Especially In the Flat Field. To a lesser degree Closer (Unknown Pleasures has been meme’d to death, unfortunately).
Why the Bauhaus cover?
It’s the terror of obscurity, achieved through minimalism and negative space.
Some aesthetic theory
Horror movies don’t scare me. The only exception is The Blair Witch Project.
This is curious. Other horror flicks feature teens chased around by psychos and creatures, but (SPOILER ALERT) we never actually see the Blair Witch, we only sense her through her effects. Why’s that scary?
Yes
This is the terror of obscurity.
This type of fear is primal and never leaves us
It’s the fear of what’s unknown, of what’s only partially understood. Is it even real? Are you brave enough to try and find out?
The terror of the Blair Witch consists precisely in that we never meet her. We know her solely by the weird happenings on tape, by the slow mental collapse of the foolhardy teens, by the uncanniness, the sense that something’s off (can’t quite put my finger on what it is).
Haven’t we been by this clearing already? I think I hear that creek again?
…
It’s why, when I want to be spooked, I watch paranormal documentaries, especially bizarre disappearances, UFO close encounters, and cryptid sightings.
The grey aliens aren’t scary because they chase the abductees around with hatchets and chainsaws. They’re scary because of their robotic affect, their mysteriousness and elusiveness. They’re scary because of their cold-bloodedness and amorality.
It’s the horror of the cryptic, the esoteric, the hidden and forbidden. You aren’t supposed to solve the riddle. Don’t try.
It’s why In the Flat Field cover freaks me the fuck out
When you look at the cover, you get the feeling that you’re looking at something you shouldn’t be seeing.
It’s a naked guy in a room blowing a horn. The window is open and the sun is shining. Does he not care about his privacy?
Does he just like playing musical instruments naked for some reason?
Is he performing an occult ritual? Is he trying to summon Satan?
…
Color and texture are info. Black/white and graininess are a lack of info. Featurelessness is next to darkness.
Minimalism and negative space are the secret sauce
Minimalism is a big part of both goth and indie music and cover art.
Minimalism is holding back and doing less when you could do more, so that the elements you do include speak all the louder.
Art that refuses to be busy and ornate creates negative space. All the space that could’ve been filled in stands cold and stark.
The core idea is that absence and void can themselves be presence. And when presence is expected, absence raises (perhaps unanswerable) questions, letting the viewer's imagination fill in the gaps.
Why this creates horror
It goes back to obscurity - after all, what is childhood fear of the dark, if not fear of negative space? Fear of “we know not what.” When we’re in the dark, our survival-oriented brains project malevolent entities - monsters and demons.
Once we flip the light switch, we know, and our fears are calmed.
I think I’ll go spin In the Flat Field, and watch The Blair Witch Project again sometime between now and October 31. I encourage you to do the same.
