Nature teaches us many important lessons. On the African plains, we see safety in numbers when massive migrating herds of wildebeest stampede across crocodile-infested rivers, braving life and limb to get to the other side where a hungry pride of lions awaits.
When Things Are Not What They Seem
We’ve all heard about those urban legends where an unsuspecting individual happens upon a box of video cassette tapes and decides to play one on the television. Ghastly, noxious cretins somehow materialize out of thin air – digital ones and zeros on screen – to terrify the unfortunate victim in front of the TV.
These stories make your skin crawl and the hair on the back of your neck stand up straight. You take a deep breath and slowly exhale as your warm breath crystallizes against the cold night. Again, not for the mild, meek, or mannered – these are scary experiences.
But there’s one urban legend catches us entirely by surprise. It’s the story of the Day of the Dead – Esqueleto Explosivo, but this is the sequel, Esqueleto Explosivo 2 – Reborn Slot. Rumour has it that this rapid-play social game reels you in with bright colors and melodies, dumps copious amounts of virtual gold coin in your lap, and all the skulls stare at you with vacuous black sockets for eyes. It is a festive game by all accounts but an incredibly curious selection by the game provider.
Players are treated to a 5X3 escapade of ghastly ghouls serenading their audience while fixating blankly ahead, unfazed by the macabre nature of their gathering. And yet, the festivities abound with bright colors, firecrackers, and plenty of fanfare. This urban legend tells the story of a haunting experience that lingers well beyond the game’s run time. They say you can still see the white pupils in the black cavities of their skulls long after you close out this game. Believe it or not?
Textbook Terror – Never Get Separated from the Pack
Horror film scriptwriters understand a thing or two about building tension. Every single horror movie follows the same pattern, bar the occasional anomaly. Stories start with lots of people having a good time, and as the plot unfolds, the story begins focusing on a handful of characters.
They come face-to-face with the Grim Reaper one by one in a series of terrifying and brutal ordeals. It’s always the same narrative – running towards danger and never away from it. If only they stuck together, perhaps they would stand a chance against the menacing forces of darkness. Well, sometimes these things pan out, but often they don’t.
Then we take in the scenes – they are insidious, terrifying, and utterly nauseating. Abandoned buildings, rotted out floors and walls, black mold with a life force of its own spreading demonic energy throughout the abandoned cabin in the woods. We’ve seen these scenes in The Evil Dead, Cabin Fever, and a plethora of teenage slasher films.
We play armchair referee, beseeching the characters not to make the familiar faux pas. And yet they do, every single time. Sometimes, we want to quietly observe from a distance, barely uttering a sound as our fingernails dig deeper into the seats.
We want to avoid conjuring up anything dark. Perhaps the sound of those undead mariachis playing their guitars doesn’t sound half as bad as it did a few minutes ago…