Horror/Sociological Question

Hi All

I was just thinking about something after reading someone's post (Tawny's maybe?) in the scary theme songs thread. She said that there's a theme with children laughing at the end that is very creepy/effective. This brought an interesting thought to mind and I really wanted to post it in it's own thread so that the opinions don't get lost among the theme song responses in the other thread. Ok here goes. Of all the people in the world, children are probably the least violent, least evil-doing and most innocent individuals. I'm not talking about young early teens, I'm talking about little kids. Having said that, why does it seem that when little kids laugh/giggle, smile, or are a ghost in a movie, that its the most eerie, un-nerving thing you ever heard?

I would actually go so far as to say a little kid's ghost would scare me more than the ghost of a psychotic killer. Think about it, you wake up late at night to go to the bathroom or get something from the kitchen and you see a ghost in your house. What do you think would shake you more...a normal aged person's ghost, or a little kid skipping and laughing?

I think if I had to pick the most eerie instances of a ghost, it would have to be children, and the elderly, more specifically, old women. So do you guys have any thoughts or opinions on this???

[soxfan666]

I think it may have to do with not liking a death of a child. Seeing a childs ghost maybe more disturbing because we relate death to the elderly more often. With the laughing in songs, maybe it is because we are watching a horror movie and in that sort of mode so the laugh of an innocent child is the opposite of what is expected.

[Agent Z]

Originally Posted by The Joker

I would actually go so far as to say a little kid's ghost would scare me more than the ghost of a psychotic killer. Think about it, you wake up late at night to go to the bathroom or get something from the kitchen and you see a ghost in your house. What do you think would shake you more...a normal aged person's ghost, or a little kid skipping and laughing?

Well, it would depend on how the apparition presented itself to me. Are we talking about fairly presentable, idealized versions of these spirits from their days of living in their prime human years? Or do we have decaying angry ghosts with the stench of death, dripping ectoplasm, and ungodly shrieking noises?

See what I mean? It's all about the individual spirit and the effort they put into their performance while at my apartment.

In general though, if I am rooting around my apartment at night, I would think that I would be more startled by a larger unknown figure than a smaller figure....for life experience tells me that dealing with a smaller figure (like a child) would be easier if the situation turned for the worse.

[Spacevis]

Originally Posted by The Joker

Hi All

Of all the people in the world, children are probably the least violent, least evil-doing and most innocent individuals. I'm not talking about young early teens, I'm talking about little kids.

I'm not sure I even agree with that part. Why would children be completely innocent? They haven't even learned the rules of society yet, so they have an innate sense of what's right and act by it? Seems rather improbable. Children can be really cruel just because they don't have a clear sense of human suffering, they don't have a fully developed theory of mind AND, most importantly, they are not fully aware of the consequences of death. They lack a lot of moral skills and the only reason they're not as dangerous as a psychopath (who is also lacking in moral ability) is because they are to weak to commit brutal acts of violence. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying kids are born cruel, I'm just saying they don't fully understand the difference between morally right and morally wrong. In consequence, when they act, they can't judge wether it 's socially acceptable or not, they can only judge if it's good for them. Off course, the older they get, the more they learn our society's rules.

Now in answer to your question: what disturbs me the most about kids in a movie? It would probably have to be Bob's voice

[Ash28M]

I think it comes down to the "Clown at Midnight" Theory. For example In Blair Witch what made it Creepy was that. if you heard children giggling and paying at noon out side your house that would probably sounds comforting and pleasant. But you hear a child playing and giggling at 3 in the morning in the middle of pitch black woods, which are also suppose to be haunted. Well that's just creepy.

[maybrick]

Originally Posted by Spacevis

I'm not sure I even agree with that part. Why would children be completely innocent? They haven't even learned the rules of society yet, so they have an innate sense of what's right and act by it? Seems rather improbable. Children can be really cruel just because they don't have a clear sense of human suffering, they don't have a fully developed theory of mind AND, most importantly, they are not fully aware of the consequences of death. They lack a lot of moral skills and the only reason they're not as dangerous as a psychopath (who is also lacking in moral ability) is because they are to weak to commit brutal acts of violence. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying kids are born cruel, I'm just saying they don't fully understand the difference between morally right and morally wrong. In consequence, when they act, they can't judge wether it 's socially acceptable or not, they can only judge if it's good for them. Off course, the older they get, the more they learn our society's rules.

I agree. Unlike a lot of adults, I remember my youth really well, and children as young as 5 are far from being the innocent and asexual creatures politicians and talk show hosts pretend they are. Kids that age can be downright malicious. All it takes is one bad influence, like an older sibling or neighborhood bully, to lead them down the garden path. I grew up in a fairly normal neighborhood and it was common for me and my friends to "play doctor" and also commit random acts of vandalism, like digging up people's gardens, stealing from sheds, shoplifting, and throwing rocks and snowballs at passing cars. When you become a parent, take my advice, Never underestimate what your young child is capable of.

Originally Posted by Spacevis

I'm not sure I even agree with that part. Why would children be completely innocent? They haven't even learned the rules of society yet, so they have an innate sense of what's right and act by it? Seems rather improbable. Children can be really cruel just because they don't have a clear sense of human suffering, they don't have a fully developed theory of mind AND, most importantly, they are not fully aware of the consequences of death. They lack a lot of moral skills and the only reason they're not as dangerous as a psychopath (who is also lacking in moral ability) is because they are to weak to commit brutal acts of violence. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying kids are born cruel, I'm just saying they don't fully understand the difference between morally right and morally wrong. In consequence, when they act, they can't judge wether it 's socially acceptable or not, they can only judge if it's good for them. Off course, the older they get, the more they learn our society's rules.

Now in answer to your question: what disturbs me the most about kids in a movie? It would probably have to be Bob's voice

I understand your point here...however, by the same standards, young children are also not old enough to be corrupted by the evil world that we all know we live in...their minds ARE totally free...but remember, they may be free from knowing the consequences of their actions but they're also free from the twisted ideals and bad influences that run rampant in today's society

[maybrick]

As soon as you're out of the womb and in the "evil world" you're old enough to be corrupted by it. Children by their very nature are more impressionable than adults are. To say they're free from twisted ideals and bad influences and somehow immune to them is absurd.