THEARCHITECTUREOFHORROR
(fig. 2 - above) Parapsychology, pseudo-science and belief in the paranormal. This section will help determine what we mean when we use the word "horror".
DEFINING FEAR AND ITS RELATION TO HORROR
Fear is a common emotion in human psychology, an automated response in our bodies and minds – a sense that we are in danger. This is not only a powerful and primitive response, but can be triggered by many aspects. Attempting to understand the sole cause of a fearful reaction is entirely individualised and subjective. But also often, suggested by society enough to create a universal fear. It is suggested that many of the general universal fears that we share as human beings, (eg. darkness, spiders, clowns) can be loosely linked to the early formed instinctual reactions to imminent danger. However, it is what we cannot understand which we fear the most.
Sigmund, F (Freud 2001, 218) investigated in The Uncanny , the very source of our fear for the peculiar, strange and foreign;
“The Uncanny undoubtedly belongs to all that is terrible – to all that arouses dread and creeping horror; It is equally certain, too, that the word is not always used in a clearly definable sense, so that it tends to coincide with whatever excites dread…One is curious to know what this peculiar quality is which allows us to distinguish as “uncanny” certain things within the boundaries of what is “fearful”.
It is evident throughout history that human beings show a distaste to that which they do not understand (or cannot control). Our defence mechanism for this type of fear is fight or flight, exactly the same response as if your life was in danger physically. The fight or flight reaction can be applied to reasoning, as well as in physical form, where a suggestion that frightens a person can quickly trigger the response of finding ways to explain the seemingly unexplainable. This is flight in its most subtle form – to reject a notion based on chosen ignorance toward an instinctual reaction.
fig. 3 - Dark Corridor by blackychoice, DeviantArt
Those who fight fear possess a willingness to understand, to study, to grasp intellectually the subject of their fear. Physical strength is important in a fight to the death between two enemies, but to be presented with an unimaginable horror and remain sane is a feat to behold.
Early 20th century author H.P Lovecraft (Lovecraft 2000, 11), the father of unfathomable fiction described unimaginable worlds, detailing the sheer inconceivable scale of structures and geometrical impossibilities that the human mind cannot and will never fully process without being driven to insanity. He is quoted stating;
“the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”
fig. 4 - Sony's video game Bloodborne, based on Lovecraft's fictional towns
Lovecraft contributed to the genre of horror by introducing a new outlook on fear itself, it’s notions in sanity and changing the genre forever.
‘Horror’ is the collective name given to that which falls under the category, mainly in fiction, of “scary” media. Horror films being the most viewed form of the genre, alongside literature, and in 2017, crime documentaries and video games. Of course, the genre has thrived well through the medium of film since the first ever recorded horror film, Le Manoir du Diable or The Manor of the Devil Created by George Melies, in 1896 (Babbis 1990).
However, in literature, it is supposed that many of the attributes of the genre can be found in ancient civilisations. Kristin Masters (Masters 2013) refers to a historic reference to Vampirism as far back as 4500 BC;
“Even the earliest recorded tales have elements of horror, fear, and despair, and the archetypes of horror have likely lasted much longer. The vampire archetype, for example, can be traced all the way back to the ancient civilization of Sumer.”
fig. 4 - The First Vampires, “Assyrian lime stone tablet mentioning vampire from 1325 B.C.”
Although it is important to recognise that inherent bias may occur due to cultural influences, of 55 people (age ranging from 18-45) who took “The Architecture of Horror” survey, 47 agreed that they were exposed to horror through film. 35 also agreed that “word of mouth” and stories shared by individuals (ie. Paranormal experiences) were another form of exposure. 34 said real life, factual crime (ie. Documentaries and depictions of real life). 31 said fiction in the form of writing. 27 said video games. With only 5 people saying “I actively avoid it”, 4 admitting that their exposure comes from religion and 3 saying “I don’t really expose myself to it”.
It is evident that the human mind is inquisitive when it comes to the dark thoughts and dark imaginations that our consciousness has to offer, especially concerned with the stories and experiences of others. Perhaps therefore, we are unquestionably more likely to be emotionally effected by a horror film that is “based on a true story”. Professor Jane Ebert (Bencks 2014) conducted research on the emotional impact of films when presented with the information that they are a depiction of a “true event”,
“Consumers may be better off thinking about the movie, book or tv show as if it were based on a true story, even if it isn't. Based on our findings, that will help them anticipate their emotional reaction more accurately.”
Although the instinctual human curiosity in seeking a thrill from fear has existed since the dawn of time, adrenaline is a chemical many wish to avoid. Where some are thrill seekers, with all intention to enjoy a horror film/horror story, many are purely too frightened to expose themselves to a suggestion of horror in fear that it will harm them in the future, perhaps they feel like they are more susceptible to negative thoughts. . Glenn Sparks, Ph.D (Tartakovsky 2012), expert in cognitive and emotional effects of the media states;
“All of us are wired to pay attention to anomalies in our environment. Since danger disrupts routine, curiosity about change is important for survival”.
Sparks equated the pull of frightening films to stopping at the scene of a gory accident: “You don’t see that every day,”. Sparks also describes the way in which your environment can psychologically effect the outcome of a situation, such as something as simple as temperature –
“Some individuals have a harder time screening out unwanted stimuli in their environment. They might be hypersensitive to the temperature in a room or the tag on their shirt. These same individuals are more likely to have intense physiological reactions to horror films.”
In “The Architecture of Horror” survey asked the question “if you were to experience a paranomal event, what would be your immediate reaction?” 36% would react with genuine fear and terror, apposed to the 27% that chose “I would look for reasons to debunk and disprove the event”. Those who would react with fear according to the results, were not necessarily those that believed in the paranormal. This suggests that in many cases, the desire to experience a paranormal event spreads even into those with contrasting beliefs.
Fig. 6 – Resident Evil 7: Bioshock (2017), a survival horror game optionally played through virtual reality headset.
The game uses the newest technology to depict realism.
It is evident that the focus has shifted in the creative industries to exploit the trend-hopping, hardly subjective nature of modern horror, specifically in its very popular media of video games and film (such as through virtual reality helmets, see fig. 6). As religious influence and literature step aside, modern horror is forced to take leaps and bounds with new age technology to create a truly horrifying first hand experience. We can see this cultural shift reflected in what is considered horrific about particular buildings and architectural designs.
As this essay continues, there will be many links drawn between what we conventionally view as frightening, what we find terrifying, unworldly, and strange with the effect of our cultures, our environment, and importantly, their influence on architecture and the way it is perceived.
Next section: Fearful Architecture