There was a girl I knew who was terrified of monsters. Every night before she slept, she made her parents check under the bed to ensure that there weren’t any creatures lurking about. She never dared to step into a room with the absence of light, let alone sleep by herself. The funny thing is, that she grew into a person who fell in love with the horror genre. Horror books, movies, shows, you name it. She buried herself in lengthy documentaries and shows about psychotic serial killers, forced her friends to go see horror movies with her, as well as solved riddles and participated in escape games.
How to Get Away with Murder, starring Viola Davis, is a mystery-thriller television show that she’s grown to love. The plot thickens every episode and season, never hanging a viewer out to dry. The countless plot twists and turns never ceases to amaze her. The amount of suspense causes the adrenaline in her body to go off the charts. It rushes and courses through her veins, pounding her heart at every passing moment. She’s so intrigued to the point where her eyes become glued to the screen, and her selective hearing turns on. Nothing else can catch her attention while she’s indulging herself into that show. She can spend protracted hours discussing the events that happened in the recent episodes with someone who shares the same passion as she. In other words, she absolutely loves it.
What world is it we live in, that it’s so rare to find someone who enjoys horror movies? It’s obviously no fun to go and see a horror movie by yourself, unless you like to have the living crap scared out of you, alone. Going to see a show in the theater is the only thing that will give someone the full experience. It is what a horror fanatic like her, seeks. Surround sound, vibrating chairs, and the piercing screams of other viewers only enhances the adventure. I remember her once telling me that she was somehow able to convince a good friend of hers to watch a horror movie in a cinema with her and to say the least, I don’t think it’s ever going to happen again. Thankfully, her father shares the love of watching scary shows as well. Though, it is important to note that he ponders too much about the specific details, and always misses out on the beauty of the cinematography. Nevertheless, she tells me that she’s beyond grateful to be able to enjoy the show with someone else.
“Welcome to this escape room. Your job is to find all the clues, solve the puzzles, and escape in under 60 minutes. You’ll have a flashlight to aid you. The clock starts now. Good luck.” A slight varying phrase that was deeply engraved into her mind from attending so many escape rooms. If you aren’t familiar with what an escape room is, it’s a simulated game where you are locked into an (often) dark room and haves to do whatever it takes, abiding by the rules, of course, to escape. She never stepped down from a challenge, and with the help of her friends, always managed to escape with the limited time. It was as if the idea of an escape room wasn’t daunting enough, she had to go into rooms with haunted themes and decorations. She was just conveniently good at putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, that thrill-seeking, daredevil girl is me. I’m not quite sure as to why my brain is wired this way, but it is what it is. Surrounding myself with the genre of horror is something that awakens me in every way, shape, and form; there is nothing else I would give to take the place of it.
Writing Process and Rough Draft
Reflection: The very first assignment that we were given in college writing was to write about, “What Makes You Come Alive?”. I struggled for a long time on what to write, because there were so many various things that make me come alive, and that’s when it hit me. I realized that I have a passion for watching horror films and indulging myself with horror related things (even if I may not know why). As soon as I got the idea, sharing various experiences with the reader was not challenging, but quite fun for me to do so. It’s a nice little get to know me piece, and I’m glad that I was really able to express myself through it.
Samantha's College Writing Blog 
I didn’t know that you liked horror stuff!! I think this piece was written in a very unique style, where you introduced the reader to this girl… who turned out to be you! You described exactly what you felt and talked about what exactly it was that made you fall in love with the horror genre. Something that I think could be improved on is when you talk about “she told me…” part, you kind of mash your first-person and third persons together and it could be a little bit confusing for anyone who hasn’t caught on to the fact that the girl you’re describing is you (maybe keeping it the same tense for a while until you reveal that it’s yourself at the end). However, I think that this is a very creatively written piece of writing and I really enjoyed reading it! Good job!!!
LikeLike