Horror Can Both Be Repulsive and Attractive

This story explores the experience of a gamer who receives a game DVD as a gift and ends up encountering the character of Jason Voorhees in real life. The story delves into the repulsive and attractive aspects of horror movies and how they can affect individuals.

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Horror movies can both be repulsive and attractive
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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This story is about Robert, a final year student of Cambridge University, age 19 years
7 months. Robert would describe himself as an avid gamer. In fact, so much so that he
wouldn’t think twice about bunking classes if a new game comes out. Action, horror,
strategy, RPG whatever, it just has to be a game and Robert would involve himself in it
without thinking twice. Although his friends, tutors and parents had repeatedly advised and
warned him from playing games too much, he did not pay much heed to them. As far as he
was concerned, his everyday started and ended with games. Cut to three years later, in the
present day, that same Robert now shivers and avoids any type of games whenever someone
invites him to join him in playing computer games. Why you ask? What could have happened
three years ago, on a night that might have turned an avid gamer into such a scaredy cat
whenever he hears the word “Game”? Well, readers…. why don’t you hear it from the man
himself?
Yes…. I must admit that I used to be an avid gamer. Games used to be the love of my
life. All day I would just dream about playing computer games. Why you ask? It’s simple….
they are awesome. Well… at least they were for me three years ago. Until that horrible
night…. that… that!! Anyways... let me start from the beginning. Let me finish my story first
and then you can decide for yourself if I am insane or I am telling the truth.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning in the month of March. Sundays being no college
and no studies… I got up quite early in the morning and started doing what I do best i.e.:
computer games. It was while I was halfway through the game when suddenly our front
doorbell rang. Me being alone in the house (mom & dad were out on some work), I had to
pause the game halfway and had to open the door myself. However, once I opened the door, I
was a bit surprised to find nobody there. There was, but something on the doorway…a parcel

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in the name of Robert Wilson (my name..). The parcel had a note attached to it which said
“HAVE FUN” in capital letters. I must admit that I was a little taken aback by the sudden
appearance of the parcel, nonetheless, took it inside with me. On opening the parcel, I was
elated. Inside, there was a brand-new DVD of Friday the 13th – The Game (Collector’s
Edition). I can’t tell you how happy I was yet at the same time, I could not help but wonder
who might my benefactor be that he/she might be gifting me a game DVD. However, I did
not much take it into consideration as this was a game I was hoping to try for a long long
time. With that in mind, I started playing the game. The game itself was awesome so I was
so much engrossed in it that I had no idea about how much time had passed. This game is
basically a game version of the movie Friday the 13th, where the player and his friends have
to survive from Jason Voorhees. With the latest technology and graphics, the game is
beautiful to play.
I really had no idea of how much time had passed. The doorbell rang a second time.
As mom and dad were still not back yet, I had to open the door again. Only When I opened
the door did I realize how much time had passed then. I realized that it was already dusk by
then. However, even this time, I could not see the person who had knocked. Thinking it to be
a prank by neighbouring kid, I closed the door and was about to back to go back when I heard
it…. a strange scratching sound. It was as if someone was scratching something… and it
seemed to be coming directly from inside our home…especially from my room. I got a bit
scared … wondering what might be causing such sounds. Suddenly, the lights in the entire
building went out. And at the same time, there rose a storm from outside. Believe me... when
I say that the entire surrounding went from normal to spooky in a millisecond. You don’t
believe me ? Well you would have if you had been present in my place. Anyways… Now I
was scared like anything. And I had a right to be. Firstly, there was this weird scratching
sound coming from my room and secondly, this power cut. Anyways, finding nothing, I

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grabbed my cricket bat which I found lying in one corner and picked it up. Using it as a
weapon, I slowly advanced towards my room. However, as I was about to enter my room, I
saw it out of the corner of my eye. There it was…. can it be really happening…it can’t really
be can it? not possible at all. What I saw that night there sent shivers down my spine ... and
even continues to till this day whenever I think about it. I saw… Jason Voorhees!! Believe
me I’m not lying. Jason Voorhees was standing in my room. That same figure from the
movies. The mask covered face, the same baseball bat in his hand, his undead eyes searching
something from inside his mask. And then his gaze fixed on me, and a gleeful emotion
crossed his face. The predator has found his prey. I was shocked and paralysed…. unable to
move as I saw Jason start to move across the room towards me. I realized that this was my
end… I was going to die at the hands of a character that had suddenly become original. I saw
Jason’s hands slowly grab my collar and start to lift me of the floor while his other hand was
steadying the baseball bat ready to deliver the killing blow. It was right then that something
inside me decided to fight back. I realized that I cannot die at the hands of a child psychopath
who does not even exist. With all my strength, I threw my cricket bat towards my laptop. I
saw as the bat hit the screen of my laptop and the screen cracked and the machine went blank.
At the same time, mysteriously… Jason Voorhees disappeared and I dropped on the ground
being held of the ground by Jason’s hands. Although I was hurt, I quickly got up on my feet
and rushed to whatever remained of my laptop and retrieved that C.D. I broke the C.D. with
another hit of the cricket bat as found this was the source for all this trouble. After that, I
don’t know why I suddenly felt very sleepy… I dropped on the floor. After that I do not
remember anything.
When I woke up… my found my mom, dad and the doctor staring down at me. I
found myself on my bed, no idea of how I got here. On questioning, my parents said that they
found me unconscious on the floor in my room beside the broken laptop and a broken C.D. . I

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also got to know that I had been unconscious the whole night. Anyways, I got better after the
doctor prescribed certain medicines for me. And since that day, I do not touch any sort of
computer games no matter how interesting it might look. And now that I have narrated my
story to you, tell me readers am I lying to you…am I insane ? What do you think readers ?
Please tell me…please !!

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Reference List:
Beasley, Chris, and Heather Brook. "Disorder and fear." The cultural politics of
contemporary Hollywood film. Manchester University Press, 2019.
Beasley, Chris, and Heather Brook. "Fearsome monsters." The cultural politics of
contemporary Hollywood film. Manchester University Press, 2019.
Deformed and Destructive Beings: The Purpose of Horror Films. McFarland, 2017.
Hitchcock, Stuart John. The veneer of fear: understanding movie horror. Diss. University of
Southampton, 2016.
Keesey, Douglas. Twenty First Century Horror Films: A guide to the best contemporary
horror movies. Oldcastle Books Ltd, 2017.
Ochoa, George. Freeland, Cynthia. The naked and the undead: Evil and the appeal of horror.
Routledge, 2018.
Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew. "Invisible Monsters: Vision, Horror, and Contemporary
Culture." The ashgate research companion to monsters and the monstrous. Routledge,
2017. 315-330.

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