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The Difference Between Fear and Paranoia
There's an important distinction between ordinary horror and paranoid horror.
Fear says:
"There's something in the darkness."
Paranoia says:
"There's something in the darkness—and I think it's standing behind me."
Fear creates a threat.
Paranoia creates uncertainty.
And uncertainty can last much longer.
You can be frightened by a jump scare for a few seconds.
Paranoia can stay with you for the entire movie.
It makes every conversation suspicious.
Every character suspicious.
Every shadow suspicious.
Every unexplained noise suspicious.
And suddenly you're sitting there thinking:
"Maybe everyone is the monster."
Congratulations.
You've entered The Thing.
