January 27th, TERROR

I've gone back to movie research in an attempt to ground myself.
Here are some thoughts I've found regarding the cinematic terror, the "flight" reaction to fear.
Unlike the previously mentioned cinematic dread, the threat is now present, chasing down the protagonist as they desperately attempt to flee the danger. This time we know the nature of the threat, and it is approaching. Time is running out, and we can easily imagine the worst possible outcome, one which we do not necessarily wish to observe. We are horrified by the cruelty we may observe, usually towards a protagonist we have grown fond of (Hanich, 2010).

Take Nightmare on Elm Street for instance. In one of the final scenes Nancy is attempting to flee from Freddy Krueger, who we have already seen murder another girl -- thus we know what is in store for Nancy if she gets caught. Over the course of the movie, we have grown fond of her, and this situation instigates both a sympathetic response for her, as well as the previously mentioned reaction that we fear for something happening to her. In addition, unlike predators, Freddy is pure malice. He does not hunt to survive like an animal would, and we as spectators know this.