Dying A Desperate Death

Copperfox

Well-known member
There can't be any worse horror than being attacked by an unbeatable assailant from whom you can't escape. In my early childhood, my nightmares often involved such a no-win situation. For instance, I once dreamed I was a dirt farmer in the Old West, being attacked by vindictive cattlemen. I tried to shoot back, but my gun wouldn't fire. So I uselessly shouted, "Bang, bang!"

TV shows like "Night Gallery" or "The Outer Limits" often trapped characters in this or that hopeless doom. Even the non- fantasy Alfred Hitchcock series included at least one "Ha ha, evil is unbeatable, so nothing you do can save you!" episode.

This brings to mind various movies along the same lines. For instance, one Jekyll-and-Hyde movie ends when Mister Hyde SEEMS to have been conclusively slain.... until some smirking character breaks the fourth wall to ask the audience, "Are you SURE??" Likewise, at the very close of "House on Haunted Hill," one of the surviving haunted-house explorers coldly addresses the camera, declaring ominously, "The spirits are coming for me now..... and then...... they'll come for YOU!!!"

Thanks but no thanks. Give me Tarzan, Wonder Woman, Sheena the Jungle Queen, or Captain America racing to my rescue. Even Luke Skywalker, provided he ISN'T the pessimistic loser in the ultra-downbeat sequel trilogy.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top