Some time ago, Bored Panda spoke with Lauren McMenemy, a creative coach and London-based writer of gothic-influenced folk horror who shared some very interesting thoughts about people’s fascination with spooky and mysterious things. Whether it’s a Netflix horror show, a gothic novel, or some spine-chilling photographs, there’s something captivating about things that frighten us.
Lauren, who is working on a novel set in the world of the Victorian occult, is no stranger to all things horror and she believes she has some answers. “We are often fascinated by what we do not understand, and curiosity is a big part of the lure of horror and the supernatural,” she said.
She believes that our brain is always trying to rationalize that shadow in the corner, or the mysterious light in the sky. “But often we’re not satisfied by the rational explanation. We crave something more than what’s right in front of us,” the creative coach explained.
Moreover, “this fascination with the supernatural is a way to be curious about the big questions about life, death and what happens after. It can also provide an escapism from the drudgery - or the chaos, as in recent times! - of everyday life.”
Lauren argues that often, “we’re drawn to scary stories because it’s a way to experience fear in a controlled environment.” In this way, we can put the book down or turn the movie off if it gets too much. “It’s a cathartic way to explore that curiosity without putting ourselves into real and present danger. As Stephen King once said: ‘We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones,’” she said.
When speaking about horror writing, Lauren says that this genre is often misunderstood. “When I say I write horror, I’m often greeted with a raised eyebrow - people assume I am obsessed with slasher movies and want to write the next installment of the Saw franchise, that I love a bit of gore.”
However, that’s far from the case. As a horror writer, Lauren is way more interested in exploring the quieter sides of horror, “especially gothic and folk horror which takes its cues from folklore and traditions.”
Helen Marlo, a licensed clinical psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst and a Professor of Clinical Psychology and the Department Chair at Notre Dame de Namur University, also told Bored Panda in a previous interview that most of us are painfully aware that darkness, what some call evil, exists.
“We may satisfy some human, psychological needs when we engage with it through the news, movies, or documentaries,” she said.
Marlo argues that “when watching another story, and in particular, these dark and traumatic stories, we witness another person’s narrative. Narrating one’s own story, especially if we have a story that includes trauma, is emotional and hard.” Meanwhile, “watching another’s story can give us a sense of gaining understanding or relief for ‘free,’ because we are hearing about another’s story but not doing any of the hard, psychological work to create our own story.”
Marlo explained that “it is a little like someone who reads a self-help book and imagines they will get better by reading about another person’s process. This is especially true if the story that we are fixated on has personal or traumatic meaning for us.”
Moreover, becoming immersed in another’s dark story can be a vicarious version of what psychologists call, ‘identification with the aggressor.’ “Rather than being the victim, one identifies with the aggressor and their story, and can displace unthinkable, dark impulses onto the person they are viewing, who may be doing things they may not be able to think about but wish to do.”
Marlo explained that “they may also feel more powerful, safer, strong, dominant, and in control by viewing another doing unthinkable things but they are watching and don’t have to act it out in their real life where it would have negative consequences internally and externally.”
