Light in Dark Corners
Light in Dark Corners
Learning how to be brave from horror films
This October, I plan to see as many horror movies as I can. So far I have seen Relic, Swallow, Three… Extremes, and Raw. I have also begun watching the series The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix.
Growing up, I avoided the genre unless I was seeing it with friends or family. I never went out of my way to freak myself out like that.
But things are different now. Something in me snapped during this prolonged period of isolation. Mental wellness, despite my best efforts, can be challenging to come by. A perpetual weight bears down on my shoulders.
The clouds of anxiety, self-doubt, and anger, hover above me, defying my attempts to apply whatever wisdom The Daily Stoic offers.
I am also reminded of my mortality and the mortality of my loved ones daily, thanks to the news.
A sticky black goo of negativity has latched onto my soul, threatening to suffocate it. Consuming horror flicks is how I rinse it off.
Immersing in horror allows me to live vicariously through the protagonists, and take part in their struggles. It helps me process the very real concepts of death, chaos, and misery.
For a few hours at a time, I indulge in an out-of-body experience. I dissolve into the skin of the characters I’m watching. I see what they see, hear what they hear, and feel what they feel. I stumble with them in ominous misty forests; find strange bruises under my clothes; and suffer from recurring nightmares.
Though I share their pain, I also gain the courage they muster. I partake in their resistance, and, eventually, resolution. Sometimes the end to their stories are triumphant, sometimes they are somber.
Regardless, being privy to these characters’ journeys provides me relief—a kind of overcoming, of getting past. This process has given me hope and valor when facing the horrors of my own life, no matter how big or small.
Do people still view horror fans as deranged? I don’t know. But I have come to learn that there is healing even in the darkest of places. That we can draw strength from witnessing the unspeakable play out on-screen, shows how complex and durable we really are.
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