Claremore Daily Progress

Columnists

October 31, 2007

Fink’s fear factors:

By TOM FINK

Staff Writer

It’s my mother’s fault.

When I was growing up, she and my older sister used to watch the old Universal horror movies — wolfman, Dracula, the mummy and Frankenstein’s monster — with me on their laps.

To keep me from having nightmares, the pair of them would laugh — loudly — at the scariest scenes of the movie: the wolfman’s transformation, Frankenstein’s monster’s rampage, the mummy’s .. um .. slowly walking .. and walking .. and walking.

I later found out they did this to try and keep me from thinking there was anything to be afraid of, whether it was a lycanthropic Lon Chaney Jr., a bolt-necked Boris Karloff or a more genuine fear of how I would one day pay for my college education.

Their plan worked a little too well, though, and not only was I unafraid of the Universal monsters (except for when they met Abbot and Costello — that just seemed wrong), I wound up liking them and that like grew into a lifetime fascination with horror movies.

With Halloween creeping around the corner like a teenager in a “Scream” mask waiting to go “Boo,” more people (myself included) are browsing the “horror” section of local video and DVD stores this month, looking for something to give themselves a really good scare.

It’s enough to make me wonder, is there something wrong with us?

I mean, the “flight” part of the “fight or flight” reaction isn’t exactly pleasant, yet trying to find ways to scare ourselves becomes a national pastime this time of the year. We don’t try to intentionally make ourselves angry or hungry or jealous, but afraid?

We’re literally lining up to find ways to get the adrenaline rush — in lines to see horror movies, in scary carnival ride lines — that comes with being afraid.

I can’t speak for anyone but myself, and why I do what I do. For me, the bottom line is that I just enjoy it.

Here’s the thing:

In a world where many of us live in actual fear of our everyday lives — whether it’s trying to make it from paycheck to paycheck, wondering about the results of a home pregnancy test, getting a call that relatives will be living with us “till they get back on their feet again,” or the horror of getting a post-vacation credit card bill in the mail — fear is an integral part of what makes us human beings.

No other animal actively seeks out a way to scare itself — you won’t see lions in the African savanna running towards a cliff, veering away at the last second and high-fiving their lion buddies.

“Dude! Did you see that? It was totally awesome!!”

While, in my heart, I know there’s ultimately nothing to fear from this world, I still enjoy — perhaps more than most — the “safe” scares that come from letting myself get spooked by a good ghost story, or a scary movie on a dark night, knowing that when the lights come on, there will be laughter.

Laughter almost always follows fear — it’s a nervous release that all of us have — just watch a group of people getting off of after a wild roller coaster ride; after being frightened out of their wits — and sometimes out of their bladder control — there’s an almost euphoric feeling to have come out on fear’s other side.

If being scared was so unpleasant, we wouldn’t seek out haunted houses or watch horror movies (guilty!) or engage in “I could die if I get this wrong” recreations such as sky-diving, bungee jumping or cow tipping.

Frightening experiences give us the chance to see how we might deal with our fears, the chance to learn more about ourselves and the ultimately, the chance to laugh in relief and be glad to be alive.

Except for when it comes to roller coasters — those things just freak me out.

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