Arachnophobia!!

We can all be bugged by bugs and creeped out by creepy crawlies but there is something unique and distinct about the fear of spiders and other arachnids, a fear known as Arachnophobia. What is it about these eight legged mini beasts that send us running or our spine chilling? Here we will take a quick look into just that.

Given the massive scale difference between man and the majority of arachnids, it could be said that this fear is blown way out of proportion and that it is the irrational mind seeing the likes of a tiny spider as an large invading monster as illustrated in the movie 8 legged freaks. So if we realise that this fear is unjustified or illogical (at least in terms of size) then, where does it come from?

Some theories suggest that long ago as our ancestors lived  amonsgst nature within forests, jungles and wildernesses, they were more exposed and more likely to be bitten by arachnids including deadly venomous spiders like this black widow (above), small but nonetheless life threatening and arachnophobes would check their living/sleeping area regularly to avoid being bitten, a adaptive or cultural fear carried on in the mind.

Yet many believe this theory is undermined by the disproportional fear of spiders in comparison to other, potentially dangerous creatures during mankind's evolution/adaptation for survival i.e.that scorpion isnt looking so bad now with that tiger approaching. One suggestion is that it goes back further to the reptilian/early mammalian primal brain, as an ancient memory, when fight/flight was triggered to survive huge prehistoric arachnids as seen in this Walking with Monsters clip here.

Despite the uncertain origins of this fear, the mere sight of a spider can trigger a paralysing fear or panic attack in many people, its the movement of 8 legs, the 8 eyes, the colouration, the thin hairy legs and fat egg laying and web weaving abdomen...yikes. It is my (non expert) belief that those affected by this phobia face a fear of the unknown, a threat lacking explanation and origin, this very 'unknowing' of the fear may then draw power from the individuals ignited imagination scaling the actual threat out of proportion.

The allure of arachnophobia has been featured in works of popular fiction, computer games and literature such as J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings', that features the giant ensnaring spider monster known as 'Shelob'. Hollywood has recognised this wide spread fear and capitalised on it (maybe even encouraging it) from old black and white monster movies such as 'Tarantuala' or more modern ones such as 'Arachnophobia', see trailer here.

Such movies like this helped fuel my own slight fear of spiders, I like them enough not to squash them and preferred to lift them with paper and glass leaving them outside but dislike any quick climbing movements or jumping actions and then jump myself as a result. However these are common house, garden, European spiders and I have yet to experience in the (exoskeleton) flesh bigger and meaner looking arachnids.

The best way to deal with a phobia like this in my opinion is exposure, so in closing I'm going to show you some of my favourite creepy spider images, it may give you chills,disgust or hopefully a fascination to find out more and plug some of that 'unknown' fear with knowledge and examination, you may not rid yourself of the loathing or fear completely but you may gain a new respect or admiration for our 8 legged 'friends'.

The Jumping Spider

Funnel Web Spider

Brown Recluse Spider

Giant Camel Spider

Mexican Redknee Tarantula

Wolf Spider

Banana Spider

Orchard Spider

Goliath Bird eating Spider

That's it for now, hope you readers weren't too grossed out by these images, after a while you can actually respect their amazing design, interesting colours/patterns and the other cool things that spiders and other arachnids can offer to observers. Some of these images inspired me to create my own conceptual monsters which I will post up at a later time. Let me know what you think, do arachnids frighten you? Whats the creepiest spider you've seen? More to come from the Phobos Files.

Horror Pranks, Scary Set ups

After just passing the prankster trickery of April fools, I felt it was an apt time to share some of my favourite horror scare pranks that I've seen. These will make you laugh, freak out or feel sorry for the prank victim, there is something slightly cruel or twisted about such pranks but I would compare them more to an unexpected roller coaster experience of fear and excitement. This list is mainly horror based, related to ghosts, apparitions or scenes you would expect from a horror movie except the reaction is real.

Rat Monster (Scare Tactics) Video Link

A Set up to rescue animals left behind in animal/human gene testing lab but there's more than they bargained for. This is a great set up with pacing, with the foetus in a jar, the bird as an excuse for the noises, the first sighting and his return to the horror, the reaction is priceless. I recommend checking out Scare Tactics other Videos, there more elaborate with interesting set up scenarios. Follow Link or Video Post Below.

Coffin in the Lift Video Link

This one is slightly more cruel, imagine being trapped in a lift with a coffin seemingly by accidental chance, add light flickering and the coffin opening later to have the corpse return to animation. This video may be from Brazilian TV, its on the you tube channel itzDeaMan and i recommend checking their girl in the lift prank.

Waking Dead Video Game (Derren Brown) Video Link

This one is a real mind hijack, Playing an arcade zombie shooter in the pub with his mate, then suddenly waking up in the real thing with no explanation. Derren brown has put this guy into a hypnotic sleep state and then he is delivered to an empty building set up for the zombie horror scenario, See full episode for more.

Bloody Suitcase Toilet Prank Video Link

Cameras in a toilet is a creepy enough but when you add a flickering lights, creepy suitcase (complete with human hair, blood and motion motors) and a messed up ghost girl then you've got a pretty traumatic toilet visit lined up.This prank is played on many different and varied scared victims in different horrific ways.

Beauty Shop Horror Prank Video Link

A viral horror set up to promote 'The Last Exorcism' 2 movie, takes place in the unlikely setting of a beauty parlour, whilst customers come in to beautify themselves they see something very horrific in the mirror. The prank then goes on from the mirror to a flexible creeper entering the room filling it with screams.

Ring Style Wake Up Prank Video Link

This is more of a home made prank, its hilarious but pretty cruel and terrifying to the victim. The dummy is set up in front of a glowing screen complete with puppet strings and moans from the controller on the stairs above, it shows what can done at home and what happens if u listen to that little devil on your shoulder.

Devil Baby Attack Video Link

This is crazy creepy but its amazing what horrific pranks can be pulled with the aid of technology, I think this was devised to promote the movie 'Devils Due' and its pretty impressive and quite disturbing. Several people approach the pram following the babies cries but shriek in horror at what unfolds next.

That's it for now, there are others I did not include here as I wanted to have a short yet different variation on horror pranks and set ups but I may return to this again quite possibly around Halloween or sooner. Let me know what you thought of these pranks? what are your favourites? and please share in comments section.

The Phobos Files: A Fascination of Fear

Greetings Reader, Welcome to the Phobos Files. A collection of written and illustrated subjects on fear, horror and whatever lurks in the dark recess of the human mind. Here, we look at the mediums for the exploration of fright and spine chilling experience, methods of suspense and tension, and also unlocking the secrets of the human mind and the psychology of fear.

Fear will either keep you imprisoned in the unknown or lead you out of the darkness, it can be a source of thrills or a form of paralysis. It is from here we will begin the learning and exploration.

In these files we will look at Horror Movies, Survival Horror Games, Gothic Horror and Literature, Comics, Television Series, Historical Horror tales, Haunting Folk Tales, Poetry, Creepy Settings, Science Fiction Horror, Mysteries and Urban Myths, Monster Movies, Horror Special Effects, Halloween, Conspiracy and the Occult, Psychology of Fear, Ancient Phobias, Horror Music and Audio, Controlling Fear, Monster Archetypes, The Subconscious Mind, Dreams and Nightmares, Scary Nature, Social Fears, Horror Photography, Illustrations, Concept Art, Culture Specific Horror, Future Fears to come....

So if your a horror fan, or just curious of any of the above follow for more, if you like H.P. Lovecraft, The X-Files, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Indie Horror Games, Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe, John Carpenter or George Romero Movies, Goosebumps, Ghost stories, Maybe even scary pranks and the art of fear, the brain and Psyche on fear, follow the explorations of the Phobos Files.

Horror Movies in Space

This is a quick overview of some space based horror movies that are definitely worth checking out. This wont include sci-fi movies based on earth, its mostly a hand picking of my favourite off world set stories with a high horror content or suspense. These movies aren't that recent and a spoiler warning doesn't seems worthwhile but the pictures and notes do give the plot away but highlights why I recommend their viewing.

Alien (1979)

An obvious item for the list but it really set the benchmark for space based horror, it had many things that offered a fearful feast for the eyes from the industrial and sanitary claustrophobia of the human ship Nostromo, to the dark and misty bio mechanical alien ship. Best remembered for the dramatic face hugger and chest buster scenes yet its build up of atmosphere and tension is solid and pays off well with these scenes and the killing off of the crew by the xenomorph as well as the chilling revelation of Ash as a psychotic android letting the crew know of their extendability and hopelessness of surviving the alien.

 Forbidden Planet (1956)

Perhaps not strictly a horror movie but one that still held a nightmarish memory in my mind. Starring a young Leslie Nielsen as captain of a human United Planets Cruiser C75-D in search of a lost expedition to the planet, where they are greeted by Robby the Robot and his master/creator Dr. Morbius, almost a mix of scientist and sorcerer endowed with the advance knowledge of an ancient alien device. The Landed Earth Crew face a series of mysterious attacks, and are then under siege from a terrifying invisible and unstoppable monster, as tensions rise between the crew, the doctor and his daughter it is revealed that the phantom beast is actually an evil manifestation of Mobius' subconscious mind that he fails to control.

Sunshine (2007)

Earth's last hope, the Icarus II  and her crew are the second attempt to carry a colossal payload to reignite the dying sun after the failure of the first attempt, with critical damage and loss of oxygen production, there is a real sense of survival, desperation and almost cabin fever tension amidst the ship's personnel. However the real horror only begins to emerge with eerie discovery of Icarus I complete with subliminal flashes of images of the dead crew and the discovery of an unknown intruder, the deformed and insane captain of Icarus I.

2001 A Space Odyssey (1968)

Stanley Kubrick's science fiction classic, not a horror in the strictest sense yet with the feeling of space isolation, the cold words of a killer computer and the continually appearance of the ominous and almost occult symbolic black monolith it had to be included. It features a series of acts on the origin of man and a mysterious monolith discovered on the moon, on board the Discovery One en route to Jupiter where the creepy Hal 9000, the ships computer begins to kill its crew, this part has its own horror plot within yet the whole movie coveys a mysterious and foreboding unknown of man's origins, advancement and rebirth, a mysterious and epic vision that is both deeply fascinating and admittedly frightening.

Event Horizon (1997)

Laurence Fishburne and the crew of the Louis and Clark are sent to answer a distress call of the Event Horizon, a ship that mysteriously disappeared 7 years ago, they are accompanied by its designer played by Sam Neill with knowledge of its experimental 'black hole' gravity drive. They discover evidence of a massacre and are troubled by the reactivation of the gravity drive and the nightmarish visions they face. After a series of deaths the true horrific effects of the experimental drive are revealed as opening a gateway to a dark dimension of chaos and evil, to hell. Its designer, Dr. Weir becomes corrupted by the dark forces and seeks to foils the crews plan of escaping and destroying the Event Horizon lest it reach Earth.

Prometheus (2012)

Set in a time line before the Alien Movie, The spaceship Prometheus and her crew travel to a planet believed to be significant in relation to a theory of the Alien seeding of Human life on Earth or a type of Xeno Genesis. The planet is baron with only a dark and creepy alien structure remaining of this seemingly abandoned planet, with only a decapitated alien engineer and mysterious black liquid providing more questions than answers. The black liquid proves a hostile mutagen that transforms certain crew members and leaves Shaw, the female protagonist pregnant with alien. With the unknown schemes of David the android, mutant attacks, the human hating Engineer awakened and a horrific alien abortion, this movie is puzzling, disturbing and yet exciting at the same time.

Doom (2005)

I'll admit, more of action based movie but I feel like it was a worthy attempt at portraying the game on the big screen with decent frights and horror suspense. What I really like about it was the real special effects with the monsters/genetic demon outfits with the Imp and Hell Knight and the bad-ass BFG 9000 included. The mars based colony and special tactical team is a good set up, reminiscent of aliens/predator although a tad predictable, yet interesting plot points involving the ark teleporter gate and the discover of a 24th martian chromosome that made you superhuman or a demon, it worked for me, its got scares and is a fun watch even if your not a fan of the game.

Screamers (1995)

A former mining colony known as Sirius 6B now a scarred wasteland from Civil War, a war which commander Joe Hendricksson is seeking to bring to an end with a recent invitation to negotiate peace, although cautious of this invite he makes the journey to talk a truce. He must also beware of screamers, known as Autonomous Mobile Swords (AMS), remnants of war, like scattered mines except these move and hunt the living and as Hendricksson discovers they are adapting/upgrading. To their horror it is revealed that screamers impersonating humans, even children, in order to infiltrate secure bases. As he is pursued by these creepy killing machines, it is hard to know who to trust and who is human.

Pitch Black (2000)

The premise of this was pretty good, Ship crash lands on planet with a 'ghost colony' seemingly abandoned by its former residents and with high tensions and rivalries between the survivors notable the fugitive Riddick and his captor bounty hunter. All is not what it seems, something monstrous lurks in the shadows and it isn't the night visioned Riddick, soon they discover that the sun will soon set for a long time and when it does it will be feeding time for the nocturnal flying alien swarms. I feel like somewhere in the middle or towards the end, the movie falls slightly flat perhaps as the monsters are finally exposed and fought, however it still holds interest to see how the group attempts to survive this relentless night swarm along with limited light sources, dragging escape ship supplies and if they can actual trust one another.

That's the list! Others to mention Alien 3 and Resurrection and Ghosts of Mars weren't that great or scary in my opinion but are worth a watch nonetheless, I feel Aliens is more of a action movie than a sci-fi horror compared to it's predecessor, and I haven't yet seen Pandorum yet but may do a review when I get the chance, again these are space based, its only off world base Horror Sci-Fi.

Let me know what you think, what I miss and if these movies are worth watching in your opinion, I'll be posting this on both my Horror and Sci-Fi Blogs together. I want to hear from any readers that know of any upcoming Sci-Fi Horror Movies that will be worth keeping an eye out for, In the meantime take a look up at the stars and be grateful your not up there with this guy...