Are we scared yet?

The pull of the undead is always enticing. No wonder then that the Twilight book series has many takers

They're gone from this world but not quite. They're lurk around... somewhere in the subconscious or the more obvious tangible places like the neighbourhood banyan trees, behind that fluttering curtain or a creaky door. And despite the fear they bring out in us, we're drawn to them. Fact or fiction, the undead have always intrigued mortalsu2026 and all the more these days.

Fang following
In what Landmark's merchandiser Niyati Dhuldhoya calls the Twilight effect, spook is in again. The popularity of the series by Stephanie Meyer is apparently rivaled only by the Harry Potter saga. Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn are about 17-year-old Isabella Swan who falls for a handsome, angst-ridden (and hence totally desirable) vampire, Edward Cullen.u00a0

The Twilight books which were published in the US 2005 onwards, are on top as far as teen fiction is concerned. "The series has spawned so much interest in vampires, similar bestsellers (House of Night by P C and Kristin Cast and The Demonata series by Darren Shan), are catching on too. It has created a new genre," explains Dhuldhoya.

But the merchandiser points out that it hasn't come in the way of classics by Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King, Anne Rice and Anthony Horowitz. "Books like The Shining or Carrie are perennial hits. They don't come with a 'sell-by' date," she states. But as of now, anyone between 13 to 29 years can be seen sighing at the vampire section.

It's the same story at Crossword Bookstores. "After Twilight, readers look for paranormal romances. Sales in the genre have doubled over the past year," says Sivaraman Balakrishnan, deputy manager, marketing. Including titles popular at Landmark, The Historian, Interview with the Vampire and Buffy The Vampire series are a hit at Crossword.

Spook and then some
However, it's not just the bloodsuckers whom we've found a sudden fancy for. Says Mou Sen Mukherjee, head, PR and events, Oxford Bookstore, horror movies like The Exorcist are in high demand. "In fact we are planning to relaunch the The Exorcist soon," she says. At this bookstore too, the all-time favourites are of the fanged variety: 20 Vampire Stories and Dracula.u00a0

The scene is the same on television with viewers sinking their teeth into True Blood. Based in a fictitious town in Lousiana, US, the HBO drama is about a young telepathic waitress' romance with a vampire. Incidentally, True Blood has boosted sales of The Southern Vampire Mysteries, the books it is based on by novelistu00a0 Charlaine Harris. Alan Ball, who created the television series, has been quoted as saying that he avoided all vampire clichu00e9s: "I love how Charlaine treats the supernatural world so matter-of-factly."

Curiosity scared the cat?
While counsellor and psychology teacher at Jai Hind College Sonal Sethna doesn't enjoy horror herself, she feels fans of the genre merely satisfy their curiosity. "All of us are inquisitive about the unknown. Watching or reading something to do with it quells that curiosity to an extent," she says. Sethna who is also a practicing counsellor, feels that another reason why some enjoy getting goosebumps is because it isn't real. "You're secure that what you're watching or reading doesn't exist. That you don't personally have to face whatever is wreaking havoc in the movie, TV show or the novel. You feel the tingle and once it's over, you get back with your life. It's a diversion from reality."

How about 'real' horror then? Like Ghost Hunters currently airing on Star World whose hosts Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson visit supposedly haunted places. Jyotsna Virilaya, programming head, Star World and Star Movies, admits that Ghost Hunters wasn't a planned acquisition. "It was part of a whole package of shows we acquired," she says. Virilaya adds that the reality show doesn't always guarantee a spook factor. Which is why a fictional drama like Ghost Whisperer works better. The Jennifer Love-Hewitt-starrer will soon return with a new season. "That was a conscious decision because the show has done extremely well in the past," she says.

Be afraid...
Manish Kumar Singh, 27, insurance operations officer is a huge fan of the undead. "Zombie flicks are fun because you know exactly what to expect," he says. "You can't go wrong. You can't expect it to be good or bad. It will be a certain kind of movie." Singh, whose favourite freak films include Night of The Living Dead (the new version), The Ring, 28 Days and 28 Weeks Later, adds, "One does enjoy being scared... it is one of our primal instincts. But once it's over, I forget all about it."

Dr Anjali Chhabria, consultant psychiatrist, says that fans of horror are either the ones who can go through excitement and still detach themselves from it, or the ones who subconsciously train themselves to not be affected. She explains the concept of reaction formation: "If something really scares you, your mind sometimes subconsciously tells itself that it will not be affected." Chhabria has encountered cases in which the patient doesn't react to any 'scary' stimulus. "Of course, most people don't see it as an issue, so they don't seek help.

There are also those who get desensitised by exposing themselves to the same thing over and over." She doesn't see this as abnormal though she adds, "If someone thrives on horror, I think he or she needs help."

Professor Sethna echoes Dr Chhabria's thoughts. "It makes you insensitive to violence, you become more aggressive. You might start to identify with it."

A dose of goosebumps
Archana Rao, stylist, who enjoys a good dose of goosebumps, says, "I'm not obsessed with horror. I just enjoy a well-made spook film." The 27-year-old adds: "The true essence of a horror film is when you watch one all by yourself at night." Doesn't she feel the shivers afterward? "Nope. Though while watching Shutter, I was sure someone was prowling around the house opening the refrigerator, shutting a door. But I didn't turn the movie off," she says with a laugh.

Sethna enjoys detective movies though she can't bear to sit through more than half an hour of a horror flick. "I find them quite nauseating," she admits. The professor adds with a dry laugh that newspapers are no less horrific these days. As for Dr Chhabria, she'd rather not comment on the existence of 'other' beings. She does get spooked quite easily though. She states, "I walked out of Bhoot after 15 minutes... I was so freaked! My own life is interesting enough, I don't need a horror movie to spice things up."