The Things That Go Bump in the Mind

What’s a book or movie that genuinely scared you?

I’m not particularly fond of being frightened, darling.

I know, I know. There are people who positively queue up to be terrified. They pay good money to sit in dark cinemas, clutching enormous tubs of popcorn while something with far too many teeth leaps out of the shadows.

Personally, I prefer my evenings with a cup of tea and the reassuring knowledge that nobody is hiding behind the curtains.

But there is one film that genuinely got under my skin: The Others, starring Nicole Kidman.

It’s not your typical horror film. There aren’t monsters charging down corridors or buckets of blood splashing across the furniture.

Instead, there’s a house.

A very large, very quiet, rather gloomy house.

And gradually, little things begin to happen. A door opens when it shouldn’t. A sound comes from somewhere it cannot possibly have come from. Someone seems to be there, even when nobody is supposed to be.

What makes it so effective is the atmosphere. You start watching the shadows. You listen more carefully to the soundtrack. You find yourself wondering whether that little noise you just heard came from the television or somewhere behind you.

And suddenly, your perfectly comfortable sofa doesn’t feel quite so comfortable.

I think that’s what makes a good frightening story. It doesn’t necessarily need to show you something horrible. Sometimes it simply needs to give your imagination enough room to do the work.

Because our imagination can be a dreadful little troublemaker.

It takes an ordinary creaking floorboard and turns it into a suspicious character. A branch tapping against the window becomes something with an agenda. And a perfectly innocent wardrobe suddenly requires a thorough inspection before bedtime.

Not that I’m suggesting I’ve ever done such a thing, naturally.

Ahem.

But there’s something rather fascinating about the way stories can make us feel things so intensely, even when we know perfectly well they’re fictional.

Perhaps that’s the magic of a really good film or book. It takes us somewhere beyond our everyday experience and makes us believe, just for a little while, that anything might be possible.

Although I would appreciate it if it could leave the lights on when it finishes.

So, what about you?

What’s a book or film that genuinely frightened you? Not just made you jump, but stayed with you afterwards?

And please, darling, if it’s something involving dolls, basements or people standing silently at the end of corridors, do give me a little warning.

I should like to sleep tonight.

Stay Fabulous,
Luce 💋