Can there be sentimentalism or even romance in the middle of horror? Of course. In fact, horror can be one of the greatest opportunities for people to bond with each other.
I’m not saying that you should go ahead and create horrible circumstances for real-life people in the real world in order to bond with them, nor to take advantage of dire situations only to score higher points with someone, but it is a reality. One you can safely recreate in fiction. So don’t be a psychopath.
When it comes to love, sentimentalism, and romance, you might think of roses, chocolate, plushies, and jewelry. And that’s okay! That’s lovely. And you can consider yourself fortunate if you get to experience something like that with a loved one. However, when it comes to love that is born through, because, or in spite of horror… things can be a bit more intense and have a certain darkness to it.
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| All of Us Are Dead (2022) |
For starters, horror can be the strictest test of character. You’ll see people at their worst, but also at their best.
In the middle of horror… You’ll get to see if someone runs off and leaves you behind, or if they’ll hold your hand to speed you up even if it slows them down. You’ll see whether they will push you down as a decoy to increase their chances to escape, or risk their life to pull you up and save you. Whether they’ll leave you for dead if you get lost, or initiate a search no matter how slim the chance of finding you alive is. Whether they’ll grab you and use you to take the hit for them, or get between you and what would harm you to take the hit for you. Whether they’ll be paralyzed by fear, or reach for whatever they can get to slam it at the monster and keep you from danger.
And maybe all of this has to do with their principles, with their sense of honor and/or duty, or with standards that they have for themselves for any reason, and it has little to nothing to do with you in particular. But even so, you see these traits and possibly the quality of their character.
And you may get to see so much more…
You may see them scream, see them cry. See them scared, worried, confused. Hurt and in pain. Bloodied and dirtied. Not the way one would show up to a date to make a good impression. Horror, unless you’re the one causing it and not the one experiencing it, leaves little room for pretenses. Almost inevitably, you’re stripped off by it. And that’s why it can be so intimate. That’s how others connect with the you that is normally out of sight.
And as if that wasn’t enough already, you also get to see how crises are handled. Whether they’ll panic or remain lucid. Whether they’ll lash out at you for your mistakes, or comfort you and look for solutions instead. Whether they’ll become insufferable or the kind of person that you’d like by your side and can count on.
Reminds me of an old joke that said that before marrying a person, you should first see how they react to a poor internet signal.
Yet, clearly, it’d be unreasonable to expect everyone to ace this test - especially if you, yourself, did terribly at it. And less than perfect can still be something to be deeply and greatly grateful for - gratitude indeed being a form of love. One of the purest ones when genuine, I’d argue.
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| All of Us Are Dead (2022) |
People that make it together throughout horror, helping each other out, having each other’s back, form strong bonds, if not just become an important part of each other's hearts.
There’s no question whether they’re fair-weather friends or not. Though, depending on how severe and traumatic the experience was, many would choose to stay as far away from anything like it again - to heal and to be able to move on from it. Some would take it further and avoid those involved so that it won’t be triggering to them and lead them to relive events that they’re not ready to face, which may or may not be something temporary. Yet, even if resentment builds up over the damage, over what could or should have happened, it’s hard to deny the significance of it...
Have you made friends or fallen in love during harsh times?