Blog Post #1: Fear of Human Nature in Horror

Blog Post #1:  Fear of Human Nature in Horror

The concept of fearing human nature is both a common and recurrent theme in the horror genre, which is cleverly portrayed in the tainted blood sample scene of John Carpenter's The Thing.  As with many horror films, the movie showcases how fear can warp human nature into favoring survival, where all traits acquired during the nurture stage of development are consumed by an intense instinct to save the self.  The scene explores what happens when doubt forces its way into the mind during life-threatening and often terrifying situations.  In these instances, at least, in the horror-movie world, a single leader will make his way to the front of the line, acting as a 'judge' to determine who is innocent and who is guilty.  In The Thing, Kurt Russell's character, R.J. MacReady depicts this character trope, coming forward to shed some light on the suspicion that has crept its way into everyone's minds.  During these scenes, the viewer is able to witness how fickle human nature can truly be, and how certain circumstances can cause one friend to turn on another out of fear.

As featured in this scene, tensions run high when the characters discover that 'The Thing' is able to mimic human appearances, and that any one of them in the room could no longer be human.  As seen, doubt eases its way into their thoughts, causing MacReady to take a step towards keeping the group safe, by testing rather than trusting.  All the characters are tied to chairs, for no one can be trusted, and MacReady compiles blood samples, reading to test the specimens with heat.  Garry (as shown above) expresses his opposition to their treatment, emphasizing that this test proves nothing.  Opposition is one of the first expressions depicted in situations that question human nature.  When fear takes over the mind, people become desperate to prove to others that they are worth saving, and that they are not affected by what evil ails them.  Garry is a great example of this trait, as he urgently continues to express that the whole ordeal will not bring to light who the monster has infected.  The response received by the rest of the men, particularly MacReady shows another element of doubting people during frightening events.  When adrenaline takes over, and self-preservation becomes dominant, people will see heavy opposition as a bad sign.  Consider this.  When someone vehemently rejects an idea, a person can not help but wonder why that person argues against something so passionately, leading that person to believe that there is a connection of some sort.  In horror movies, when someone denies something in a strong way, that person instantly becomes suspect, as  his insistence can be used a tool to draw attention elsewhere.  This, in turn, causes the person to grow increasingly more desperate, as panic overrides the need to stay calm and collected.  All of these, natural human emotions in terrifying circumstances, are normal, but the responses of others are warped by the terror that is in the back of their minds.

As humans, everyone knows and is aware of how far people are willing to go in order to save the self, including sacrificing others.  Another element of doubting human nature in this scene is the flip side of what is discussed before.  The men, who are tied to chairs with ropes, watch MacReady with growing apprehension, for their lives are virtually in his hands.  MacReady is the one administering the tests, checking both the blood of the men bound before him, and the dead bodies resting on the table nearby.  Naturally, when one person assumes the post of leader, the others grow suspicious of him as well, for leadership roles often draw away, causing humans to believe that they are supposed to think that person is innocent or unaffected.  Sometimes this is the case, and sometimes it is not.  MacReady, who has now murdered three of the men that could have been affected, learns that two of the men who now lie on the table were not infected by the 'The Thing'.  In that moment, he is called out on murder, a claim that is often made in horror movies when emotions are heightened.  While MacReady would think that what he did protects the group as a whole, others might see him as someone who believes that everyone else is expendable, and that in the end, he will make sure that at least he gets out alive.  This is clearly shown as the men grow agitated as sample after sample yields no results.

In the horror genre, what people are supposed to think is never what they actually think.  For example, when someone denies a claim, it usually means they are innocent.  However, in the world of fear, they are immediately cast as a suspicious character, for if that character had nothing to fear in terms of truth, then they would not express strong denial.  They would simply accept it, knowing that they have nothing to hide.  Another example is when a person claims the title of leader.  What would be expected would be for people to look up to this person, and believe that he could lead them to safety.  What they actually start to feel is that this person is now making all the decisions for them, and could be leading them straight into the pits of hell, masquerading as someone who wants everyone to survive.  Fear is an interesting emotion, and can often feel like a living, breathing entity.  In times of great stress, it devours who people actually are, acting as an override on the self.  Fear begins to make decisions for them, which leads to suspicions of others' character, and doubting the purity of human nature itself.