I’ve brought up the horror rule of what we don’t see is
always scarier before, but I haven’t really delved into
why it works as well as it does. As much as Hollywood may provide
evidence to the contrary, everyone in the human race has an overactive
imagination; add to that the unfortunately ingrained fear we have of anything
that is unknown or different and you have a person already primed for
overthinking. Time for a little thought experiment: Grab Johnny Everyman and
throw him into a small room. Tell him that there is someone on the other side
of the door and that it is locked. Leave the room and watch the magic begin. As
time passes, the possibilities go through his mind: Is it a friend or a foe? Is
it someone he knows or is it a complete stranger? Is the door locked to keep
the other person out, or is it meant to keep Johnny inside? What would happen
if he opened the door? What would happen if he didn’t? Long story short,
there’s a reason why ambiguous endings are still being used in films today: We
think a
lot more about things that
are left up to interpretation. With this main idea about uncertainty and what
is done in response to it, let’s look at today’s Austrian-born subject… and no,
it doesn’t involve getting to da choppa.
