10 Subtle Tricks Horror Movies Use To Scare You

So this list has looked at horror's use of the uncanny valley when it comes to dolls, robots, toys, and other non-human entities which can be made to look a little too human from time to time.

But what about the monsters that once were human, or seem like they might be beneath their terrifying appearances? From mutants to werewolves to vampires to zombies, why are viewers so much more afraid of subverted humanity than they are of, say, Godzilla and King Kong?

Well, the answer to this one lies way back in infant psychology, and it's a developmental secret that every special effects maestro who has ever scared you senseless, from Stan Winston to Greg Nicotero to Tom Savini, is all aware of.

During our development, humans begin to discern normal and abnormal facial structures in infancy. It's then that humans develop a fear of what the brain registers as of disfigured, distorted, or otherwise abnormal faces. This has led to some dicey instances of offensive misrepresentation in the horror genre, wherein disfigurement in the likes of The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Wrong Turn is shorthand for amoral evil.