Doctor Who is at its most thrilling when it tries to scare us.
Why do we like being scared? Fear: Our bodies pump blood faster. Makes us feel more alive.
Perhaps through watching horrific moments we can learn to deal with the horrors we must overcome within our own lives?
We are also fascinated by the strange and grotesque. Perhaps few are more fascinated by the macabre than Mark Gatiss.
But we are safe in the knowledge that the Doctor and his companions will make everything okay right at the end.
The serialisation of the stories requires a moment of horror for the cliffhanger's to work. From the first cliffhanger, with a giant shadow looming over the TARDIS. A strange plunger threatening school teacher Barbara Wright, which makes this intelligent woman scream?
Scariest moments from the series.
The Daleks scared us not just because they were something completely different to us. They showed no mercy. Their sole purpose was to destroy everything. They are the ultimate killing machine. Later they were revealed to have originated from humanoids just like us, but genetically manipulated.
The Cybermen. Some find these more scary than the Daleks, as they are very much like us, they will make us one of them, with removed emotions. Devoid of all humanity.
The original Doctor Who series, particularly in the Hinchcliffe/Holmes era (1974-1979), in an effort to make the series more adult they drew fairly heavily from the old Hammer horror stories. The Brain of Morbius is clearly inspired by Mary Shelly's Frankenstein.
The villains of The Talon's of Weng-Chiang - Magnus Greel and The Caves of Androzani - Sharas Jek are both clearly inspired by The Phantom of the Opera.
The Planet of Evil was inspired from a mixture of the movie Forbidden Planet and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Vampires: State of Decay, Curse of Fenric, Vampires of Venice.
In State of Decay, the Vampires are classic horror Vampires. They even drink blood, and have it stored in tanks. Gruesome!
One of the differences between the classic and new series of Doctor Who is sometimes the classic series would draw upon a rich history of characters and exploit them. The new series draws upon more basic fears, some within our own daily lives. Sat-navs that control our cars and emit gas, cracks in the wall with something living behind it, though this was done in the classic era - the Malus living in the church wall in the Davison story The Awakening.
The Weeping Angels. Don't blink. If you blink they will get you! Every moment you close your eyes these grotesque, knurled statues will come closer.
Vashta Nerada: Shadows that kill. But perhaps more chillingly we were not aware that they had killed instantly, making it seem like a prolonged death.
The Silence. These creatures, with elongated faces and fingers, we will forget about them the moment you turn your head. So they can move amongst us, almost unnoticed. Lightning strikes from their fingertips, removing their victim from existence.
What is your favourite scary moment? What scared you as a child and what do you enjoy now? Leave a reply in the comment box below
The Krynoid in The Seeds of Doom and the inexorable dread in Midnight.
Night Terrors had its fair share as was body possession in Midnight as well
Kane's melting face in 'Dragonfire' from Old Who.
The Image of the Fendahl gave me nightmares, as an adult!
The scene where Sally goes in the basement and leaves the guy with the Angel.
Yes exactly! I cannot look at another statue the same again. :(
I'd have to say my favorite was when the brain of Morbius fell out of the jar & on to the floor!
No comments:
Post a Comment