Scaregasm Wrote:An ax just says violence.??There is nothing smooth, gentle, or clean about murdering someone with an ax.??It's angry, bloody, psychotic.??Ax murder says "I hate you and I want to make sure you stay dead."??
Perhaps that is why axes don't scare me. While it can represent somebody who just wants to kill kill kill, it also seems to denote somebody who cares more for blind destruction than the death of their victim (thus making them sloppy), or simply somebody who is unskilled in performing the actual act (making them sloppier still). With the shape and balance of the axe, it makes it rather unsuitable for actually killing somebody as opposed to other methods. While a really good swing can potentially chop right through bone, this is simply not necessary to kill and leaves unnecessary holes in the offense. If the object was *stationary*, however -- either by being bound, being asleep, etc -- then I could consider the axe something worthwhile, as the strengths of the weapon are played to their fullest without the drawbacks in that situation. I think the main reason axes works as a major scare tactic is largely because most people don't get exposed to it beyond horror films. A kitchen knife, it's hard to *not* see it every now and then. An axe? Not so much.
Quote:...for maximum benefit one would do best to play the insanity card.
Rather, you get close and speak in a calming voice about how much blood the human body holds, where the threshold is for supporting consciousness, and how long it would take to reach this point when different areas of the body are subject to incision.??Perhaps you don't want them to scream or a certain facial feature would look nice in a jar by the door.
Hm. I can't really argue with you that this would potentially be effective. It feels off for me simply because it's not how I would prefer to handle things, but it would probably work.
I feel that distortions are the most frightening, personally. Contrasts. While something horrible can most definitely be frightening, something that is horrible that contrasts heavily with our preconceived notions of said object is far worse. The sincere doctor who wants to "open you up to see what's wrong". The little girl who details an interest in your internal organs, all with an innocent smile on her face and a *purity* about her.
Even a simple change of "Please don't scream" could indicate a measure of politeness and sincerity that clashes so heavily with the intent as to cause so much more damage than a simple "don't scream" command.
The insanity card can be useful, most certainly, but I feel that it causes the victim to see the perpetrator less and less as a "human" and more as a monster. Outright Insanity is an effective monster, to be sure, but monsters can only manage so much.
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Nearly forgot... >_>;;
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