“Where there is no
imagination there is no horror.”
~Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.
~Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.
Now
and then I come across objects in the collection that make the little hairs on
the back of my neck stand up. The
objects themselves are not particularly creepy or scary but they trigger uneasiness
within me. Some objects, like a Ku Klux
Klan robe, a gas mask from WWI, or the glasses worn by a guard when he was
beaten to death during a jailbreak are so closely associated with violence that
it is part of their very existence.
 |
| Glasses worn by Harry M. Swartz when he was murdered, 1938 |
Other
things just have a spookiness about them, like dolls. I, personally, have no strong feelings about
dolls but I know that many people find them completely disturbing. So, for those of you out there that would not
want to be alone in a dark room with a doll, I must warn you that there will be
dolls at the end of this post. There
will be several of them, actually, and Kelli has assured me that they are
indeed very creepy. You have been
warned.
So,
why do we find certain objects creepy? I
have some theories about that. First of
all, I think people naturally have an aversion to death. People generally don’t like things that
remind them of their own mortality.
Victorians were kind of an anomaly in this area. It was common for them to keep mementos of their
loved ones after they had passed away including jewelry made from their hair or
postmortem portraits. Photographs of
deceased children were quite common in the late 19th century. Today most people find such things very
creepy.
 |
| Plaster casting of the hand of the deceased 3-year-old girl, 1906 |
Actual
dead things are also pretty creepy.
People have always turned to fur as a way to stay warm but fur is also
fashion. I will admit that I do like fur
(it is one of my guilty pleasures) but I only buy vintage so no more little
animals are slaughtered. Peeling the
skin off another animal to wear it is rather disturbing. It makes me think of the skin suit from Silence of the Lambs. It is no wonder
that some people get the chills when they see a fur stole, especially if it has
little glass eyes.
 |
| Mink stole, c. 1930s |
Many
people fear going to the dentist or the doctor.
Much of that fear is probably caused by the scary tools they might use
on you. Part of the creepiness of
medical instruments is just letting your imagination explore how they could be
used. Things that pull teeth, saw bones,
drill into skulls, and pierce skin will always give me the shivers. [As a side note, the official opening of our
newest exhibit, To Do No Harm: Medicine
in Chemung County, will take place Thursday, November 20th from
5:00 to 7:00 pm. I hope to see you
there!]
 |
| Clockwise from top left: trephine, bone saw, syringe, tooth extractor |
And
now dolls. I won’t be offended if some
folks stop reading here. I think the
reason so many people find dolls unbearably creepy is their faces. They were meant to look human and that is
what is most unsettling. A human face on
something inanimate just makes you wonder if it is going to blink or talk or do
something equally terrifying. All the
killer dolls in movies and tv are not the cause of this fear. They are only the expression of something so
universally shared.
Dolls,
dolls, dolls, dolls, dolls, dolls, dolls, dolls, dolls….
…and
a clown.
Happy
Halloween!
