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CynthiaArgueta
ProfessorBatty
English113B
28April2015
FearoftheUnknowninHauntedHouses
Whatdoyouenvisionwhenyouthinkofahauntedhouse?Whatdoyouthinkmakes
hauntedhousesscary,anxietyprovoking,orunpleasant?Whatmakesahauntedhousefallinto
thesecategoriesisnotknowingwhattoexpectwhatisinsidefromjustthelooksofitonthe
outside.Thefearonehasofhauntedhousescomesinmanydifferentdegreesdependingonthe
person'sbeliefs,whichthenshowsthatmostofthesefearsarejustmental.Eventhoughthese
fearsarementalitstillprovokesanxietytothepersonandmakesthemfeelunpleasant.Thefear
ofhauntedhousesiscausedbythefeelingoftheunknownthatkeepseveryoneontheirtoes.
Hauntedhousesinmoviesareoftenperceivedasbeinginhabitedbydisembodiedspirits
ofthepeoplewhoarenolongerlivingthatmayhavebeenresidentsorwerefamiliarwiththe
property.Anaccidentaldeath,murder,orasuicidethathadhappenedinthehouseleadstothe
victimspresenceremaininginthehouse,tryingtoscareorkillthenewfamilythathasmovedin.
Theexpectationspeoplehaveofthisplacewhentheyseeahauntedhouseisthattheydonot
wanttogoinsidebecausethewaythehouselooksisunpleasanttothem,butsometimespeople
getcuriousandtemptationcausesthemtogoinside.Forexample,wehaveseenthese
stereotypesinmovieslike
TheConjuring,DarkPlaces,andNightmareonElmStreet.
WhatIhaveseenandheardabouthauntedhousesisthatahousebecomesabandoned
afteracoupleofyearsandremainsunusedandunmaintained.Thehousebecomesold,rusty,

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anddirtytothepointwhereitlookslikeitwillfallapartatanymoment.Whatmakesthehouse
unpleasantisthegrassbeingdeadanduncut,thegatesbeingrustyandfallingapart,crows
surroundingthehouse,andthetreesandplantsstartingtoforminsideandoutsideofthehouse.
Attimessomepeoplefeelthatthehouseprovokesanxietyduringthedayasmuchasthenight.
Sometimesduringthedaythehouseismoreunpleasantthanitisatnightbecauseofthelittle
aspectsthatyoucannotseeduringthenight.
Inthebook,
HauntingExperiences
byDianeE.Goldstein,SylviaA.Grider,andJeanne
B.Thomas,thereisachapterthattalksspecificallyabouthauntedhouses.LikeImentioned
before,thefearpeoplehaveofhauntedhousescomesinmanydifferentlevelsdependingonthe
person'sbeliefsandhowtheyprocessitintheirmind.Inthechapteritsaid,Wehumanshave
anincrediblypowerfulpsychologicalattachmenttoourhousesoursanctuariesandthe
intrusionofathreatening,otherworldlyforceinthatotherwisesafesettingisterrifyingto
consider.(Goldstein,Grider,Thomas143144).Thismeansthatushumanshavethepowerto
controlourpsychologicalattachmenttowhateverfeelsthatisthreateningandeventhougha
placemightbesafethemindmightwanderoffandmakethatplaceunpleasantorterrifying,like
ahauntedhouse.Inthechaptertherewasaresearcherthatpointedoutsomethingvery
interestingabouthauntedhousesbeingacentralsymbolinAmericanculture.Baileysaid,As
longashousesremainacentralsymbolinAmericanculture,ourwritersarelikelytoinhabit
themwiththeanxietiesthathauntourdaytodaylives(Goldstein,109).Whatthisissayingis
thatifushumanscontinuetothinkotherwiseofhauntedhouseswhentheyreadaboutthemthe
peoplethattellthesestoriesabouthauntedhouseswillcontinuetoprovokeanxietythatwill
haunttheirdaytodaylives.Therearesomepeoplethatliketoproveotherswrongandwill

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becomebraveenoughtofacetheirfearbywalkingintoahauntedhouse.Inoraltraditionand
popularfiction,humanseitherunwittinglystumbleintohauntedhousesor,paradoxically,seek
outthehauntedhouseandconfrontitasawayoftestingtheircourage.Theresultisnearly
alwaysthesame:thepersonenteringthehauntedhousecomesawayprofoundlychangedbythe
experience(Goldstein144).Eventhoughhumansconfronttheirfeartotesttheircourageit
changesthemsometypeofway.Eithertheyfacetheirfearandarechangedbyitbynotbeing
afraidofhauntedhousesanymoreortheyexperiencesomethingfrighteningwhileinthehouse
andtheytellthemselvestheywillnevergoback.Whatcausesthisisnotknowingwhatisinthe
house,thefeelingoftheunknown.
Someexamplesoffrighteninghousesthathavetodowithpeoplefeelingunpleasantor
withpeoplethatfacetheirfearbyconfrontingthehousetotesttheircouragearefoundin
movies.Onemoviethatisagoodexampleofthisis
TheConjuring
.Inthismovie
thereisa
familythatmovestoanoldfarmhouseinRhodeIslandwiththeirdaughters.Thefamilyfindsa
hiddenbasementwhereitislockedwithplanks.Soontheyarehauntedbynoisesandghosts.
Theyassumethatthehouseispossessedbyanevilspirit.Sincetheybecomecurioustheystartto
investigatethehouse.Whentheyareinvestigatingthehousetheyfindoutthatawitchhas
sacrificedhersevendaybabytoSatanandhaspossessedothermothersthatlivedinthereal
estatetokilltheirchildren.Thismovieshowsthatthefamilybecomesbraveenoughto
investigatethehousetoseewhyitisbeingpossessedbyanevilspirit.Anotherexampleisthe
movie
DarkPlaces
.Thismoviehastodowithafamilythatlivedinthehomeandwerekilled
there.Onlyonefamilymembersurvived,butthespiritsoftheotherfamilymemberscontinueto
dwellinthehome.Anothermoviethatisagoodexampleis
NightmareonElmStreet
.Inthis

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moviethereisakillernamedFreddythatisafteragroupofpeople,theyhavenoideawhoheis
untilhekillsoneofthem.Theydonotknowwhenandhowtoexpectthem,thereforethis
provokesmoreanxietytowardsthemthattiesbacktothefeelingoftheunknown.
Therearemetaphorsthatareusedinmoviestoprovokeanxiety.Inthebook
Dark
Places:TheHauntedHouseInFilm
byBarryCurtis,ittalksabouthowrecentfilmsabout
hauntingsanditsplaceshaveincreasedrapidly.HementionshowGhostsandthedarkplaces
wheretheydwellhaveservedaspowerfulmetaphorsforpersistentthemesofloss,memory,
retributionandconfrontationwithunacknowledgedandunresolvedhistories(Curtis).This
meansthattheghoststhatdwellinthehouseshavebeenpowerfulsymbolstofrightenand
hauntpeopletoprovokeanxiety.Basically,peopledonotknowwhattoexpect.
Thefearpeoplehaveofhauntedhousesaremostlymentalanditbecomesthefearofthe
unknown.Inthearticle,PsychologicallyExpertRobertBakerUnmaskedGhostly
AsspirationsbyAdamBernstein,RobertBakerwouldsaythat
"therearenohauntedplaces,
onlyhauntedpeople,"AdamBernsteinsaysthat,Dr.Bakerwasforemostaskeptic,believing
thatonecouldnotassumefromthestartthatunusualphenomenaghosts,UFOabductions,lake
monsters,remembrancesofpastliveswerereal(Baker).IagreewithRobertBakerbecause
therearehauntedhousesthathavestoriesthathavejustbeenmadeup,andthosemadeupstories
arewhatmakestheplacehauntedarethehauntedpeople.Thepeoplesfearsarejustmental,
sothetheyautomaticallyassumethatthisplaceishauntedwithhauntedpeople.Andwhat
makestheplacehauntedarethelooksofthehouseontheoutside,andnobodycouldtellthem
otherwiseunlesstheyfac
etheirfeartostepinsidethehouse.

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Inthearticle,FearoftheUnknownortheKnownbyDharmbirRaiSharmahetalksabout
fear.Hesaysthat,
Fearisauniversalemotionsharedbyalllivingbeings.Iftherewereno

thoughts,therewouldnotbeanyfear.Fearisalwaysrelative,itdoesnotexistbyitself.Weare
afraidofsomethingrealorimaginary.Ifonlyweunderstandthetruenatureoffear,wewould
realizethatthefearisofourownmakingwhatismadecanalwaysbeunmade(Sharma)This
quoteisaperfectexampleforahauntedhouse,becausethefearpeoplehaveofhauntedhouses
areeitherrealthatsomethingreallydidhappeninthehouseorimaginarybecauseofmadeup
stories.Italldependsontheperson,butregardlessofwhateverthepersonfearsitstillmakes
themfeelunpleasantandprovokesanxiety.Perhapsitisfarmoregeneralinhumanbeings
becauseofthemind'scapacitytoimaginethingsinrelationtofear.Like
Dharmbirsaidifthere
werenothoughtsthentherewouldbenofear.
Whatmakeshauntedhousesscary,unpleasant,andanxietyprovokingisnotknowingwhatto
expectontheinsidebyjustlooksofthehouseontheoutside.Thisisthefearoftheunknownthat
keepseveryoneontheirtoes.Therefore,
thefearonehasofhauntedhousescomesinmany

differentdegreesdependingontheperson'sbeliefs,whichthenshowsthatmostofthesefearsare
justmental.

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WorksCited

"DarkPlaces."
GoogleBooks
.BarryCurtis,n.d.Web.28Apr.2015.

Bernstein,Adam."PsychologyExpertRobertBakerUnmaskedGhostlyApparitions."
Washington
Post
.TheWashingtonPost,12Aug.2005.Web.28Apr.2015.

"HauntingExperiences."
Digitalcommons.usu.edu
.DianeE.GoldsteinSylviaAnnGriderJeannie
BanksThomas,n.d.Web.28Apr.2015.

Sharma,DharmbirR."FearoftheUnknownoroftheKnown?"N.p.,n.d.Web.28Apr.2015.