Rocket-Man: Horror-Film Dianetics!

[Abishai100]

The presentation of tools, equipment, and items-of-interest in various horror-films reflects the audience's reaction to the symbolism behind the niceties and normalities of everyday objects which can be re-presented as 'vessels for danger.'

In Halloween II, we see Michael Myers turn up the thermostat-gauge for a sauna-room to make the water dangerously hot for idlers, and in Friday the 13th, we see Jason hurl an axe towards a man trying to run away.

Environments for catastrophe (e.g., a football stadium) are as symbolic for chaos-storylines as objects/equipment (e.g., flares, buckets, etc.) are!

This sort of 'aesthetics-based' noir-storytelling illuminates the psychological appeal of gadget/doll-themed horror stories/films such as Puppet Master and Hatchet.

When I was growing up in India, I noticed a nifty but somewhat dangerous cooking-tool my family's maid-chef would use on the kitchen floor, a metal-hooked vegetable-and-meat cutting blade-on-wood item (with a swivelling handle) called a 'boti,' and I started thinking about the lingering dangers everpresent in our homes and cultures of communities. Years later, when I saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I thought about how otherwise utility-oriented objects (e.g., chainsaws) which could be easily purchased by just about anyone from a Home Depot hardware store (for example) revealed a modern culture of convenience, which arguably explains the general appeal of horror films such as Candyman!

So the question is, "Does civilization tool-use parallel weapons-use paranoia in symbolic ways?" This question will intrigue archaeologists of the future I think studying our time and noticing interesting parallels between pottery (e.g., Crate & Barrel) and mercantilism (e.g., The Rocketeer).



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PYRO: Don't you like my flame-thrower?
MAGNETO: I prefer standard metal objects/weapons.
PYRO: Your lack of mischievous creativity disturbs me.
MAGNETO: Like I said, I prefer standard methods to madness.
PYRO: That's very 'diligent' of you, but chaos is natural...
MAGNETO: I want control...over everything.
PYRO: You can't control the forces of imagination!
MAGNETO: I can at least try to create a 'system.'
PYRO: Hollywood isn't interested in movies about uniforms.
MAGNETO: No, but society likes movies about martial law.
PYRO: Alright, maybe there's a 'link' between fascism and anarchism!
MAGNETO: Indeed. That's why I am fascinated by magnetism (and metal).
PYRO: Do you know why there's a music-genre called 'Heavy Metal'?
MAGNETO: I can guess --- youngsters appreciate 'heavy fables'!

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