The video essay that follows explains how many horror movies are inspired by childhood fears. These include creatures under the mattresses, faces with a leering expression and wrinkles, or parents who can’t be trusted.
Horror films that are based on childhood terrors usually come from adultsย who rememberย old wounds.ย Children don’t often have a direct impact on horror.ย There is one notable example: The 1977 filmย houseย was written byย Chigumi obayashi. She is the daughter of Nobuhiko obayashi, who directed the movie.
The story ofย Houseis both simple and complex: A group of friends from school visit the farmhouse in the country of an aunt.ย The group is plagued by bizarre happenings as they are devoured one-by-one by the farmhouse.ย The house is notoriously crazy, but there’s a reason for it:ย Housewas created to express the terror and absurdity of a young child describing a nightmare.
The video essayist notes that Obayashi Sr. was a Hiroshima-survivor who had a lot of childhood traumas to draw from.ย The final impression of the father-daughter team is that they are working together to overcome the fears on screen (whether it’s cannibalistic pianists or losing friends in an unspeakable disaster).