Much Afraid
We don’t need horror movies anymore, because we are so afraid of things that happen in “real life.”
I just went to the movies and the previews were depressing. Three in a row had me ready to leave the theater to find a comedy. No matter how stupid. Because I wasn’t sure I could handle the action flick that was the feature.
First preview: a woman’s boyfriend is violently murdered. She says that she becomes a different person as part of her coping and recovery. What this change means is that she kills someone who almost attacks her on the subway. And maybe also someone who takes her dog.
Second preview: A group of FBI agents go to Saudi Arabia to investigate a bombing. The Saudis are not cooperative. Then, the agents get taken hostage. Really? We need a film like this when our relationships with the Middle East are so screwed up?
Third preview: A man’s son (who just won his hockey championship) is murdered. The man becomes a vigilante because no one will help him.
What does all this say? We are not safe. The authorities around us are not reliable. There is nothing in the world that can protect us. We should respond to violence with violence. It’s transformative and cathartic to kill people. Oh, and the Saudis are really scary, too.
God, save us from ourselves.