Why Are Horror Icons So Scary?

Wednesday 10th March 2010 - 10:06:37

Having been chilled to the bottom of our boots watching the most recent instalment of the terrifying and stomach churning Saw franchise Saw VI we got to pondering what it is exactly that makes the ‘scary’ quite so scary.

From Jigsaw, to Frankenstein to good old Freddy Kruger the mere thought of certain horror characters are guaranteed to send an icy chill down the spine. But why? How does Hollywood manage to produce horror icons that can petrify even the hardiest of us?

Arguably it’s all to do with our more basic instincts, so we’re taking a quick, highly unqualified look at the psychology behind our most terrifying horror heroes. Why it is they make us tremble in our boots?

Film: Saw VI, 2009
Character: Jigsaw
Why so scary? Day of judgement

So, everyone has done things in the past that they are not proud of and the thought of these bad things catching up with us is one of the oldest scare stories in the book. Jigsaw and Billy are pretty much a puppety version of God with a more immediate plan than Hell and less of an inclination to mercy.

The Saw franchise highlights again and again that none of us are perfect, and leaves us wondering what that alarmingly judgmental puppet would have in store for us...

Film: Child’s Play, 1988
Character: Chucky
Why so scary? Corrupted innocence

Everyone has a doll of some description when they are a child, you probably lavished attention on it and spoke to it in the vain hope that one day you could be friends.

Imagine now that one day it had spoken back, and it was mean, really mean. The fear of Chucky is twofold: 1) the thought that all childhood implements have the potential for bad, 2) those cold, crazy blue eyes in a distressed but senseless doll face...eek!

Film: The Ring, 2002
Character: Samara Morgan
Why so scary? Death!

Watching The Ring basically means you’re going to die, and we all have to admit this is going to happen to us one day, like it or not! So thinking that a girl could any minute pop out of your TV screen with only one thing on her mind only adds to what is already a frightening concept for a film.

Samara’s specific awfulness lies in her not just being simply evil, but because (see above) she’s also an evil child. Children have a unique status as icons of innocence, delight and life, so seeing a child who really, really wants to hurt you freaks us out. A lot.

Film: It, 1990
Character: The Clown
Why so scary? Fear of Clowns

Coulrophobia is a well known psychological problem, so we don’t really need to look far for an explanation here. Basically, clowns are scary.

Even if you’ve never had a ‘bad experience’ (i.e. a clown asking you to smell his flower and then spurting ink in your face) you know that there is a fully grown man somewhere underneath all that makeup and fake hair, and that is just frightening.

Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984
Character: Freddy Kruger
Why so scary? Primal fear of claws