The Celluloid Heart of Darkness

 

"Fiction is how we both study and de-fang our monsters.  To lock violent fiction away, or to close our eyes to it, is to give our monsters and our fears undeserved power and richer hunting grounds."

 

A great article on why we like horror films.  I have dedicated a bit of my thinking time to horror over the years - why we do it and how we react to it.   

 

For my part, I've always been compelled to face horror up-front, partially to allow me greater empathy with those who live through horrific acts and could otherwise be dehumanized by those of us safely out of harm's way.  Part of the rational, though, is probably a form of self-inoculation. 

 

Endurance is a great survival trait to have and as they say, that which doesn't kill you...