SPOTLIGHT
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE
IT'S TIME TO GET SCARED!
Text By Douglas Schwartz
All artwork featured in this SPOTLIGHT, whether written or visual, © copyright the respective artists. All rights reserved.
Just what is so frightening about this painting? At first glance, one might turn to the mysterious figures
behind the main subject. Who are they and what do they have in mind? Are they murderers? Or, might
they end up saving the main subject from an unknown force that lies in wait a few steps in front? In other
words, perhaps what is creeping up behind us in life is not nearly as scary as what we blindly walk into.
As I see it, the true meaning behind The Scream is based upon the danger that exists in each of us.
I am referring to the constant anxiety of living in a modern world which is often uncertain and seldom
forgiving. A world in which each life is perched precariously on the edge of a dark and foreboding abyss.
A world from which there is only one escape. The Scream is terrifying because the fear comes from
within. No monster or maniacal force. Nowhere to hide. How horrifying is that!
If that doesn't frighten you because you see yourself as too grown-up or too sophisticated to be scared...
prove it. This October 31st, after all the trick-or-treaters have gone home and you've eaten more leftover
candy than you should have, try watching a scary movie on television all by yourself with the lights turned
off. You pick the film. It might be one that you've seen before or, if you're really willing to test your courage,
one that you've never seen and therefore don't know how it will end.
One word of caution, however. Be sure to lock all your doors. You never know. You might just hear a
rapping, rapping on your chamber door. But fear not. It's nothing to concern yourself with. Edgar is
probably just coming from a place beyond this world to pay you a visit and, he brought along a feathered
friend.
Sweet dreams.
behind the main subject. Who are they and what do they have in mind? Are they murderers? Or, might
they end up saving the main subject from an unknown force that lies in wait a few steps in front? In other
words, perhaps what is creeping up behind us in life is not nearly as scary as what we blindly walk into.
As I see it, the true meaning behind The Scream is based upon the danger that exists in each of us.
I am referring to the constant anxiety of living in a modern world which is often uncertain and seldom
forgiving. A world in which each life is perched precariously on the edge of a dark and foreboding abyss.
A world from which there is only one escape. The Scream is terrifying because the fear comes from
within. No monster or maniacal force. Nowhere to hide. How horrifying is that!
If that doesn't frighten you because you see yourself as too grown-up or too sophisticated to be scared...
prove it. This October 31st, after all the trick-or-treaters have gone home and you've eaten more leftover
candy than you should have, try watching a scary movie on television all by yourself with the lights turned
off. You pick the film. It might be one that you've seen before or, if you're really willing to test your courage,
one that you've never seen and therefore don't know how it will end.
One word of caution, however. Be sure to lock all your doors. You never know. You might just hear a
rapping, rapping on your chamber door. But fear not. It's nothing to concern yourself with. Edgar is
probably just coming from a place beyond this world to pay you a visit and, he brought along a feathered
friend.
Sweet dreams.
While all of the art that I've mentioned is scary, perhaps nothing is as terrifying as The Scream, the
classic painting by Edvard Munch which he created in 1893.
This is a work of art that doesn't fool around. Rather, it directly pushes the button of fear on our most
primal desire to survive. That very same button that caused primitive humans to fear the night because
they didn't know if the light of the sun would return in the morning. How frightened they must have been!
Disturbing, haunting and ominous are all words that describe the scene portrayed in this powerful image.
classic painting by Edvard Munch which he created in 1893.
This is a work of art that doesn't fool around. Rather, it directly pushes the button of fear on our most
primal desire to survive. That very same button that caused primitive humans to fear the night because
they didn't know if the light of the sun would return in the morning. How frightened they must have been!
Disturbing, haunting and ominous are all words that describe the scene portrayed in this powerful image.
Art can soothe our souls. Art can also scare the crap out of us! Don't think so? Try watching a truly
terrifying horror movie alone, late at night, with the lights off. Doing so can cause your primal imagination
to run wild! It's amazing how fast "grown-ups" can become kids afraid of the dark once again.
Is that shadowy figure standing in the corner of your living room a demon from hell or your coat rack?
And what about that strange sound coming from your kitchen or down the hall? Could it be an evil creature
that wants to eat your flesh while you scream in pain? Or, is it someone who wants to borrow money from
you, which can be frightening as well!
terrifying horror movie alone, late at night, with the lights off. Doing so can cause your primal imagination
to run wild! It's amazing how fast "grown-ups" can become kids afraid of the dark once again.
Is that shadowy figure standing in the corner of your living room a demon from hell or your coat rack?
And what about that strange sound coming from your kitchen or down the hall? Could it be an evil creature
that wants to eat your flesh while you scream in pain? Or, is it someone who wants to borrow money from
you, which can be frightening as well!
Apparently, humans like to be
scared. Books, movies, music
and other art forms have all taken
part in our attraction to fear.
Frankenstein, written by Mary
Shelley in 1818, has been
adapted into so many films that
the author should come back to
life, as did her monster, and
demand long overdue royalties!
scared. Books, movies, music
and other art forms have all taken
part in our attraction to fear.
Frankenstein, written by Mary
Shelley in 1818, has been
adapted into so many films that
the author should come back to
life, as did her monster, and
demand long overdue royalties!
Edgar Allan Poe certainly knew how to
scare us with The Pit and The Pendulum,
The Tell-Tale Heart and, my personal
favorite, The Black Cat.
scare us with The Pit and The Pendulum,
The Tell-Tale Heart and, my personal
favorite, The Black Cat.
Going to see Dracula, Werewolf and Mummy movies were a ticket to fear for kids in the mid-twentieth
century...and a psychological suspense film such as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) was probably a
living nightmare for shower curtain salesmen.
century...and a psychological suspense film such as Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) was probably a
living nightmare for shower curtain salesmen.
The first Paranormal Activity film
(2007) grossed around 200 million
dollars and spawned several sequels.
Not bad for a low-budget film which
was void of any chainsaws or guys
named Freddy, and which did not
take place on Elm Street or during
Halloween. What it did was tap into
our fear of the unseen, which can be
extremely frightening!
(2007) grossed around 200 million
dollars and spawned several sequels.
Not bad for a low-budget film which
was void of any chainsaws or guys
named Freddy, and which did not
take place on Elm Street or during
Halloween. What it did was tap into
our fear of the unseen, which can be
extremely frightening!
