A History of Horribly Haunted Objects in Horror Films

I could have sworn that coffee mug just laughed at me. We€™ve all thought it from time to time. Before disregarding the mocking tone of the coffee mug for simply being a dangerously over-caffeinated delusion, perhaps we need to take a second. Maybe our paranoid instincts aren€™t really at fault; maybe the coffee mug is possessed. Sound outrageous, unbelievable and altogether silly? Well, let this history lesson teach you a few things about the adaptability of ghostly possessions. They€™re not just for houses or little girls anymore, oh no. Anything can be possessed from buttons to cellphones to tapping shoes. The trick to making a possessed object genuinely frightening, as opposed to an absurd laughing coffee mug, is age. Like a fine wine, the object must be given time to exist and not only become part of the general public€™s awareness, but also become a beacon of familiarity and safety. This is crucial important, because without it, the holy object cannot be tainted, violated or otherwise corrupted. If we don€™t already trust what is becoming a harbinger of deceit, then the terror becomes neigh, becomes laughable. Some films choose well, others aren€™t quite as successful. Shall we begin€
 
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Contributor
Contributor

I have a keen, almost obsessive fascination with the macabre. It has lead me from a quiet life growing up in a small town to where I am now; creating horrific works about horrific things in many different mediums including films, short stories and essays. I live life by a simple motto: learn to like the dark, cause eventually, it'll come for all of us (lightening flashes and thunder claps)... but it ain't so bad.