London in the Dark

Today in our London in film unit, we studied London in horror. As a great lover of horror movies, I found this unit to be quite interesting.

London lends itself very well to the horror genre because there's so much history here, with lots of creepy material to work with. For example, the Tower of London, which has experienced torture, death, and pain throughout the years; Whitechapel, where Jack the Ripper made his nightly "runs"; and numerous castles and palaces which are said to be haunted by restless spirits.

But there are other things that make London a great setting for horror as well. During one of our class discussions we discussed this issue. One thing I think is that the modern London we know today was built up around an ancient city, which leads to lots of winding roads and an "un-organized" design. When contrasted to a city like New York with it's very structured grid-like pattern, the difference is evident. Imagine being chased, in the dark, in a place where none of the roads have any logical pattern and you never quite know what's coming around the next turn. Pretty scary, right?

I also think London weather is great for horror; what could be better than fog, gray skies, and cold winds for a horror movie?

Sure, London can be a scary place. But if it wasn't, where would the fun be?