Post by breckjensen on Nov 25, 2017 6:06:18 GMT -5
Hello,
having recently read salem's lot and watched tremors, i got to thinkin about small town horrors and why it's such an effective setting for mayhem. this may be best illustrated in don siegel's 1956 classic, invasion of the body snatchers. in a small town, everyone knows one another so: it's readily apparent when things aren't right; if everyone knows one another, there's a tendency for everyone to care a little bit more for each other (a great short-coming in the human species, my buddhist wife would argue, is our frequent inability to care for everyone with equity, whether we know them or not); and small towns lend themselves to easy isolation, allowing any major problem to spread without the hope of outside help. in a small town, friendships and loyalties run deep, often improving--or complicating--the situation.
how many movies can you think of where the small town switchboard operator is covered in spider-webs, zombified, or simply a pod person? it's hard to connect with the outside world when your dependent on an archaic telephone operating system. small town horrors often feature a visiting scientist or recently arrived outsider, often for the purpose of generating early suspicion ("no one was dying mysteriously before you got here, doctor big city."). my favorite of this type of device is the return of the prodigal son, who hasn't been in the town since leaving when his or her parents died/tragic accident that foretells current events occurred/family business went under/etc. sheriffs, doctors, school teachers, writers, divorcees, and high school sweethearts are often the heroes.
thanks
more details:
Industrial Product video
having recently read salem's lot and watched tremors, i got to thinkin about small town horrors and why it's such an effective setting for mayhem. this may be best illustrated in don siegel's 1956 classic, invasion of the body snatchers. in a small town, everyone knows one another so: it's readily apparent when things aren't right; if everyone knows one another, there's a tendency for everyone to care a little bit more for each other (a great short-coming in the human species, my buddhist wife would argue, is our frequent inability to care for everyone with equity, whether we know them or not); and small towns lend themselves to easy isolation, allowing any major problem to spread without the hope of outside help. in a small town, friendships and loyalties run deep, often improving--or complicating--the situation.
how many movies can you think of where the small town switchboard operator is covered in spider-webs, zombified, or simply a pod person? it's hard to connect with the outside world when your dependent on an archaic telephone operating system. small town horrors often feature a visiting scientist or recently arrived outsider, often for the purpose of generating early suspicion ("no one was dying mysteriously before you got here, doctor big city."). my favorite of this type of device is the return of the prodigal son, who hasn't been in the town since leaving when his or her parents died/tragic accident that foretells current events occurred/family business went under/etc. sheriffs, doctors, school teachers, writers, divorcees, and high school sweethearts are often the heroes.
thanks
more details:
Industrial Product video