https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn What makes certain things ¨scary" to people, and why do some enjoy the feeling of fright. en-us 2022-05-13 16:19:59 UTC 2022-05-23 06:50:53 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f479.png ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2189964954 H.P. Lovecraft defined the cosmic horror genre during the early 1900s. His most famous story is "The Call of Cthulhu" which was released in 1928. The story revolves around an archeologist named Francis Thurston. He discovers that a cult across the world is trying to summon an eldritch being known as "Cthulhu". Cthulhu is a being whose mere presence (physical or mental) can drive a person insane. The reason that this story was chosen is due to its defining nature of the story. The aspect of this story that makes it scary to most readers is not just the creature itself, but the fact that the people in the story are completely powerless against the beings they are pursuing. For an activity, students could create a figure/draw their own Lovecraftian creature that they find scary.]]> 2022-05-18 18:08:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2189964954 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195094175 Dracula is one of the most recognizable names within the horror genre. "Dracula" is about a man who has been asked to stay with a local lord named Dracula, in his castle in Transylvania, but the count is not as he appears. The book shows some of the best horror, with a dark setting and creative concept it is truly scary. This book was so influential in horror that it defines what people think of when it comes to vampires. What makes this book scary is the mood, powerful descriptions, and a grisly death to make the book truly spooky. For an activity, students can find some of the cliches defined in this book that still follow in today's media.]]> 2022-05-23 02:49:42 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195094175 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195150447 One of the most famous horror authors is well known for a reason. He uses a very effective form of foreshadowing in his books in order to create a sense of dread and impending doom that keeps the reader guessing as to when the danger is really present. "IT" being one of his many popular novels showcases this concept amazingly. Stephen King also ties in elements from different genres like supernatural, cosmic, and psychological horror to add to the effect. For the activity, the students can try to find moments in the book that foreshadows upcoming events.]]> 2022-05-23 03:35:28 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195150447 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195215838 This poem takes a different perspective on horror. The poem is about the protagonist's personal mind decay and how it feels and affects them. The reason this is different from most is due to the danger coming from internal sources, rather than external. What truly makes this story scary is due to relatability of it. Because everyone is afraid of this happening to them, being trapped in a breaking mind, is truly terrifying. For an activity, students can write their own short horror poem.]]> 2022-05-23 04:38:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195215838 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195271501 In "The Silence of the Lambs" the FBI is hunting a serial killer, but the only way to get insight into the case is by communicating through the convicted serial killer and cannibal, Hannibal Lecter. What makes this movie frightening is the portrayal of Hannibal, he is cold and calculated, but his motives and next move are always unknown. This was a defining movie in this genre for good reason, it is truly chilling to watch, especially considering that Hannibal Lecter is based on several real-life serial killers. For an activity, the student can research who Hannibal is based on and what they did.]]> 2022-05-23 05:21:34 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195271501 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195322806 This article breaks down the actual scientific reasons as to why some people enjoy the feeling of terror and fright. One of the driving factors is the chemical reactions that someone experiences when they are scared. This is because when you are scared, your body releases adrenaline as it activates your fight or flight response, but since you can't use the adrenaline it turns into energy, dopamine, and serotonin. For this activity, a person can watch a scary movie/film and record their heart rate before and after to see how their body reacted to being scared.]]> 2022-05-23 06:03:25 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195322806 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195338940 In this article, it touches more on the emotional aspect of terror. In most people, the feeling of immediate fright is not was is really enjoyable, but instead the build-up and tension that leads to that moment. It is the same reason why people enjoy mystery and suspense novels, the build-up is what makes the climax more impactful. For this activity, a student can write a short scary story to see the impact of suspense.]]> 2022-05-23 06:15:22 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195338940 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195345988 This article also touched on how cultural differences impact what some people are scared of. For example, in some cultures, demons are a physical embodiment of evil, while in other cultures they act as merely a medium in order to contact and communicate with the supernatural side of things and aren't inherently bad. So then writing a story about demons can be a frightening concept to some, but it will be equally non-threatening to others. Another thing is how some scary stories are told to teach lessons to people. One such example is Krampus, who kidnaps bad children on Christmas and eats them. This was to keep children in line. For an activity, students can do research on scary stories from different cultures.]]> 2022-05-23 06:20:30 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195345988 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195362354 "The Conjuring" follows a pair of demonologists as they go through the house of a family who has been encountering paranormal occurrences throughout their home. This movie uses what most movies use to scare people. They resort to easy scares. The way they do this is most commonly jumpscares, where they use sudden surprising imagery to catch viewers off-guard to scare them. While good in concept, if the movie does not support these scares, it is easy for them to lose their effectiveness. They do the same thing with building suspense. Instead of using good storytelling themes, they use external ways to do this. For example, they use sound to their advantage. It is shown that certain sounds build tension and suspense, and every modern horror movie uses those sounds. For this activity, a student can watch the movie and see if they can use context clues to guess when a scare will occur.]]> 2022-05-23 06:32:35 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195362354 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195369190 This movie, it follows a teenager named Donnie Darko, who after having a traumatic brain injury, begins to meet with a rabbit named Frank. Frank starts pressuring Donnie to start committing ever-worsening crimes. What is scary about this movie is the uncertainty of everything. It is not definitive if anything in the movie ever actually accrued or not. So by the end, you don't know what happened and what didn't. This was what made the film actually scary. For this activity, students can try to interpret their own meaning behind the movie.]]> 2022-05-23 06:37:55 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195369190 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195380834 These sources contain many subliminal and hidden meanings/interpretations that can only be understood by careful understanding of the sources.]]> 2022-05-23 06:46:17 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195380834 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195382068 The movies require interpretation through the imagery shown throughout in order to draw a good conclusion.]]> 2022-05-23 06:47:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195382068 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195383195 Horror heavily relies on specific word choices in order to build good suspense to make the text scary.]]> 2022-05-23 06:48:06 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195383195 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195384942 Had to read and comprehend the texts well in order to get the real meaning behind the text, as well as understand the aspects of what makes the stories scary.]]> 2022-05-23 06:49:25 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195384942 ian_wells1 https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195386113 Many texts use the same techniques in order to build they universe and create a great story.]]> 2022-05-23 06:50:14 UTC https://padlet.com/ian_wells1/1kfbxpcf1vbc27bn/wish/2195386113