increases and the hairs on the back of my neck rise as I put myself back in that locker room, striding toward the door.
In that instance, I did not very much like being scared. It is not a pleasant feeling, to be scared, especially if you are alone at the time.
So, why do we often seek the dark side in our entertainment? Because all the Stephen Kings and Boris Karloffs of this world are getting an audience from somewhere.
It could be the thrill of just allowing ourselves to feel fear. Studies have shown that controlled environments for fear, such as roller coasters and haunted houses, produce a kind of emotional high without the actual risk of danger. We spend much of our lives trying to hide emotions like fear, or anger, or sadness; dedicating an entire genre of entertainment specifically to allow ourselves to feel raw, unfiltered fear could most definitely give us a release that no drug could duplicate.
And of course, there is always basic human curiosity. We wonder at the dark because we want to know what lies behind it, even if we’re certain we’ll regret it afterward. I’ve come to find that I am not alone in my own morbid curiosities; I think a lot of us chase horrors simply because we want to better understand them—the “whys” and “hows” behind every monster, be it man or beast.
But maybe the real reason we’re so entranced by horror isn’t actually the horror at all: maybe it’s how we deal with it. True, not every horror story ends on a high note. But maybe the real purpose behind throwing ourselves into fear is to examine how even the most unremarkable person can persevere in the face of uncertainty and hopelessness. Perhaps, at the heart of things, horror is really just about humanity’s victories and failings. Maybe Dracula isn’t about the monster so much as it is an examination of the lengths a group of different people from different backgrounds will go to for the safety of someone they love. Maybe The Bird Box only seeks to demonstrate our ability to find the strength and courage needed to protect the helpless.
Perhaps the truth behind horror, and the appeal of it, is just as much about hope as it is about hopelessness. And that is why we as an audience so willingly turn to it, even in the dead of night. And, at the same time, that reason is why we choose to write it, too.
Night Owls, what is your favorite horror story? What makes it your favorite? Have you had any brushes with the supernatural?
