Comment: Plinky Fluff

Well, it’s close to the end of the week, and we know what that means: exhaustion. So I went to the good old Plinky Prompts to get inspired. The question is: “What movie really frightened you?”

I can think of two, with one far more obvious than the other.

I saw “The Exorcist” on TV when I was twelve. Scared the shit out of me. My dad watched the “edited for television” version with me. (Apparently I missed some pretty nasty stuff down south.)

The idea of possession is not new to me. Suffering from various phobias is a lot like being possessed. You feel your mind, and your life, are not your own.

Linda Blair’s possessed child was unbearably scary because what happened to her was so random. Why did the devil attack her? Did she do something to bring it on? I was twelve going on five, so I really got scared. I was sorry I watched it.

(Sidebar: The actor who played her shrink in the movie was the head of the Syracuse University Drama Department, where I went to college: Arthur Storch.)

The other movie that scared me was “Gone with the Wind.” Sure, it’s not a horror movie, but to a child, the destruction of home and hearth is pretty heavy. (And apparently I am awesome at alliteration.)

There was something about Atlanta burning, and a pregnant woman being pushed down the stairs that just didn’t sit right with me. I felt bad for Scarlett, even though she was a total diva. She was struck by love, and was the unfortunate loser in the game. She wasn’t all sweet and light. She was Veronica, Melody was Betty. And Ashley was Archie. (It could have been a comedy if there’d been a Moose or a Jughead, but oh well.)

So there you have it. One never knows what will scare a person. It’s not always what you think. But when you boil it all down, the residue is always the same: fear of loss.