So what is it that actually scares you gentlemen and ladies about horror films like that? Is it the thought of having this happening to your own body? Is it because of the alien quality taken on by something so familiar as the human anatomy is? Or is it purely because of the slimy bits, oozing liquids, and mouths and eyes appearing where they don’t belong to? Don’t be shy and share your opinions.

My reason is the second one. To see a severed leg sprouting a tentacle to move around, and then bloat and shift into something like a huge slug is immensely fascinating to me, like seeing something new in a painting one has been passing by for years. To paraphrase S. Natsume, we are blind to the splendor of the steam train until Turner reveals it for us in his painting. By putting side by side a ‘normal’ human body and a horrible mutation, I can appreciate the qualities of both all the better.